Map of Guam
Guam is a country in Oceania with its capital at Hagåtña, home to about 168,999 people across 544 km². The interactive map below plots 1 cities and towns, 1 mountain summits and 1 ports recorded for Guam in YearMaps.
- Population
- 168,999
- Area
- 544 km²
- Capital
- Hagåtña
- Continent
- Oceania
Interactive Map of Guam
Centred on Hagåtña at 13.4700° N, 144.7500° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Guam
Guam ( GWAHM; Chamorro: Guåhan [ˈɡʷɑhɑn]) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, and the most populous village is Dededo. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States, reckoned from the geographic center of the U.S. In Oceania, Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands and the largest island in Micronesia. As of September 2026, its population was 170,476. Chamorros are its largest ethnic group, but a minority on the multiethnic island. The territory spans 210 square miles (540 km2; 130,000 acres) and has a population density of 775 per square mile (299/km2).
Indigenous Guamanians are the Chamorro, who are related to the Austronesian peoples of the Malay Archipelago, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Polynesia. But unlike most of its neighbors, the Chamorro language is not classified as a Micronesian or Polynesian language. Rather, like Palauan, it possibly constitutes an independent branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language family. The Chamorro people settled Guam and the Mariana Islands approximately 3,500 years ago. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, while in the service of Spain, was the first European to visit and claim the island on March 6, 1521. Guam was fully colonized by Spain in 1668. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, Guam was an important stopover for Spanish Manila galleons. During the Spanish–American War, the United States captured Guam on June 21, 1898. Under the 1898 Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded Guam to the U.S. effective April 11, 1899.
Before World War II, Guam was one of five American jurisdictions in the Pacific Ocean, along with Wake Island in Micronesia, American Samoa and Hawaii in Polynesia, and the Philippines. On December 8, 1941, hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Guam was captured by the Japanese, who occupied the island for two and a half years before American forces recaptured it on July 21, 1944, which is commemorated there as Liberation Day. Since the 1960s, Guam's economy has been supported primarily by tourism and the U.S. military, for which Guam is a major strategic asset. Its future political status has been a matter of significant discussion, with public opinion polls indicating a strong preference for American statehood.
Guam's de facto motto is "Where America's Day Begins", which refers to the island's proximity to the International Date Line.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Guam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Guam
Guam was settled by Austronesian people around 1500 B.C. These people became the indigenous Chamorro and were influenced by later migrations, including the Micronesians in the first millennium A.D., and island Southeast Asians around 900. Society was stratified, with higher classes living along the coast and lower classes living inland. Spanish explorer Ferdinand MAGELLAN was the first European to see Guam in 1521, and Spain claimed the island in 1565 because it served as a refueling stop for ships between Mexico and the Philippines. Spain formally colonized Guam in 1668. Spain’s brutal repression of the Chamorro, along with new diseases and intermittent warfare, reduced the indigenous population from more than 100,000 to less than 5,000 by the 1700s. Spain tried to repopulate the island by forcing people from nearby islands to settle on Guam and preventing them from escaping. Guam became a hub for whalers and traders in the western Pacific in the early 1800s. During the 1898 Spanish-American War, the US Navy occupied Guam and set up a military administration. The US Navy opposed local control of government despite repeated petitions from the Chamorro. Japan invaded Guam in 1941 and instituted a repressive regime. During the US recapture of Guam in 1944, the island’s two largest villages were destroyed. After World War II, political pressure from local Chamorro leaders led to Guam being established as an unincorporated organized US territory in 1950, with US citizenship granted to all Chamorro. In a referendum in 1982, more than 75% of voters chose closer relations with the US over independence, although no change in status was made because of disagreements on the future right of Chamorro self-determination. The US military holds about 29% of Guam’s land and stations several thousand troops on the island. The installations are some of the most strategically important US bases in the Pacific; they also constitute the island’s most important source of income and economic stability.
