An island called Guam is located in the North Pacific, almost halfway between the Philippines and Hawaii. 🏝️
Despite being little known, Guam is a place everyone will enjoy because there are so many things to do there.
Unfortunately, you probably have not heard of it since it’s a far-off location. This article explores the mysterious Guam facts that will trigger your curiosity 😮.
Fascinating Guam Facts That Will Leave You Awestruck
Not eligible to vote in America
Guam has been an unorganized US territory ever since World War II. This indicates that its citizens are American citizens and have a non-voting representative in Congress ❌🗳️.
The Chamorro are not allowed to cast presidential votes, and their representative cannot influence political or policy choices. The national government also has little influence over Chamorro municipal policy.
A citizen of America started their day.
Guam is the first spot where the sun rises on US soil, as has long been the slogan of this US island.
Guam, situated close to the International Dateline, is among the first areas to welcome each new day, while American Samoa, which switched its clocks in 2009 from the East to the West of the Date Line, is the last.
As a result, Guam is roughly 14 hours ahead of the US East Coast; thus, when the sun sets on Guam, it has yet to rise for most of the US mainland 🌞.
Most remote but closest to Spain
Guam was a Spanish colony for more than 300 years 🗺️. Many people often felt Guam was a province of Spain because every tourist was perplexed by the language and customs.
The Chamorro language is so similar to Spanish that it frequently has an old-fashioned Spanish appearance and pronunciation.
Even though Spain lost Guam, the Philippines, and Cuba in 1898—more than 100 years ago—the cultures are still so closely linked that it never ceases to astound a Spaniard like me 😲.
The closest US territory to Asia
Guam is the closest US territory Asian tourists may locate because it is just 3,5 hours away from South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Japan 🌏.
According to the Guam Tourism Board, this serves as a draw for Japanese and South Korean tourists who may never travel ✈️ far from the United States mainland but are happy to have visited Guam.
The recipient of the most SPAM
TIME magazine published an article on several little-known facts about this canned meat when it turned 75, including the fact that Guam had the most fantastic per capita consumption of SPAM.
Do not worry; much of the food you find and consume will be fresher, healthier, and (hopefully) more flavorful, with BBQ meats 🍽️, coconut, meals made in the ceviche style, and fruits prominent on the menu.
Chamorro rather than Guamese
Although you might mistakenly believe that the locals go by the name Guamese, they go by the name Chamorro 🌺. The Chamorro people live on the Micronesian islands of Guam and Saipan and are the oldest civilization in the North Pacific.
Guam passionately upholds and celebrates its native Chamorro culture and traditions.
The customs of the Chamorros today are a fusion of the many nations that invaded or occupied Guam, particularly Spain, which ruled over it for more than 300 years.
There are many Catholics.
The Chamorro people are intensely devout, with 85% belonging to the Catholic Church ⛪, related to the preceding point and Spain’s long-standing rule over the island.
The Spanish missionaries carried this with them, which has persisted and grown more substantial than in modern-day Spain.
Spanish Catholic traditions also significantly impacted us in the Philippines, but I thought Guam’s Catholic Spanish influence was even more pronounced than in the Philippines.
The service is quite friendly.
Taiwan, Korea, and Japan are three nations in the Far East aware of Guam as a fantastic sun and sea getaway and a Duty-Free Shopping Mecca.
I was most certain of this and the proximity of the naval installation when I decided to travel there 😊.
Guam is home to top department stores and luxury brands, and some malls are open around the clock.
A large army base island within the country
The Naval and Air Force Base, the most extensive US base in the Pacific, occupies a fourth of the island’s territory. Approximately 10-15% of Guam’s population is considered active military personnel.
When you land or take off, look out the window because the bases can be seen in the air.
This is a location where occasionally formal barriers enclose a sizable portion of the area.
One of the most remote locations that Americans can travel to
Guam is accessible to all American citizens without a passport because it is an unincorporated United States territory.
As a result, Guam is the second-farthest location that Americans can travel to without leaving the country’s borders, yet it is not the farthest 🌍.
American Samoa is the most remote and, arguably, the most difficult to reach.
Although, at the same time, Guam is a significant connecting point in the North Pacific and is serviced by United and other airlines, it only attracts less than 5,000 tourists annually 🛫.
The “Banana Republic” does not exist.
In contrast to Yap, where people still wear loincloths when walking around, people no longer live in huts. The roads are less severely damaged than they are in Chuuk.
The island is a significant tourist destination with tall skyscrapers, excellent streets, shopping centers, and luxurious hotels.
Concrete is used to build homes and other structures because the area is prone to typhoons. Expect Hawaii instead of the Solomon Islands 🌴.
There is no mechanism for tipping.
This nagging and stressing about who should tip who and how much is exceptionally upsetting and taxing to a European living in Asia 🚫💰.
For everyone’s peace of mind, we would prefer the stress removed and the service included in the price, not because we don’t want to tip the staff.
The world’s only double wreck
Guam is an excellent place to dive, even though it is less pleasant than the nearby Palau, Yap, or Chuuk. During the war’s Pacific campaign, this is the only hostile encounter between US and German forces.
After a different submarine failed to sink the Tokai Maru seven months earlier, a US submarine finally managed to slip it in August 1943 🚢.
Since the wrecks are only ten minutes from the port and are in relatively shallow water, they are simple to dive 🤿.
Famous dishes: a medley of culinary styles
Although it frequently comes in enormous quantities, Chamorro food is delicious 🍽️. Everyone thought the cuisine had a unique flavor and effect.
Due to the Spanish trading routes between Mexico and Asia that used to stop on Guam, there are tortillas and a variation of ceviche from Mexico.
Spanish cuisine is available, with pork serving as the primary staple and red rice tinted with a seed introduced by the Spanish missionaries. Japanese cuisine, in particular, from Asia, is performed 🍛.
Many nice things, but only one outstanding
There were only recently five-star resorts in Guam. Most of the fantastic 4* hotels 🌟 and motels near Tumon’s main beach offer direct access to the protected beaches of Guam’s gorgeous blue waters.
Still, until the Dusit Thani Resort debuted, there were no truly luxury options.
On the island, a hidden paradise
But despite the small number of nationalities, the annual number of visitors to this island of about 160,000 people is about ten times higher 🏝️.
Despite its diminutive size, people could keep someone busy for an entire week without getting bored.
There are numerous water sports, diving and snorkeling, dolphin-watching excursions, waterfall hikes, WWII relics, museums, cultural attractions, activities, foods to try, beaches to discover, shopping opportunities, and ways to pamper yourself all available.
In this article, we have read about the various facts in Guam. To know more, follow our website.
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