season runs from December through June. The remaining months constitute the rainy season. The months of January and February are considered the coolest months of the year with night time temperatures in the mid to low 70's and generally lower humidity levels. The highest risk of typhoons is during October and November. They can occur, however, year-around. An average of three tropical storms and one typhoon pass within 180 nautical miles (330 km) of Guam each year. The most intense typhoon to pass over Guam recently was Super Typhoon Pongsona, with sustained winds of 125 miles per hour, which slammed Guam on December 8, 2002, leaving massive destruction. Since Super Typhoon Pamela in 1976 wooden structures have been largely replaced by concrete structures.[6][7] During the 1980s wooden utility poles began to be replaced by typhoon-resistant concrete and steel poles. After the local Government enforced stricter construction codes, many home and business owners built their structures out of reinforced concrete with installed typhoon shutters. [edit] Demographics According to the U.S. census conducted in 2000, the population of Guam was 154,805.[8] The 2007 population estimate for Guam is 173,460.[5] As of 2005, the annual population growth is 1.76%.[9] The largest ethnic group are the native Chamorros, accounting for 57% of the total population. Other significant ethnic groups include those of Filipino (25.5%), White (10%), Chinese, Japanese and Korean ancestry. Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion, with 85% of the population claiming an affiliation with it. The official languages of the island are English and Chamorro. [edit] Culture Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica in Hagatna, faced by a statue of Pope John Paul II. Roman Catholicism is the main religion in Guam. Traditional Chamorro culture is visually manifested in dance, sea navigation, unique cuisine, fishing, games (such as batu, chonka, estuleks, and bayogu), songs and fashion influenced by the immigration of peoples from other lands. Spanish policy during colonial rule (1668-1898) was one of conquest and conversion to Roman Catholicism. This led to the gradual elimination of Guam's male warriors and displacement of the Chamorro people from their lands. In spite of the social upheavals, Guam's matriarchs — known as "I Maga'håga" — continued the indigenous culture, language, and traditions. Historian Lawrence Cunningham in 1992 wrote, "In a Chamorro sense, the land and its produce belong to everyone. Inafa'maolek, or interdependence, is the key, or central value, in Chamorro culture … Inafa'maolek depends on a spirit of cooperation. This is the armature, or core, that everything in Chamorro culture revolves around. It is a powerful concern for mutuality rather than individualism and private property rights." The core culture or Pengngan Chamorro is comprised of complex social protocol centered upon respect: From the kissing of the hands of the elders (inspired by the kissing of a Roman Catholic bishop's ring by those whom he oversees), passing of legends, chants, and courtship rituals, to a person requesting forgiveness from spiritual ancestors when entering a jungle or ancient battle grounds. Other practices predating Spanish conquest include galaide' canoe-making, making of the belembaotuyan (a string musical instrument made from a gourd), fashioning of åcho' atupat slings and slingstones, tool manufacture, Måtan Guma' burial rituals and preparation of herbal medicines by Suruhanu. Master craftsmen and women specialize in weavings, including plaited work (niyok- and åkgak-leaf baskets, mats, bags, hats, and food containments), loom-woven material (kalachucha-hibiscus and banana fiber skirts, belts and burial shrouds), and body ornamentation (bead and shell necklaces, bracelets, earrings, belts and combs made from tortoise shells). Today only few masters exist to continue traditional art forms. The cosmopolitan nature of Guam poses challenges for Chamorros struggling to preserve their culture and identity amidst forces of acculturation. The increasing numbers of Chamorros, especially Chamorro youth, relocating to the U.S. Mainland has further complicated both definition and preservation of Chamorro identity.[citation needed] [edit] Government and politics War in the Pacific National Historical Park, Asan, Guam. Main article: Politics of Guam See also: List of Guam Governors Guam is governed by a popularly elected governor and a unicameral 15-member legislature, whose members are known as senators. Guam elects one non-voting delegate, currently Madeleine Z. Bordallo, to the United States House of Representatives. Citizens in Guam vote in a straw poll for their choice in the U.S. Presidential general election, but since Guam has no votes in the Electoral College, the poll has no real effect. However, in sending delegates to the Republican and Democratic national conventions, Guam does have influence in the national presidential race, though these convention delegates are elected by local party conventions rather than voters in primaries.