- Location
- Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines.
- Climate
- Tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season (January to June), rainy season (July to December); little seasonal temperature variation.
- Terrain
- Volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low hills in center, mountains in south.
- Highest point
- Mount Lamlam 406 m.
- Lowest point
- Pacific Ocean 0 m.
- Coastline
- 125.5 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 0 km.
- Natural resources
- Aquatic wildlife (supporting tourism), fishing (largely undeveloped)
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 29.6% (2023 est.); arable land: 1.9% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 13% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 14.8% (2023 est.); forest: 52.4% (2023 est.); other: 18% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare but potentially destructive typhoons (June to December)
- Geographic note
- Largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands archipelago and the largest island in Micronesia; strategic location in western North Pacific Ocean.
- Languages
- English 43.3%, Filipino 24.9%, Chamorro 16%, other Pacific Island languages 9.4%, Asian languages 6.5% (2020 est.)
- Religions
- Christian (predominantly Roman Catholic) 94.2%, folk religions 1.5%, Buddhist 1.1%, other 1.6%, unaffiliated 1.7% (2020 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 46.1% (Chamorro 32.8%, Chuukese 6.7%, Palauan 1.4%, Pohnpeian 1.4%, Yapese 1%, other Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 2.8%), Asian 35.5% (Filipino 29.1%, Korean 2.2%, Japanese 1.4%, Chinese (except Taiwanese) 1.3%, other Asian 1.5%), White 6.8%, African descent or African-American 0.9%, Indigenous 0.1%, other 0.6%, mixed 10% (2020 est.)
- Economy
- Small Pacific island US territorial economy; upper income, tourism-based economy; hard-hit by COVID-19 disruptions; relaunched many industries via vaccination tourism; domestic economy relies on multiple military bases; environmentally fragile economy.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Guam in Numbers
- Population
- 168,999
- GDP
- US$6.9 billion
- GDP per person
- US$41,833
- Life expectancy
- 77.4 years
- Population growth
- 0.73% a year
- Population density
- 310 per km²
- Urban population
- 94.2%
- Surface area
- 541 km²
- Forest cover
- 52.3%
- Arable land
- 1.9%
- Access to electricity
- 100.0%
- Internet users
- 80.5%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Guam in Depth
History
Guam, along with the other Mariana Islands, were the first islands settled by humans in Remote Oceania. It was also the first and the longest of the ocean-crossing voyages of the Austronesian peoples, and is separate from the later Polynesian settlement of the rest of Remote Oceania. They were first settled around 1500 to 1400 BC, by migrants departing from the Philippines which was followed by a second migration from the Caroline Islands in the first millennium AD. A third migration wave took place from Island Southeast Asia, likely the Philippines or eastern Indonesia, by 900 AD.
These original settlers of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands evolved into the Chamorro people, historically known as Chamorros after first contact with the Spaniards.
Geography and environment
Guam is 30.17 miles (48.55 kilometers) long and 4 to 12 miles (6 to 19 kilometers) wide. It has an area of 212 square miles (549 square kilometers). It is the 32nd largest island of the United States. It is the southernmost and largest island in the Mariana Islands, as well as the largest in Micronesia. Guam's Point Udall is the westernmost point of the U.S., as measured from the geographic center of the United States.
The Mariana chain, of which Guam is a part, was created by collision of the Pacific and Philippine Sea tectonic plates. Guam is located on the micro Mariana Plate between the two. Guam is the closest land mass to the Mariana Trench, the deep subduction zone that runs east of the Marianas.
Economy
Guam's economy depends primarily on tourism, Department of Defense installations and locally owned businesses. Under the provisions of a special law by Congress, it is Guam's treasury rather than the U.S. treasury that receives the federal income taxes paid by local taxpayers, including military and civilian federal employees assigned to Guam.
