Guam was settled by Austronesian people around 1500 B.C. These people became the indigenous Chamorro and were influenced by later migrations, including the Micronesians in the first millennium A.D., and island Southeast Asians around 900. Society was stratified with higher classes living along the coast and lower classes living inland. Spanish explorer Ferdinand MAGELLAN was the first European to see Guam in 1521, and Spain claimed the island in 1565 as it served as a refueling stop for ships between Mexico and the Philippines. Spain formally colonized Guam in 1668. Spain’s brutal repression of the Chamorro, along with new diseases and intermittent warfare, reduced the indigenous population from more than 100,000 to less than 5,000 by the 1700s. Spain tried to repopulate the island by forcing people from nearby islands to settle on Guam and preventing them from escaping.
Guam became a hub for whalers and traders in the western Pacific in the early 1800s. During the 1898 Spanish-American War, the US Navy occupied Guam and set up a military administration. The US Navy opposed local control of government despite repeated petitions by the Chamorro. Japan invaded Guam in 1941 and instituted a repressive regime. During the US recapture of Guam in 1944, the island’s two largest villages were destroyed. After World War II, political pressure from local Chamorro leaders led to Guam being established as an unincorporated organized territory in 1950 with US citizenship granted to all Chamorro. In a referendum in 1982, more than 75% of voters chose closer relations with the US over independence, although no change in status was made because of disagreements on the future right of Chamorro self-determination. The US military holds about 29% of Guam’s land and stations several thousand troops on the island. The installations are some of the most strategically important US bases in the Pacific; they also constitute the island’s most important source of income and economic stability.
land: 544 sq km
water: 0 sq km
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
arable land: 1.9% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 16.7% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 14.8% (2018 est.)
forest: 47.9% (2018 est.)
other: 18.7% (2018 est.)
169,330 (2023 est.)
noun: Guamanian(s) (US citizens)
adjective: Guamanian
Chamorro 37.3%, Filipino 26.3%, White 7.1%, Chuukese 7%, Korean 2.2%, other Pacific Islander 2%, other Asian 2%, Chinese 1.6%, Palauan 1.6%, Japanese 1.5%, Pohnpeian 1.4%, mixed 9.4%, other 0.6% (2010 est.)
English 43.6%, Filipino 21.2%, Chamorro 17.8%, other Pacific island languages 10%, Asian languages 6.3%, other 1.1% (2010 est.)
Christian (predominantly Roman Catholic) 94.2%, folk religions 1.5%, Buddhist 1.1%, other 1.6%, unaffiliated 1.7% (2020 est.)
0-14 years: 26.64% (male 23,325/female 21,792)
15-64 years: 62.85% (male 55,606/female 50,816)
65 years and over: 10.51% (2023 est.) (male 8,290/female 9,501)
total dependency ratio: 60.7
youth dependency ratio: 42.3
elderly dependency ratio: 18.4
potential support ratio: 5.4 (2021 est.)
total: 30.1 years (2023 est.)
male: 29.4 years
female: 30.8 years
0.13% (2023 est.)
18.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-10.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
no large cities exist on the island, though large villages (municipalities) attract much of the population; the largest of these is Dededo
urban population: 95.2% of total population (2022)
rate of urbanization: 0.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
147,000 HAGATNA (capital) (2018)
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
total: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 77.7 years (2023 est.)
male: 75.3 years
female: 80.3 years
2.76 children born/woman (2023 est.)
1.33 (2023 est.)
NA
improved: urban: NA
rural: NA
total: 99.7% of population
unimproved: urban: NA
rural: NA
total: 0.3% of population (2020 est.)
NA
improved: urban: 89.8% of population (2015 est.)
rural: 89.8% of population (2015 est.)
total: 89.8% of population (2015 est.)
unimproved: urban: 10.2% of population (2015 est.)
rural: 10.2% of population (2015 est.)
total: 10.2% of population (2015 est.)
NA
37% (2023 est.)
NA
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
fresh water scarcity; reef damage; inadequate sewage treatment; extermination of native bird populations by the rapid proliferation of the brown tree snake, an exotic, invasive species
tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season (January to June), rainy season (July to December); little seasonal temperature variation
agricultural land: 33.4% (2018 est.)
arable land: 1.9% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 16.7% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 14.8% (2018 est.)
forest: 47.9% (2018 est.)
other: 18.7% (2018 est.)
urban population: 95.2% of total population (2022)
rate of urbanization: 0.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 141,500 tons (2012 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 25,258 tons (2011 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 17.9% (2011 est.)
small Pacific island US territorial economy; upper income, tourism-based economy; hard-hit by COVID-19 disruptions; relaunched many industries via vaccination tourism; domestic economy relies on multiple military bases; environmentally fragile economy
$5.793 billion (2016 est.)
$5.697 billion (2015 est.)
$5.531 billion (2014 est.)
1.06% (2021 est.)
-11.39% (2020 est.)
2.6% (2019 est.)
$35,600 (2016 est.)
$35,200 (2015 est.)
$34,400 (2014 est.)
$5.793 billion (2016 est.)
1% (2017 est.)
0% (2016 est.)
agriculture: NA
industry: NA
services: 58.4% (2015 est.)
household consumption: 56.2% (2016 est.)
government consumption: 55% (2016 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 20.6% (2016 est.)
investment in inventories: (2016 est.) NA
exports of goods and services: 19.4% (2016 est.)
imports of goods and services: -51.2% (2016 est.)
fruits, copra, vegetables; eggs, pork, poultry, beef
national defense, tourism, construction, transshipment services, concrete products, printing and publishing, food processing, textiles
NA
76,200 (2021 est.)
note: includes only the civilian labor force
6.98% (2021 est.)
6.8% (2020 est.)
5.51% (2019 est.)
total: 15.3% (2021 est.)
male: 14.7%
female: 16.1%
23% (2001 est.)
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
revenues: $1.24 billion (2016 est.)
expenditures: $1.299 billion (2016 est.)
-1% (of GDP) (2016 est.)
22.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
32.1% of GDP (2013)
21.4% (of GDP) (2016 est.)
1 October - 30 September
$1.124 billion (2016 est.)
$1.046 billion (2015 est.)
South Korea 31%, Hong Kong 27%, Taiwan 18%, Philippines 7% (2019)
scrap iron, scrap copper, boring/sinking machinery, leather handbags, rubber, scrap aluminum (2021)
$2.964 billion (2016 est.)
$3.054 billion (2015 est.)
Singapore 33%, Japan 21%, South Korea 18%, Hong Kong 9%, Malaysia 6% (2019)
refined petroleum, trunks/cases, cars, insulated wire, broadcasting equipment (2019)
NA
the US dollar is used
electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 455,000 kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 1.683 billion kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 85 million kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 96% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.) Data represented includes both Guam and Northern Mariana Islands
refined petroleum consumption: 2,100 bbl/day (2019 est.) Data represented includes both Guam and Northern Mariana Islands
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.) Data represented includes both Guam and Northern Mariana Islands
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.) Data represented includes both Guam and Northern Mariana Islands
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.) Data represented includes both Guam and Northern Mariana Islands
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
13,500 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
1.828 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 1.828 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
152.767 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
N
5 (2021)
4
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
1
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
total: 1,045 km (2008)
total: 3 (2022)
by type: other 3
major seaport(s): Apra Harbor
manyapis