[2] In the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a significant movement in favor of the territory becoming a commonwealth, which would give it a level of self-government similar to Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands. However, the federal government rejected the version of a commonwealth that the government of Guam proposed, due to it having clauses incompatible with the Territorial Clause (Art. IV, Sec. 3, cl. 2) of the U.S. Constitution. Competing movements with less significant influence exist which advocate political independence from the United States, statehood, union with the Northern Mariana Islands as a single territory, or union with the current U.S. state of Hawaii. [edit] Villages and military bases Aerial photo of Apra Harbor. Main article: Villages of Guam Guam is divided into municipalities commonly called villages: Agana Heights, Agat, Asan-Maina, Barrigada, Chalan-Pago-Ordot, Dededo, Hagåtña, Inarajan, Mangilao, Merizo, Mongmong-Toto-Maite, Piti, Santa Rita, Sinajana, Talofofo, Tamuning, Umatac, Yigo, Yona. The U.S. military maintains jurisdiction over its bases, which cover approximately 39,000 acres (160 km²), or 29% of the island's total land area: Commander, Naval Forces Marianas, U.S. Navy – Sumay U.S. Coast Guard District 14 Sector Guam, – Sumay Andersen Air Force Base, U.S. Air Force – Yigo Apra Harbor, U.S. Navy – Orote peninsula Ordnance Annex, U.S. Navy – South Central Highlands (formerly known as Naval Magazine) Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, U.S. Navy – Barrigada and Finegayan Joint Force Headquarters-Guam, Guam National Guard – Radio Barrigada and Fort Juan Muna [edit] Economy One of Guam's beaches. Guam's economy depends primarily on tourism, Department of Defense installations, and locally owned businesses. Although Guam receives no foreign aid, it does receive large transfer payments from the general revenues of the U.S. federal treasury into which Guam pays no income or excise taxes; under the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guam treasury, rather than the U.S. treasury, receives federal income taxes paid by local taxpayers to include military and civilian federal employees assigned to Guam. Commonly referred to as "America in Asia," Guam is a popular destination for Japanese tourists, and with over 20 large hotels, a Duty Free Shoppers Galleria, Pleasure Island district, indoor aquarium, Sandcastle Las Vegas-styled shows and other shopping and entertainment features in its chief tourism city of Tumon. It is a relatively short flight from Asia or Australia compared to Hawaii, with hotels and ten golf courses catering to over a million tourists per year. Although 90 percent of tourists are Japanese, Guam receives a respectable number of tourists from South Korea, Philippines, and Taiwan.[10]. Significant sources of revenue include duty-free designer shopping outlets, and the American-style malls: Micronesia Mall, Guam Premier Outlets, and the Agana Shopping Center. The economy had been stable since 2000 due to increased tourism, mainly from Japan, but took a recent downturn along with most of Asia. It is expected to stabilize well ahead of the U.S. Marine Corps' Third Marine Expeditionary Force, currently in Okinawa (appr. 8000 Marines, along with their 10,000 dependents), transfer to Guam between 2010-2014 but will cause an unprecedented 25% increase in the island's overall population. The programmed buildup by the Department of Defense on Guam is being categorized as the largest military buildup in the history of the United States military. Guam has a 14% unemployment rate, and the government suffered a $314 million shortfall in 2003.[11] The Compacts of Free Association between the United States, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau accorded the former entities of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands a political status of "free association" with the United States. The Compacts give citizens of these island nations generally no restrictions to reside in the United States (also its territories), and many were attracted to Guam due to its proximity, environmental, and cultural familiarity. Over the years, it was claimed by some in Guam that the territory has had to bear the brunt of this agreement in the form of public assistance programs and public education for those from the regions involved, and the federal government should compensate the states and territories affected by this type of migration.[citation needed] Over the years, Congress had appropriated "Compact Impact" aids to Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Hawaii, and eventually this appropriation was written into each renewed Compact. Some, however, continue to claim the compensation is not enough or that the distribution of actual compensation received is significantly disproportionate.