A territory of the United States of America, Guam occupies strategic military location, south of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It is one of many islands that make up Micronesia, which consists of Belau (Palau), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, and several remote islands designated as the U.S. administered islands of the Central Pacific. All of Micronesia has close political ties to the United States of America.

Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by the Japanese in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The military installations on the island are some of the more strategically important US bases in the Western Pacific.

The Chamorros, Guam's indigenous inhabitants, first populated the island approximately 6,000 years ago. The island's capital is Hagåtña, formerly Agana. Guam's economy is mainly supported by tourism (particularly from Japan, Korea and Taiwan) and United States armed forces bases. The United Nations Committee on Decolonization includes Guam on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

Get in

By air
Won Pat Guam International Airport is the only civilian gateway to the island. The main airline servicing Guam is Continental Micronesia, a branch of Continental Airlines, which uses Guam as the Continental Airlines hub for Asia, Oceania, and Australia. Continental Airlines is the only airline with direct non-stop service from the US (from Honolulu, HI and Houston, TX). Other airlines service Guam through Japan, Korea or the Philippines. Korean Air is the only airline with separate direct non-stop services from Korea, from Incheon International Airport, everyday.

Get around

By bus
The Guam Mass Transit Authority connects almost every village and town on the island. There are a total of nine bus routes. 

By car
Unless you have an aquacar, taxis are your only ticket around Guam. They can be found at most shopping malls and motels and carry a flag rate of $1.80, $3.00 for the first mile, and $0.60 every 1/4 mile thereafter.

Attractions

• Tarza Magical Adventure Zone and Water Park, 132 Pale San Vitores Road, Tumon, (671) 649-8911. Zip down the park's water slides, relax in the lazy river or park you butt at the beach. This is the place to cool off in Guam. Oct-Aug: Daily 9am-5pm; Sep: Th-Tu 9am-5pm.
• Underwater World, 1245 Pale Vitores Road, Tumon, (671) 649-9191. Leave the towels at home. You won't get wet watching these underwater animals playing. Shows include Blacktip Reef and Gray Reef shark feeding.

Activities

Diving
You won't want to come up for air. Guam's diving environment is among the world's richest and most beautiful. It is the only place on Earth with WWI and WWII shipwrecks - the Tokai Maru and the SMS Cormoran. A federal Guam National Wildlife Refuge in northern Guam protects the decimated sea turtle population in addition to a small colony of Mariana fruit bats.

Festivals
Stay cool at the Merizo Water Festival when the summer heat of Guam gets too much for you. Located at the Merizo Pier Park, the festival takes place during the dog days of summer.

Hot spots

• Agana (capital of Guam)
• Tumon (tourist capital)

Climate

The climate is characterized as tropical marine. The weather is generally warm and humid with little seasonal temperature variation. The mean high temperature is 86°F (30 °C) and mean low is 74°F (24 °C) with an average annual rainfall of 96 inches (2,180 mm). The dry season runs from December through June. The remaining months constitute the rainy season. The highest risk of typhoons is during October and November.

Stay safe

Observe caution when engaged in water activities on Guam. As in any coastal area, currents can be swift and unpredictable. Also, roads are not graded according to US Standards, and during the rainy season (from about August until March), water can pool unevenly on road surfaces. Pooling of rain water can lead to flooding of roads in the southern half of Guam, which does not have sewer drainage built underneath the road. Furthermore, many roads are in disrepair and potholes are frequent, which can easily blow out tires. Violent crime is fairly low, but property crime tends to be high, so safeguard valuables in vehicles. Rental cars have stickers and can be targeted by thieves.