Island Of Guam
War in the Pacific NHP: Liberation - Guam Remembers
The date was the feast of the Immaculate Conceptionand many families were still in church when the planes struck. The cityof Agana, the hub of the island, was instantly transformed into a cityof shocked people. Mothers and children wept and wailed. Fathers soughtmissing members of their families in efforts to flee from the town. Among the first victims of the attack were Teddy Cruzand Larry Pangelinan, young Chamorro kitchen workers who perished whena bomb hit the Pan American hotel at Orote Point. Also killed was EnsignRobert White, who manned an anti-aircraft gun aboard the USS Penguin.The vessel, the only seaworthy ship in Guam at the time, fought theJapanese aircraft off Orote Point, but to no avail. The Penguincommander then decided to scuttle the ship. By the end of the day, the feast that was to be wastransformed into the beginning of one of the most tragic periods in thehistory of Guam. A day later, the planes returned for more, againstriking military facilities and the Pan ... [Read More]
War in the Pacific NHP: Liberation - Guam Remembers
Before the outbreak of World War II, 45 Chamorro menwere employed by Pan American Airways at the company's facilities inWake Island, one of the stops on the Pan Am Clipper transPacific airservice initiated in 1935. The men worked as kitchen helpers, hotel serviceattendants, and laborers. But the peaceful life on Wake was shatteredDec. 8, 1941, when Japanese aircraft bombed the island, killing five menfrom Guam and wounding five others. A day later, those wounded died when a bomb destroyedtheir hospital. The remaining Chamorros joined the island's garrison,asked by Wake's American military commander to help fortify and defendthe island. The defenders repulsed on Dec. 11 the initial landingforce of the Japanese, and for 12 more days the defenders held out. Butthe inevitable happened. Supported by the arrival of additional shipsand aircraft, some of which participated in the Dec. 7 attackon Pearl Harbor, Japanese troops stormed ashore andon Dec. 23, Wake fell. Garrison members, includ ... [Read More]
Census 2000 Results for the Island Areas
Census 2000 operations in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (collectively referred to as the Island Areas) were conducted by the government of each Island Area in partnership with the Census Bureau. These partnerships were designed to ensure that Census 2000 data met the legal requirements set forth in Title 13, U.S. Code, as well as the specific needs of each Island Area. ... - Population counts for the U.S. Virgin Islands and its smaller areas ... [Read More]
CIA - The World Factbook
- There have been some significant changes to the latest edition of The World Factbook . Recent confirmation that the United Kingdom Government administers the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia on Cyprus as dependencies (and not as lease areas like the US Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba) has required a changing of their status and their addition to the Factbook as new entities. In addition, the European Union has been included as an "Other" entity at the end of the listing. The European Union continues to accrue more nation-like characteristics for itself and so a separate listing was deemed appropriate. A fuller explanation may be found under the European Union Preliminary statement . ... [Read More]
Guam War Claims
Mr. Chairman, as you know, the Guam War Claims Review Commission has made several recommendations. We appreciate the fact that you have asked for our thoughts on these recommendations. We would suggest, however, that these recommendations be analyzed through a collaborative process that would involve many parties in addition to the Department of the Interior, including, of course, the Congress. Although the Department of the Interior has administered the Federal Government’s relationship with Guam for over 50 years, the events described in the Commission’s report occurred prior to Interior’s assumption of administrative authority with respect to Guam. Much of the important institutional knowledge about wartime and post-war Guam resides elsewhere in the Federal Government. Also, we would note that our focus at Interior, particularly the Office of Insular Affairs, is to use our scarce resources to help the islands address their urgent needs of the present and their aspirations for the fu ... [Read More]
Chronology--Philippines and Guam
The first organic act, known as the Philippine Bill of 1902, was passed by the U.S. Congress. It called for the management of Phillipine affairs, upon restoration of peace, by establishing the first elective Philippine Assembly and the Taft Commission comprising the lower and upper house, respectively, of the Philippine Legislature. The passage of the Act may be attributed in part to José Rizal and his stirring last farewell to his beloved country immortalized in his poem, Mi Ultimo Adios , that he wrote in his cell at Fort Santiago on the eve of his execution by the Spaniards on December 30, 1896. At first, there was strong opposition to the passage of the bill from misinformed members of the House, some of whom referred to the Filipinos as "barbarians" incapable of self government. Thereupon, Congressman Henry A. Cooper of Wisconsin took the floor and recited Rizal's last farewell before a skeptical House. Silence soon pervaded the floor as Cooper, eyes moist with tears and ... [Read More]
Guam and the North Mariana Islands
Anjota Island Reef 14°13.0'N, 145°14.0'E West Dock Reef App. 14°13.0'N, 145°14.0'E Songsong Reef (of the village of Songsong) App. 14°13.0'N, 145°14.0'E Taipingot Peninsula Reefs App. 14°13.0'N, 145°14.0'E Sosanjaya Reef App. 14°13.0'N, 145°14.0'E Malilog Peninsula Reef App. 14°07.0'N, 145°12.7'E ... Peipeinigul Island Bay 14°58.0'N, 145°37.0'E Tinian Harbor (San Jose) 14°57.3'N, 145°36.9'E Lamanibot Bay 15°02.4'N, 145°35.8'E Unai Dangkulo 15°02.1'N, 145°38.8'E Tinian Island (Northern Tip) 15°04.0'N, 145°40.0'E ... [Read More]
CIA - The World Factbook -- Guam
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 had 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. ... [Read More]
Puerto Rico and the Island Areas
Puerto Rico and the island areas were enumerated as part of the Census 2000 operation, with a census day of April 1, 2000. Puerto Rico processing will be done with the rest of the U.S. while the island areas will be processed separately because the questionnaire was modified to fit local needs. ... Census 2000 Results for the Island Areas ... Statistical Information Office ... [Read More]
About Guam Introduction Page
The Territory of Guam (lat. 13.4° N and long. 144.4° E) is the southernmost, largest, and most populous island in the Marianas Archipelago. All of the islands in the chain north of Guam belong to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. ... Guam is about 48 km (30 mi) long, varies from 6 to 14 km (4 to 9 mi) wide, and has an estimated land area of 554 km2 (214 mi2) and a population of about 133,000. Guam has several small rivers and a fresh water reservoir on the south portion of the island. ... [Read More]
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