[citation needed] [edit] Transportation and communications Main articles: Communications in Guam and Transportation in Guam Most of the island has state of the art mobile phone services while digital cable and high speed internet are now widely available through either cable or DSL. Guam was added to the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in 1997 (country code 671 became NANP area code 671), removing the barrier of high cost international long-distance calls to the U.S. Mainland. As Guam is also part of the U.S. Postal System ("state" code: GU, ZIP code range: 96910-96932), mail to Guam from the U.S. mainland is considered domestic and no additional charges are required. Private shipping companies, such as UPS, DHL or FedEx, however, have no obligation to and do not regard Guam as domestic. The speed of mail traveling between Guam and the states varies depending on size. Light, first-class items generally take less than a week to or from the mainland, but larger first-class or Priority items can take a week or two. Fourth-class mail, such as magazines, are transported by surface after reaching Hawaii. Most residents use post office boxes or private mail boxes, although residential delivery is becoming increasingly available. Incoming mail not from the Americas should be addressed to "Guam" instead of "USA" to avoid being routed the long way through the U.S. mainland and possibly charged a higher rate (especially from Asia). The Commercial Port of Guam is the island's lifeline since just about every product must be shipped into Guam for its consumers. The Port is also the regional transhipment hub for over 500,000 customers throughout the Micronesian region. The Port also is the shipping and receiving point for containers designated for the island's DoD installations, Andersen Air Force Base and Commander, Naval Forces Marianas and eventually the Third Marine Expeditionary Force. Guam is served by the Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, which is a regional hub for Continental Micronesia. The island is outside the United States customs zone and maintains its own customs agency and jurisdiction. Therefore, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection only carries immigration (but not customs) functions for incoming flights. Since Guam is under federal immigration jurisdiction, passengers arriving directly from the States skip immigration and directly proceed to customs. However, due to the Guam-only visa waiver program for certain Asian tourists, an eligibility pre-clearance check is carried on Guam for flights to the States. For travel to and from the Northern Mariana Islands (which are outside of U.S. immigration jurisdiction), a full inspection is performed though American citizens do not need a passport. Traveling between Guam and the States through a foreign point (for example, a Japanese airport), however, requires a passport. Most residents travel within Guam using personally owned vehicles. The local government currently outsources the only public bus system (Guam Mass Transit Authority), and some commercial companies operated buses between tourist-frequented locations. [edit] Ecological issues Guam exemplifies the effects of bioinvasion. [edit] The brown tree snake Brown Tree Snake. Thought to be a stowaway on a U.S. military transport near the end of World War II, the slightly venomous—but rather harmless—brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) came to Guam and killed virtually all of the native bird population on an island that has no native species of snake; this snake has no natural predators on the island. Although some studies have suggested a high density of the brown tree snake, residents rarely see these nocturnal snakes. Prodigious climbers, the snakes cause frequent blackouts by shorting across lines and transformers.[12] [edit] Other invasive animal species A Cane toad. From the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, the Spanish introduced pigs, dogs, chickens, the Philippine deer (Cervus mariannus), black francolins, and water buffalo. Water buffalo, known as carabao locally, have cultural significance. Herds of these animals obstruct military base operations and harm native ecosystems. After birth control and adoption efforts were ineffective, the U.S. military began euthanizing the herds leading to organized protests from island residents.[13] Other introduced species include cane toads imported in 1937, the giant African Snail (an agricultural pest introduced during WWII by Japanese occupation troops) and more recently frog species which could threaten crops in addition to providing additional food for the brown tree snake population. Reports of loud chirping frogs, known as coquí, that may have arrived from Hawaii have led to fears that the noise could even threaten Guam's tourism.