Overview
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| War in the Pacif National Historical Park, Guam. |
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| Puntan Dos Amantes, Guam. |
The initial Western contact with Guam occurred in 1521, Ferdinand Magellan
reached the southernmost Mariana Islands during his circumnavigation of the
globe. General Miguel Legaspi claimed Guam and the other Mariana Islands for
Spain in 1565. Spanish colonization commenced in 1668. The Chamorro population
then was estimated at 50,000 throughout the Mariana Archipelago. However,
introduced diseases and the Spanish-Chamorro wars decimated the Chamorro race,
reducing the number of inhabitants to fewer than 2,000 by 1700. Guam served as
a way station for the Spanish Acapulco-to-Manila galleons from 1668 to 1815.
The
Spanish regime ended in 1898 when American forces took Guam during the
Spanish-American War. The Treaty of 1898,
Article II, negotiated under President McKinley, transferred control of Guam
to the United States.
Spain later sold the rest of the Mariana Islands,
including Saipan, Tinian and Rota, to Germany.
From 1899 to 1941, Guam was under U.S. Naval
Administration. At the outbreak of World War II, the Japanese seized Guam and
occupied the island for two and a half years.
American forces recaptured Guam in July 1944, and the U.S. Naval
Administration resumed responsibility when peace returned.
In 1950, the U.S. Government enacted the Guam Organic Act, conferring U.S.
citizenship on the people of Guam and establishing local self-government.
Under the Organic Act of 1950, the Secretary of the Interior assumed
administrative responsibility for Guam, formerly vested in the Secretary of
the Navy.
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| Arc Light Memorial, Air Force Base, Guam. |
Currently, Guam is an unincorporated, organized territory of the United States.
It is "unincorporated" because not all provisions of the U.S. Constitution
apply to the territory. Guam is an "organized" territory because the Congress
provided the territory with an Organic Act in 1950 which organized the government
much as a constitution would.
The Guam Organic Act currently provides a republican
form of government with locally-elected executive and legislative branches and
an appointed judicial branch. Guam also has an elected representative to Congress
-- The Honorable Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D).
Seeking to improve its current political status,
the Guam Commission on Self-Determination has drafted a proposed Guam Commonwealth
Act, which was approved in two 1987 plebiscites. In February 1988, the document
was submitted to the Congress for its consideration and was introduced in
four consecutive Congresses--the 100th through the 104th.
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| Arc Light Memorial, Air Force Base, Guam. |
The governmental structure is very much like a state government with a governor,
legislature, and local judiciary. The executive branch is comprised of a popularly
elected governor and lieutenant governor each serving a four-year term. The current
Governor is the Honorable Felix Camacho and his Lt. Governor Mike Cruz.
The legislative branch is a 15 member unicameral legislature
whose members are elected every two years.
The judicial system includes a territorial court called the Superior Court,
a Supreme Court and a U.S. District Court. The U.S. District Court handles
U.S. constitutional questions and other Federal cases. Appeals are channeled
through the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco and from there
to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Guam's Congressional Delegate possesses the same powers
and privileges as Representatives from the several States, with the exception
of voting on the House floor.
 Guam is the largest and southern most island in the Mariana Archipelago. It
is located 3,700 miles west-southwest of Honolulu; 1,500 miles east of Manila;
and 1,500 miles south-southeast of Tokyo.
Guam, which was formed by an uplift of undersea volcanoes, is surrounded by
coral reefs near the shore. The island is composed of two distinct geologic
areas of about equal size. The northern part of the island is a high coralline
limestone plateau rising 850 feet above sea level. This area contains the
northern water lens, the main source of fresh water in Guam. The southern
region is mountainous with elevations from 700 to 1,300 feet above sea level.
The total land mass is 212 square miles.
A person born in Guam is a United States citizen at birth. In Mid-1997 Guam's
population was estimated at 151,968. Population density is approximately 590
per square mile, one of the highest in the United States. Of the total population,
about 30,000 are military personnel and their dependents.
Ethnically, about 47 percent of the population are Chamorro; 25 percent are
Filipino; 15 percent migrated from the U.S. mainland and 13 percent are Korean,
Chinese, Japanese, Micronesian and Indian. Guam's population is relatively
young; about 35 percent are under 15years of age.
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| Fort Soledad, Umatac, Guam. |
During the past several centuries, Guam has evolved into a multi-ethnic society.
When the first Spanish missionaries commenced their Christianization of the
islands late in the 17th century, Guam's inhabitants were entirely Chamorros,
whose origin is believed to be Malaysian. War and introduced diseases, however,
nearly annihilated the indigenous people. Meanwhile, migrants flowed into
Guam from various parts of the world, including Mexico, the Philippines, Japan,
China, the United States, and Europe. Today, the Chamorros comprise slightly
less than half of the population, but are still dominant in the political
and social life of the island.
Most people are Christians, principally Roman Catholic.
Other major religious denominations are Baptists, Seventh-Day Adventist, Latter-Day
Saints and Episcopalians. Most other religions have adherents in Guam, including
Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, Buddhists, and Muslims.
Although most residents of Guam are bilingual, English is the common language.
Chamorro and English are the official languages.
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| Tumon Bay, Guam. |
Guam's economy is based on two main sources of revenue - tourism and military
expenditures. Economic growth slowed or stagnated after extraordinary growth
through 1992. Military downsizing coincided with Japanese recession and then
the Asian economic crisis of the late 1990's. Visitor arrivals continued to
increase to a peak of 1,380,000 in 1997, but declined in 1998 and increased
only slightly in 1999. Hotel construction has continued throughout the 1990's
resulting in reduced occupancy rates and hotel revenues, but placing the tourist
industry in a good position to benefit from increased Asian travel next decade.
There are currently more than 9,000 hotel rooms, with more under construction.
In mid-1999, the total labor force was 72,700, with 61,850 employed, for an
unemployment rate of 15.2 percent, an increase from 9.2 percent in 1997. The
public sector employs 18,230 and the private sector employs 43,620.
The Guam Government reported FY99 General Fund revenues
of $470 million, a decrease from 1998 and previous years. Expenditures of
$506 million resulted in an operating deficit of $36 million.
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| Inarajan, Guam. |
There are three categories of land-use ownership: private, Government of Guam,
and the U.S. Government. The Federal Government holds about 30 percent of
the total land area; the Government of Guam approximately 25 percent; and
the remaining 45 percent is privately owned. Private land ownership on Guam
is not restricted on the basis of nationality or residency and title can be
held in fee simple. Some Federal military land has recently been turned back
for the Government of Guam determination as to future use.
Because Guam is a U.S. territory, there are no restrictions for U.S. citizens traveling to and from Guam. Due to recent changes in requirements for travel, all travelers in and out of the U.S. must carry a passport. Non-U.S. citizens must have valid passports issued by their respective governments and appropriate visas issued by a U.S. embassy or consulate.
Focus
Update on Guam and CNMI Economies (May 2004)
Island Business Opportunities Reports
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| Guam War Claims Review Commission Presents Secretary Norton with the Report on the Implementation of the Guam Meritorious Claim Act of 1954, Including Findings and Recommendations. |
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The Guam War Claims Review Commission is sworn into their post: (l-r) Ruth Van Cleve, Mauricio Tamargo, Robert Lagomarsino, Benjamin Cruz, Antonio Unpingco.
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Please, check this section later for updates.
News Items
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