Guam (territory of the US)

§1. Guam Introduction

Background:
  Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by the Japanese in
  1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The military installation
  on the island is one of the most strategically important US bases in the
  Pacific.

§2. Guam Geography

Location:
  Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way
  from Hawaii to the Philippines

Geographic coordinates:
  13 28 N, 144 47 E

Map references:
  Oceania

Area:
  total: 549 kmē
  land: 549 kmē
  water: 0 kmē

Area - comparative:
  three times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  125.5 km

Maritime claims:
  exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:
  tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade
  winds; dry season from January to June, rainy season from July to December;
  little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:
  volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat coralline
  limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep coastal cliffs
  and narrow coastal plains in north, low-rising hills in center, mountains
  in south

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Lamlam 406 m

Natural resources:
  fishing (largely undeveloped), tourism (especially from Japan)

Land use:
  arable land: 11%
  permanent crops: 11%
  permanent pastures: 15%
  forests and woodland: 18%
  other: 45% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  NA kmē

Natural hazards:
  frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but potentially very
  destructive typhoons (especially in August)

Environment - current issues:
  extirpation of native bird population by the rapid proliferation of the
  brown tree snake, an exotic species

Geography - note:
  largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands archipelago;
  strategic location in western North Pacific Ocean

§3. Guam People

Population:
  157,557 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 35.07% (male 28,978; female 26,270)
  15-64 years: 58.78% (male 48,704; female 43,902)
  65 years and over: 6.15% (male 4,871; female 4,832) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  2.09% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  25.07 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  4.2 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.14 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  6.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 77.94 years male: 75.66 years
  female: 80.55 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  3.85 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  NA

Nationality:
  noun: Guamanian(s)
  adjective: Guamanian

Ethnic groups:
  Chamorro 47%, Filipino 25%, white 10%, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other
  18%

Religions:
  Roman Catholic 85%, other 15% (1999 est.)

Languages:
  English, Chamorro, Japanese

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 99%
  male: 99%
  female: 99% (1990 est.)

§4. Guam Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Territory of Guam
  conventional short form: Guam

Dependency status:
  organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between
  Guam and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US
  Department of the Interior

Government type:
  NA

Capital:
  Hagatna (Agana)

Administrative divisions:
  none (territory of the US)

Independence:
  none (territory of the US)

National holiday:
  Discovery Day, first Monday in March (1521)

Constitution:
  Organic Act of 1 August 1950

Legal system:
  modeled on US; US federal laws apply

Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential
  elections

Executive branch:
  chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001);
    Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)
  head of government: Governor Carl GUTIERREZ (since 8 November 1994) and
    Lieutenant Governor Madeleine BORDALLO (since 8 November 1994)
  cabinet: executive departments; heads appointed by the governor with the
    consent of the Guam legislature
  elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for a
    four-year term; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same
    ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 3 November
    1998 (next to be held NA November 2002)
  election results: Carl GUTIERREZ reelected governor; percent of vote - Carl
    GUTIERREZ (Democrat) 53.2%, Joseph ADA (Republican) 46.8%

Legislative branch:
  unicameral Legislature (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
  serve two-year terms)
  elections: last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2002)
  election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
    Republican Party 8, Democratic Party 7
  note: Guam elects one delegate to the US House of Representatives; election
    last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2002); results -
    Robert UNDERWOOD was reelected as delegate; percent of vote by party -
    NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 1

Judicial branch:
  Federal District Court (judge is appointed by the president); Territorial
  Superior Court (judges appointed for eight-year terms by the governor)

Political parties and leaders:
  Democratic Party (party of the Governor) [leader NA]; Republican Party
  (controls the legislature) [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

International organization participation:
  ESCAP (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, SPC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  none (territory of the US)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  none (territory of the US)

Flag description:
  territorial flag is dark blue with a narrow red border on all four sides;
  centered is a red-bordered, pointed, vertical ellipse containing a beach
  scene, outrigger canoe with sail, and a palm tree with the word GUAM
  superimposed in bold red letters; US flag is the national flag

§5. Guam Economy

Economy - overview:
  The economy depends on US military spending, tourism, and the export of
  fish and handicrafts. Total US grants, wage payments, and procurement
  outlays amounted to $1 billion in 1998. Over the past 20 years, the tourist
  industry has grown rapidly, creating a construction boom for new hotels and
  the expansion of older ones. More than 1 million tourists visit Guam each
  year. The industry has recently suffered setbacks because of the continuing
  Japanese slowdown; the Japanese normally make up almost 90% of the
  tourists. Most food and industrial goods are imported. Guam faces the
  problem of building up the civilian economic sector to offset the impact of
  military downsizing.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $3.2 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  NA%

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $21,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: NA% industry: 15% (1993)
  services: NA%

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  0% (1999 est.)

Labor force:
  60,000 (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  federal and territorial government 26%, private 74% (trade 24%, other
  services 40%, industry 10%) (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  15% (2000 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $605.3 million
  expenditures: $654.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000)

Industries:
  US military, tourism, construction, transshipment services, concrete
  products, printing and publishing, food processing, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production:
  800 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  744 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:
  fruits, copra, vegetables; eggs, pork, poultry, beef

Exports:
  $75.7 million (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities:
  mostly transshipments of refined petroleum products; construction
  materials, fish, food and beverage products

Exports - partners:
  US 25%

Imports:
  $203 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  petroleum and petroleum products, food, manufactured goods

Imports - partners:
  US 23%, Japan 19%

Debt - external:
  $NA

Economic aid - recipient:
  Guam receives large transfer payments from the US Federal Treasury ($143
  million in 1997) into which Guamanians pay no income or excise taxes; under
  the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guam Treasury, rather than
  the US Treasury, receives federal income taxes paid by military and
  civilian Federal employees stationed in Guam

Currency:
  US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
  USD

Exchange rates:
  the US dollar is used

Fiscal year:
  1 October - 30 September

§6. Guam Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  84,134 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  55,000 (1998)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: modern system, integrated with US facilities for direct
    dialing, including free use of 800 numbers
  domestic: modern digital system, including cellular mobile service and
    local access to the Internet
  international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean);
    submarine cables to US and Japan (Guam is a trans-Pacific communications
    hub for MCI, Sprint, AT&T, IT&E, and GTE, linking the US and Asia)

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 4, FM 7, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
  221,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  5 (1997)

Televisions:
  106,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .gu

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  20 (2000)

Internet users:
  5,000 (2000)

§7. Guam Transportation

Railways:
  0 km

Highways:
  total: 885 km
  paved: 675 km
  unpaved: 210 km
  note: there are also 685 km of roads classified non-public, including roads
    located on federal government installations

Waterways:
  none

Ports and harbors:
  Apra Harbor

Merchant marine:
  none (2000 est.)

Airports:
  5 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

§8. Guam Military

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of the US

§9. Guam Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none
