Guam

Airports

total: 5 usable: 4 with permanent-surface runways: 3 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 3 with runways 1,200-2,439 m: 0

Highways

total: 674 km (all-weather roads) paved: NA unpaved: NA

Ports

Apra Harbor

Telecommunications

26,317 telephones (1989); broadcast stations - 3 AM, 3 FM, 3 TV; 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT ground stations

Note

defense is the responsibility of the US

Agriculture

relatively undeveloped with most food imported; fruits, vegetables, eggs, pork, poultry, beef, copra

Budget

revenues: $525 million expenditures: $395 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991)

Currency

1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

although Guam receives no foreign aid, it does receive large transfer payments from the general revenues of the US Federal Treasury into which Guamanians pay no income or excise taxes; under the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guamanian Treasury, rather than the US Treasury, receives federal income taxes paid by military and civilian Federal employees stationed in Guam

Electricity

capacity: 500,000 kW production: 2.3 billion kWh consumption per capita: 16,300 kWh (1990)

Exchange rates

US currency is used

Exports

$34 million (f.o.b., 1984) commodities: mostly transshipments of refined petroleum products, construction materials, fish, food and beverage products partners: US 25%, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands 63%, other 12%

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

1 October - 30 September

Imports

$493 million (c.i.f., 1984) commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, food, manufactured goods partners: US 23%, Japan 19%, other 58%

Industrial production

growth rate NA%

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4% (1992 est.)

National product

GNP - purchasing power equivalent - $2 billion (1991 est.)

National product per capita

$14,000 (1991 est.)

National product real growth rate

NA%

Overview

The economy depends mainly on US military spending and on revenues from tourism. Over the past 20 years the tourist industry has grown rapidly, creating a construction boom for new hotels and the expansion of older ones. Visitors numbered about 900,000 in 1992. The slowdown in Japanese economic growth has been reflected in less vigorous growth in the tourism sector. About 60% of the labor force works for the private sector and the rest for government. Most food and industrial goods are imported, with about 75% from the US. In early 1994, Guam faces the problem of building up the civilian economic sector to offset the impact of military downsizing.

Unemployment rate

2% (1992 est.)

Area

total area: 541.3 sq km land area: 541.3 sq km comparative area: slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC

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

Coastline

125.5 km

Environment

current issues: NA natural hazards: frequent squalls during rainy season; subject to relatively rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (especially in August) international agreements: NA

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 11% permanent crops: 11% meadows and pastures: 15% forest and woodland: 18% other: 45%

Location

Oceania, Micronesia, in the North Pacific Ocean, 5,955 km west-southwest of Honolulu, about three-quarters of the way between Hawaii and the Philippines

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

fishing (largely undeveloped), tourism (especially from Japan)

Note

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

Terrain

volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat coraline 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

Administrative divisions

none (territory of the US)

Capital

Agana

Constitution

Organic Act of 1 August 1950

Digraph

GQ

Diplomatic representation in US

none (territory of the US)

Executive branch

chief of state: President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993); Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993) head of government: Governor Joseph A. ADA (since November 1986); Lieutenant Governor Frank F. BLAS (since NA); election last held on 6 November 1990 (next to be held NA November 1994); results - Joseph F. ADA reelected cabinet: executive departments; heads appointed by the governor with the consent of the Guam legislature

Flag

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

Independence

none (territory of the US)

Judicial branch

Federal District Court, Territorial Superior Court

Legal system

modeled on US; federal laws apply

Legislative branch

unicameral

Legislature

elections last held on 9 November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (21 total) Democratic 14, Republican 7

Member of

ESCAP (associate), IOC, SPC

Names

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

National holiday

Guam Discovery Day (first Monday in March) (1521); Liberation Day, 21 July

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Party (controls the legislature); Republican Party (party of the Governor)

Suffrage

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

Type

organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between Guam and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Territorial and International Affairs, US Department of the Interior

US House of Representatives

elections last held 9 November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1994); Guam elects one delegate; results - Robert UNDERWOOD was elected as delegate; seats - (1 total) Democrat 1

US diplomatic representation

none (territory of the US)

Birth rate

25.66 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

3.86 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Chamorro 47%, Filipino 25%, Caucasian 10%, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other 18%

Infant mortality rate

15.17 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

46,930 (1990) by occupation: federal and territorial government 40%, private 60% (trade 18%, services 15.6%, construction 13.8%, other 12.6%) (1990)

Languages

English, Chamorro, Japanese

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 74.29 years male: 72.42 years female: 76.13 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1980) total population: 96% male: 96% female: 96%

Nationality

noun: Guamanian(s) adjective: Guamanian

Net migration rate

3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

149,620 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

2.48% (1994 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 98%, other 2%

Total fertility rate

2.39 children born/woman (1994 est.)