Guam

Examples of Guam in the following topics:

• Land Policy

  • Spain ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines in 1898 after the Spanish-American War.
  • After World War II, the United States recognized Guam as a strategically placed island and began to construct a military base there--bring a large influx of people from various foreign populations.
  • Present-day Guam has a very mixed population: composed of the indigenous Chamorros, whites, Philippinos, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Micronesians, Vietnamese and Indians.
  • Guam is almost wholly Americanized, but previous attempts to change Guam's status as and unincorporated' U.S. territory have yet to meet with success.

• Pacific Arts Festival

  • From May 22 to June 4, 2016, the 12th ever Festival of Pacific Arts was held in Hagåtña, Guam, with the theme of “What We Own, What We Have, What We Share, United Voices of the PACIFIC.”
  • In 2008, about 2,000 artists attended the Festival of Pacific Arts from the following participating countries: American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Easter Island, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Sāmoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.

• Exotic Species

  • The accidental introduction of the brown tree snake via aircraft from the Solomon Islands to Guam in 1950 has led to the extinction of three species of birds and three to five species of reptiles endemic to the island .
  • Constant vigilance on the part of airport, military, and commercial aircraft personnel is required to prevent the snake from moving from Guam to other islands in the Pacific, especially Hawaii.
  • The brown tree snake, Boiga irregularis, is an exotic species that has caused numerous extinctions on the island of Guam since its accidental introduction in 1950.

• The Anti-German Crusade

  • In December 1914, the German gunboat Cormoran attempted to refuel and restock its provision at the American island territory of Guam.
  • Denied the full amount of fuel needed, the German captain optioned to remain in Guam along with the crewmen as alien detainees.
  • U.S. authorities in Guam imposed greater restrictions on the German detainees as relations between America and Germany worsened.

• The State Constitutions

  • The Territory of Guam does not have its own constitution, but operates under the Guam Organic Act of 1950 and other federal statutes.

• The Spanish-American War

  • It allowed temporary American control of Cuba, and ceded indefinite colonial authority over Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippine islands from Spain.

• U.S. District Courts

  • With the exception of the territorial courts in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands, federal district judges are appointed for life.

• Nimitz in the Central Pacific

  • In the final phases in the war in the Pacific, Nimitz attacked the Mariana Islands, inflicting a decisive defeat on the Japanese fleet in the Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944; a decisive naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions), and capturing Saipan, Guam, and Tinian.
  • In January 1945, Nimitz moved the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet forward from Pearl Harbor to Guam for the remainder of the war.

• The Cuban War of Independence

  • In addition, Spain ceded Puerto Rico and Guam, in lieu of war indemnity, and the Philippines for a U.S. payment of $20 million.

• Candidates for Congressional Elections

  • The delegates of the territories of American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands are also elected.