General Information

Guam, an unincorporated but organized territory, is the westernmost frontier of the United States. Over 100,000 residents, including the military and aliens, live here, making Guam the most populated island in the Marianas chain. Most of the resident are U.S. citizens.

The Government of Guam is headed by the Governor, who is appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. However, this appointed status will cease next year. In November 1970, the people of Guam will eleot their first Governor and Lieutenant Governor by popular ballot. The gigantic stride toward full selfgovernment was made possible by the signing of the Elective Governorship Act by the President in late 1968.

The 21 members of the unicameral Guam Legislature are elected, at large, biennially. The lawmaking body is empowered to pass tax laws and to legislate on all matters not inconsistent with Federal laws applicable .to Guam.

The two political parties are the Democratic and Republican parties, and both are affiliated with the national organizations.

A Washington representative, an elected official, represents the territory in Washington. However, he is not officially a member in Congress but represents Guam in congressional hearings on matters pertaining to the territory.

The island is 30 miles long and ranges from 4 miles at its narrowest point to 8½ miles at its widest, and has an area of 209 square miles. It lies in the Westernmost Pacific, 1,500 miles east of the Philippines, 1,300 miles southeast of Japan, and 3,000 westsouthwest of Hawaii.

The climate is warm and humid, with an average yearly rainfall of 85 to 100 inches. Guam is 13° north of the Equator, and its temperatures vary from 70° to 90°. The dry season extends from December through April, with the hottest months in May and June. Most of the rain falls from July to September. Trade winds bring relief to the island during its hottest months.

The island's topography varies from a high rolling plain reaching 400 feet above the ocean in the northern half to rough mountains rising from 700 to 1,334 feet above sea level in .the south. The central portion, in which Agana, the capital, is situated, is flat to the sea, but gently rising hills break the flatness. The highest peak is Mount Lamlam, located in the southern part of the island.

Ferdinand Magellan and his fleet of three ships landed at Umatac Bay in 1521 during his circumnavigating voyage. Nearly two centuries later, in 1665, Spanish missionaries oame to Christianize the islanders. Guam remained a protectorate of the Spanish throne from .that date until 1898, when it was ceded to the United States-by the Treaty of Paris.

The U.S. Navy administered the island until Japanese forces seized it in 1941, shortly after the attack on

Pearl Harbor. American forces liberated Guam on July 21, 1944, and the island again returned to Naval administration.

In 1950, Congress enacted the Organic Act of Guam. This act brought U.S. citizenship to the island residents and also established the territory's civil government comprising the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

Present-day Guamanians are a mixture of native Chamorro stock, with English, Spanish, German, Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, Italian, Irish, Mexican, or Portuguese.

With few exceptions, Guam is a free port, and products entering the territory are duty free.

Under the U.S. Customs Simplification Act, articles manufactured in Guam may enter the U.S. mainland duty free provided foreign materials do not constitute more than 50 percent of the total value of the finished product. The total value is determined by bona fide sale or offer for sale, not including freight charges to Guam.

Guam taxes are generally lower than in other U.S. jurisdictions. Residents of the territory· are subject to payment of income tax to the Government of Guam at the same rates and under the same conditions established in the U.S. :mainland for payment of Federal income taxes. There is the usual range of other taxes, such as liquor, gasoline, real property, gross receipts, etc. There is only one taxing authority, however. There are no separate municipal, county, school, district, and improvement district taxes.

Col}?plete banking facilities are provided by local branches of the Bank of America, the Bank of Hawaii, and the Guam Savings & Loan Association. The First National City Bank of New York has also established a branch in the territory, and business operations are scheduled to begin before the year ends.

Offices of Federal lending institutions, including the Small Business ~dministration and the Federal Housing Administration, are located in Guam.

A major step in the development of the economy is the rapid growth of a tourist industry. During the year, Pan Amevican increased its twice-weekly flights to daily flights direct to Tokyo from Guam. Continental/ Air Micronesia now links Guam and the trust territory, Okinawa, and Honolulu and Trans-World Airlines will initiate by August 1969 daily nonstop service between Guam and Honolulu. Westbound, TWA departs daily to Okinawa and other links in the airline's roundthe-world route. A weekly flight to Sydney, linking Tokyo, Guam, and the Australian industrial center, has also been inaugurated. Guam thus becomes a major point in Pacific air travel between Honolulu and the West Coast, Tokyo, Manila, Southeast Asia, and Sydney.

Guam is a regular port of call for 11 shipping lines, including American President Lines, Pacific Far East Line, Micronesian Interocean Line, P & . 0 Orient Lines, Dominion Far East Line, and several other Australian and Japanese shipping companies. At least 593 vessels called at Apra Harbor last year. .At least two foreign carriers have expressed interest in servi~g Guam.

The territory is adequately served by a highway system comprising 191 miles of road.

Guam is the communication hub of the Western Pacific. Modem communication· facilities provide instantaneous contact with virtually all parts of the world. Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and the Australian Cable Communication System have up-todate facilities, including undersea telephone and telegraphic cables linking commercial centers in Asia, North and South America, Europe and the rest of the Pacific. International Telephone

Many historical remnants of the Spanish era, such as the old bridge shown in this photo, provide points of interest for the visitors on a tour around the island. The Guam Tourist Commission reported approximately 18,000 visitors during fiscal year 1969. The influx of tourists, especially from Japan, is continually rising every year.

and Telegraph (ITT) services the military.

The territory has one daily newspaper, a radio and television station, and several weekly and monthly publications. Pacific Stars and Stripes which is published in Tokyo also is circulated locally. Associated Press, United Press International and supplemental news and feature services are used by the news media.

Guam's educational system compares favorably with many U.S. mainland communities of comparable size. The curricula, subject matter and achievement goals are essentially the same as those of mainland schools. The island's two senior public high schools-George Was.hi n gt on and John F. Kennedy-are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

More than 27,000 children of school age attend public and private institutions.

The University of Guam had an enrollment of 2,138 in fall 1968 and is accredited by the Western Association

of Schools and Colleges as a 4-year, degree-granting institution. The University has four undergraduate schools ( nursing, arts and sciences, education, and continuing education), and has a graduate school in education.