Lying in the western Pacific, Guam is a popular destination for Japanese and South Koreans. Its tourist hub, Tumon, features over 20 large hotels, a Duty Free Shoppers Galleria, Pleasure Island district, indoor aquarium, Sandcastle Las Vegas–styled shows and other shopping and entertainment venues. It is a relatively short flight from Asia, with 3 to 4-star hotels and seven public golf courses accommodating over a million tourists per year.
Demographics
In the 2020 United States census, the largest ethnic group were the native Chamorros, accounting for 32.8% of the population. Asians, including Filipinos, Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese, accounted for 35.5% of the population. Other ethnic groups of Micronesia, including those of Chuukese, Palauan, and Pohnpeians, accounted for 13.2%. 10% of the population were multiracial, (two or more races).
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Guam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Guam: Key Facts
| Currency | United States dollar |
|---|---|
| Official languages | English, Chamorro |
| Head of government | Lou Leon Guerrero |
| Calling code | +1671 |
| Internet domain | .gu |
| Highest point | Mount Lamlam |
| Lowest point | Pacific Ocean |
| Established | 1898 |
Facts from Wikidata Q16635 (CC0).
History of Guam: Empires and States
The atlas records 3 polities whose mapped territory included part of Guam, from The Spanish Empire in 1670 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| The Spanish Empire | 1670–1897 CE | Nearly all |
| Kingdom of Spain | 1877–1897 CE | Nearly all |
| United States of America | 1898–2024 CE | Nearly all |
Historical Maps of Guam
Guam on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Guam
Guam (Chamorro: Guåhan) is an island in the western Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines. An unincorporated territory of the United States of America, Guam gets most of its visitors from East Asia, especially Japan.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Guam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Guam
1 city recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agana | 122,411 | — | Admin-0 region capital |
Highest Mountains in Guam
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Lamlam | 406 m | 1,332 ft | Oceania |
Mount Lamlam
Mountain · 406 m
Mount Lamlam is a mountain rising to 406 metres (1,332 ft) in Guam and the United States, in the Oceania region. The summit stands on the border between them. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..
Mount Lamlam (meaning lightning in Chamoru) is a peak on the United States island of Guam. It is located near the village of Agat (5 km or 3 mi north), in the south-west of the island.
Rising to 406 meters (1,332 ft) above sea level, the distance from the peak to the bottom of the nearby Mariana Trench is said to be the greatest change in elevation on Earth over such a short distance.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Mount Lamlam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Elevation
- 406 m (1,332 ft)
- Global rank
- #616 of 641 indexed
- Region
- Oceania (#48)
- Subregion
- Micronesia
- Countries
- Guam, United States
- Coordinates
- 13.3513°, 144.6834°
Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Mount Lamlam ranks #616 by elevation, below Pic du Paradis (420 m) and above Mount Obama (402 m).
- Ranges:
- New Guinea Highlands (Oceania), Maoke Mountains (Oceania)
- Settlements below:
- Agana (15 km)
More about Mount Lamlam
Mount Lamlam: Key Facts
| Topographic prominence | 406 m |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q4380977 (CC0).
Ports in Guam
1 port recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apra Harbor | 34.7 m | Minor | Pacific Islands & Hawaii | medium vessels |
Largest Islands of Guam
1 island recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.
| # | Name | Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guam | 566 km² | Island group |
Countries Bordering Guam
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Oceania
Guam: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Guam?
- The capital of Guam is Hagåtña.
- What is the population of Guam?
- Guam has a population of about 168,999, the #190 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Guam?
- Guam covers 544 km², ranking #197 by area, with about 311 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Guam in?
- Guam is in Oceania.
- Which countries border Guam?
- Guam shares a land or maritime border with Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands.
- What is the largest city in Guam?
- Agana is the largest city in Guam, with a metropolitan population of about 122,411.
- What is the highest mountain in Guam?
- The highest summit recorded for Guam in YearMaps is Mount Lamlam at 406 m (1,332 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.