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Location
Western Pacific, Micronesia.
Time
GMT + 10.
Area
549 sq km (212 sq miles).
Population
168,000 (UN estimate 2005).
Population Density
306 per sq km.
Capital
Hagåtña. Tamuning is the commercial centre. Population: 140,000 (UN estimate 2003) in Hagåtña.
Geography
Guam is a predominantly hilly island and its northern end is a plateau of rolling hills and cliffs rising 152m (500ft) above sea level. The cliffs are tunnelled with caves. The island narrows in the middle, with the southern half widening into a land of mountains and valleys cut by streams and waterfalls. The most sheltered beaches are on the western coast.
Government
US External Territory (Unincorporated). Gained internal autonomy in 1982.
Head of State
George W Bush since 2001.
Head of Government
Governor Felix Camacho since 2003.
Language
English and Chamorro are the official languages. Japanese is also spoken - particularly by the older generation who were alive during the Japanese occupation.
Religion
Christian; 90% Roman Catholic.
Electricity
120 volts AC, 60Hz.
Social Conventions
Western customs are well understood – for the visiting Westerner it is quite likely that it will not be the customs of the locals that have to be observed, but those of the visiting Japanese who make up around 90% of the island’s tourists. The most evident Chamorro legacy is the Chamorro language and a range of facial expressions, called ‘Eyebrow’, which virtually constitutes a language of its own.
