Interesting Facts About Guam - Fun Facts About Guam

Guam is an island in the Western Pacific Ocean, which serves as America's gateway to the Western Pacific and Asia. It is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. Geographically speaking, the island is located around 1,500 miles to south of Japan, 1,400 miles to east of the Philippines, 2,000 miles to north of Australia and 3,800 miles to west of Hawaii. It is about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippine. Guam shares most of the rights of Americans and is one of the five US territories that have an established civilian government. The island depends largely on tourism as a source of income. Guam is home to many exotic marine lives and is famous for the beautiful beach, which attracts tourists worldwide, especially the Japanese. The other major channel of income is from the U.S. military. In the following lines, we have provided some more information on Guam.

Image: ryan harvey@flickr

Fast Facts

Location: Western Pacific Ocean in Oceania.

Area: 541.3 km²

Capital: Hagåtña

Population: 159,358 (2010)

Currency: US$

Official Languages: Chamorro, English

Independence Day: July 21, 1944

Type Of Government: Representative democracy

Fun & Interesting Facts about Guam

The official name of Guam is the ‘Territory of Guam’.
The official languages of Guam are English and Chamorro.
The currency of Guam is United States Dollar (US$).
The capital of Guam is Hagatna.
Dededo is the largest city of Guam.
Guam is the largest and southernmost of the islands that form a part of the Mariana Islands.
Bougainvillea spectabilis or Puti Tai Nobiu is the nation flower of Guam.
Marianas Rose Crown Fruit Dove, also known as Tottot and Ptilinopus roseicapilla, is the national bird of Guam.
Mt. Lamlam, rising to a height of 1,334 feet (407 meters), forms the highest point in Guam.
Mariana Trench, deepest part of the ocean in the world, is in the vicinity of Guam.
The motto of Guam is "Where America's Day Begins".
It was in March 1998 that a bill was passed by the legislature, officially changing the name of capital city, Agana to its Chamorro name, Hagatna.
Mariana Islands were claimed by Spain in the sixteenth century and named after Queen Mariana, the mother of Charles II of Spain.
Guam came under US occupation in 1898, under the Treaty of Paris.
The US military base on Guam is one of the most important American bases in the Pacific.
The beaches of Guam are not covered with sand but ground coral, which means this island, does not have sand!
About 85 percent of Guam's citizens are Roman Catholic, which is the major religion here.
The capital city of Guam, which is called Agana, claims to be one of the oldest European cities in the Pacific.
The famous Latte Stones were built by the ancestors of Guam. They look like mushrooms with very long shoots and were believed to support the houses of the upper classes in ancient Guam.
Much before America took over Guam, it was home to the Spaniards. It was a Spanish colony for over 300 years and the local culture was greatly influenced by the culture of Spain.
The majority population of the island is concentrated in the central metropolitan area which includes the cities of Tumon, Agana, Dededo, Barrigada, Tamuning and Agana Heights.
Guam’s national tree is ‘ifil’, also knows ‘ifit’.
Most part of Guam observe all the American holidays. However, it has two specific national holidays, which are the Guam Discovery Day, held on the first Monday in March and the Liberation Day, on 21 July.
Tourism is the major source of income for the economy of Guam. Guam habitats some of the exquisite beaches of the world and therefore attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world.
The weather in Guam is mostly warm and humid with northeast trade winds moderating it. Basically, it enjoys a tropical marine climate, which means the difference in seasonal temperature is slight. The dry season IS from January to June after which the rainy season begins. Guam experiences rains from July to December.

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