Guam
Links to Guam Embassies and Consulates
Fast Facts of Guam
Coutntry Full name: |
Weights & Measures: Imperial |
| Population: 169,000 |
Country Dialing Code: +671 |
| Languages Spoken: Official - English, Chamorro |
Time Zones: GMT/UTC +10 |
Electric Plugs:  110V 60Hz |
Currency: Name: US Dollar Code: USD Symbol: US$ |
Exchange rate: Guam uses the US Dollar Currency
Weather - Guam
Go to Guam whenever the boss gives you time off. The temperature hovers around a balmy 27°C (81°F) all year, so don't worry about the weather. If it's a little more humid between July and November, at least you're never far from a cooling dip in the ocean. The only time you should really avoid Guam is during Japanese holiday seasons: Christmas, Golden Week (the last week of April and the first week of May), and Obon, in August.
This far western region of the Pacific consistently delivers temperatures between 22°C (72°F) and 30°C (86°F) at any time of the day, any day of the year. Humidity is always high, but the even temperature and fresh sea breeze means conditions are never too stuffy. Rainfall is moderately heavy for most of the year, but typhoons tend to pay the island a visit between July and November and brings with it hefty downpours.
Ominously, Guam is in a sector of the Pacific Ocean known as 'Typhoon Alley'; typhoons are said to hit the island once every eight years, usually during October and November.
Money & Cost - Guam
A recent building boom has left Guam with many new hotel rooms, but most of these places are very much aimed at the over-stuffed wallet. At the cheapest end of things, you're still looking at US$50.00 a night for a half-way decent bed. Hagatña's public market is a fun place to get a cheap local meal and kiosks sell fixed-plate lunches for around US$5.00 .
The Bank of Guam and the Bank of Hawaii are the island's biggest dosh emporiums and combined they have about 20 branches around Guam. Foreign currencies are exchanged only at the Tumon and Hagatña branches of the Bank of Guam. Major credit cards are widely accepted and there are Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) in the larger towns.
There's not much in the way of bargaining in Guam, mainly because most of your shopping will be done in western-style malls. A tip of around 10-15% is expected in Guam's restaurants.
Currency - Guam
Name: US Dollar
Symbol: US$
Average Room Prices |
|||
Low |
Mid |
High |
Deluxe |
US$50 |
US$80-120 |
US$120-200 |
US$200+ |
Average Meal Prices |
|||
Low |
Mid |
High |
Deluxe |
US$5-10 |
US$10-15 |
US$15-25 |
US$25+ |
Getting there and around - Guam
Getting There
About 6km (4mi) north-east of downtown Hagatña, the newly expanded Won Pat international airport serves eight air carriers and provides more than 100 flights per week to Hawaii and the US mainland, East Asia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.
Apra Harbor is the only point of entry for boats to Guam. Yachties should contact the Yacht Club at Apra Harbor.
Getting Around
The public transport system consists of small vans that crawl around the island in confusing patterns at irregular intervals. Taxis are willing and able enough, but be warned that drivers often overcharge. Renting a car is not a bad idea, expect to pay upwards of US$45.00 per day. Bikes can be hired from hotels and shops in Tumon Bay. If you opt for walking you'll soon find that the entire population thinks you're an escaped lunatic.
History - Guam
Pre-20th-Century History
The Chamorro, of Malay origin, migrated to Guam about 3500 years ago and were there to greet Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan when he sailed into Guam's Umatac Bay back in 1521. Things got off to a bad start when the Chamorro fed and watered Magellan's crew and in return took whatever they could find on the ship. This traditional Chamorro custom of give and take didn't go down well with the Spaniards and before departing, Magellan's crew had killed seven locals and burned 40 houses trying to retrieve a rowboat. Guam and its neighbours were branded Islas de los Ladrones (Islands of Thieves) from then on and the name stuck well into the 20th century.
A new phase in Guam's history began in 1668 when Jesuit priests arrived from Spain on a mission to spread the word. From their base in today's capital of Hagatña, the priests - along with a small Spanish garrison - were well received at first. But as Catholic fervour increased and traditional island hierarchy was eroded, the Chamorro went on the attack. A string of bloody rebellions in the late 1600s, along with outbreaks of influenza and smallpox, saw Chamorro numbers plummet from an estimated 100,000 to about 5000. Most of the survivors were women and children. Spanish soldiers and Filipino men were then bundled in to restock the population, marking the end of the pure Chamorro bloodline.
Modern History
Following Spain's defeat in the Spanish-American War of 1898, Guam - along with Puerto Rico and the Philippines - was ceded to the USA with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. For the first half of the 20th century, the island was administered by the US Navy except for a brief period beginning in 1941 of 31 months of Japanese occupation during WWII, the only US territory occupied by the Japanese in World War II, when it was taken over for 31 months from 1941. American forces recaptured Guam in 1944.
The Organic Act of 1950 accorded Guam's population with US citizenship and self-government powers, but not the right to vote in national elections. The citizens of Guam went about electing their first governor in 1970, and then two years later headed back to the ballot box to elect their first delegate to the US House of Representatives (albeit a non-voting one). Plebiscites held in 1982 and 1987 indicated that locals were seeking to redefine their relationship with the US, but little has since been achieved on that front.
Recent History
Today the US presence in Guam is strong, with military facilities dominating the landscape and more than 23,000 military personnel and dependants on the island. Despite years of lobbying to free Guam from its rather blurry 'unincorporated' US territory status, the White House still hasn't bothered to grant the island Commonwealth recognition similar to that of Puerto Rico. Recently-released census information has indicated that about a quarter of the population lives underneath the poverty line.
In April 2002 an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale hit the island, followed in July by a typhoon that left many areas without power and running water. In December of that same year the super typhoon Pongsona hit Guam, causing massive property damage which once more brought Guam to its knees. With the help of plenty of Red Cross and FEMA aid, the resilient island has in 2005 all but recovered.
Source: www.lonelyplanet.com
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