GUAM
A U.S. territory in the western part of the Pacific Ocean on the island of the same name in the Mariana Islands group (Oceania). Area — 541 km².
The administrative center is Hagåtña (approx. 2,000). Population — about 168,500 (2005), including about 20,000 U.S. military personnel and their family members. Descendants of the indigenous people make up less than 1/3 of the island's population, with a significant portion being immigrants from Indonesia and the Philippines. The official language is English, and the local Chamorro language is widely spoken. The dominant religion is Catholicism (about 85% of all believers). The currency is the U.S. dollar.
National holidays — the first Monday in March - Guam Day, March 21 - Liberation Day.
According to the Organic Act of Guam, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1950, the island is granted the right to local self-government, and its residents are recognized as U.S. citizens without the right to participate in national elections. Guam has 1 delegate, elected for 2 years, in the U.S. House of Representatives (without voting rights). The executive power is exercised by the governor (F. Camacho, elected in 2002); the local population elects him for a term of 4 years. The governor appoints the government (after approval by the legislative body).
The legislative body is the unicameral Guam Legislature; it consists of 15 members elected by the population every 2 years.
Local branches of the Republican and Democratic parties of the U.S. operate on the island.
The first European to see Guam was F. Magellan on March 6, 1521, during the first circumnavigation of the globe. Since 1565, it has been a colony of Spain. In 1568, the first Jesuit missionaries landed on the island. Due to harsh exploitation and diseases brought by Europeans, the indigenous population of the island decreased from 100,000 (in 1521) to less than 5,000 by 1741.
As a result of the Spanish-American War of 1898, the island was seized by the U.S. During World War II, Guam was the first American territory occupied by Japan in 1941. It became a U.S. possession again after a military operation conducted from July 21 to August 10, 1944. Guam is the largest strategic military base of the U.S. in the Pacific. (U.S. military personnel are mainly concentrated at Andersen Air Force Base and Apra Harbor Naval Base.)
The economy is primarily based on tourism - over 1 million tourists visit Guam annually (about 90% of them are Japanese). Revenues from U.S. military facilities also play an important role. The government of Guam is trying to diversify the island's economy by attracting foreign capital, primarily from Asian countries. Agriculture does not meet the internal needs of the island's population. Vegetable and fruit crops are grown. Livestock farming is developing. Electricity production is 835 million kWh.
There are no railroads. The length of the roads is 977 km.
Exports include clothing, beverages, and tobacco products, as well as machinery; imports include fuel (about 1/2 of imports) and food. Main trading partners are the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Singapore.
Guam has a university. There are 5 newspapers and magazines published, including the daily newspaper "Pacific Daily News." There are 13 radio stations and 5 television stations operating.