[14] Introduced feral pigs and deer, over-hunting, and habitat loss from human development are also major factors in the decline and loss of Guam's native plants and animals. [edit] Threats to indigenous plants Invading animal species are not the only threat to Guam's native flora. Tinangaja, a virus affecting coconut palms, was first observed on the island in 1917 when copra production was still a major part of Guam's economy. Though coconut plantations no longer exist on the island, the dead and infected trees that have resulted from the epidemic are seen throughout the forests of Guam.[15] Also during the past century, the dense forests of northern Guam have been largely replaced by thick tangan tangan brush (Leucaena-native to the Americas). Much of Guam's foliage was lost during World War II. In 1947, the U.S. military introduced tangan tangan by seeding the island from the air to prevent erosion. In southern Guam, non-native grass species also dominate much of the landscape. [edit] Wildfires Guam's grassland. Wildfires plague the forested ("boonie" or "jungle") areas of Guam every dry season despite the island's humid climate. Most fires are man-caused with 80 percent resulting from arson.[16] Poachers often start fires to attract deer to the new growth. Invasive grass species that rely on fire as part of their natural life cycle grow in many regularly burned areas. Grasslands and "barrens" have replaced previously forested areas leading to greater soil erosion. During the rainy season sediment is carried by the heavy rains into the Fena Lake Reservoir and Ugum River leading to water quality problems for southern Guam. Eroded silt also destroys the marine life in reefs around the island. Soil stabilization efforts by volunteers and forestry workers to plant trees have had little success in preserving natural habitats.[17] [edit] Aquatic preserves As a vacation spot for scuba divers, efforts have been made to protect Guam's coral reef habitats from pollution, eroded silt, and overfishing that have led to decreased fish populations. In recent years the Department of Agriculture, Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources has established several new marine preserves where fish populations are monitored by biologists.[18] Prior to adopting USEPA standards, portions of Tumon bay were dredged by the hotel chains in order to provide a better experience for hotel guests.[19][20] Tumon Bay has since been made into a preserve. A federal Guam National Wildlife Refuge in northern Guam protects the decimated sea turtle population in addition to a small colony of Mariana fruit bats.[21] Whitespotted boxfish (Ostracion meleagris) Royal angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus) Reef fish of Guam [edit] Education [edit] Primary and secondary schools See also: List of schools in Guam The University of Guam campus The Guam Public School System[22] serves the entire island of Guam. In 2000, 32,000 students attended Guam's public schools. Guam Public Schools have struggled with problems such as high dropout rates and poor test scores.[23][24] Guam's educational system has always faced unique challenges as a small community located 6,000 miles (9,700 km) from the U.S. mainland with a very diverse student body including many students who come from backgrounds without traditional American education.[25] An economic downturn in Guam since the mid 1990s has compounded the problems in schools.[26] In 1998, the U.S. Department of Defense opened schools for children of American military personnel. DoDEA schools, which also serve children of some federal civilian employees, had an attendance of 2,500 in 2000. The four schools operated by DoDEA are Andersen Elementary School, Andersen Middle School, McCool Elementary/Middle School, and Guam High School.[27] [edit] Colleges and universities The University of Guam, and Guam Community College offer courses in higher education.[28] [edit] See also List of Guam-related topics [edit] References ^ "USDOI Office of Insular Affairs" U.S. Territories, Retrieved November 4, 2007. ^ a b c d e f Rogers, Robert F. (1995). Destiny’s Landfall: A History of Guam. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN-13: 978-0824816780.  ^ "Geography of Guam," Official site of Guam, November 8, 2007Retrieved November 8, 2007. ^ "Home page of the Anahatan volcano," USGS-CNMI, November 8, 2007Retrieved November 8, 2007. ^ a b "Guam," CIA World Factbook, April 17, 2007, Retrieved April 19, 2007. ^ Guam Catastrophe Model. Risk Management Solutions. Retrieved on 2007-06-16. ^ Winds. PacificWorlds.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-16. ^ . "Guam Summary File," American FactFinder, Census 2000 Guam, Retrieved April 19, 2007. ^ MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base: Guam (2007-05-17). Retrieved on 2007-07-19. ^ Guam Visitors Bureau Tourist Statistics ^ 2004 Guam Yearbook (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-07-19. ^ Fritts, T.H.; D. Leasman-Tanner (2001). USGS: The Brown Tree Snake on Guam. Retrieved on 2007-07-28. ^ More Than 100 Protest Guam Carabao Cull. AnimalRights.net (2003-10-15). Retrieved on 2007-06-15. ^ Worth, Ka