Geography of Guam
Encyclopedia
This article describes the geography
of Guam
.
Location: Oceania
, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about a quarter of the way from the Philippines
to Hawaii
, U.S.A.
Geographic coordinates: 13°26′31"N 144°46′35"E
Map references: Oceania
Area:
Area (comparative):
Land boundaries: Approximately 30 miles (51 km) long and 9 miles (15 km) wide, narrowing to 4 miles (7 km) at the center.
Coastline: 125.5 km (78 mi)
Maritime claims:
Climate:
Terrain:
Elevation extremes:
Natural resources:
Land use:
Irrigated land:
Natural hazards:
Environment - current issues:
Geography - note:
, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
of Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
.
Location: Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about a quarter of the way from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, U.S.A.
Geographic coordinates: 13°26′31"N 144°46′35"E
Map references: Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
Area:
- Total: 541.3 km²
- Land: 541.3 km²
- Water: 0 km²
Area (comparative):
- Three times the size of Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Land boundaries: Approximately 30 miles (51 km) long and 9 miles (15 km) wide, narrowing to 4 miles (7 km) at the center.
Coastline: 125.5 km (78 mi)
Maritime claims:
- Exclusive economic zone: 200 nmNautical mileThe nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
(370.4 km) - Territorial sea: 12 nm (22.224 km)
- The southern maritime boundaryMaritime boundaryMaritime boundary is a conceptual means of division of the water surface of the planet into maritime areas that are defined through surrounding physical geography or by human geography. As such it usually includes areas of exclusive national rights over the mineral and biological resources,...
of Guam forms a border with the Federated States of MicronesiaFederated States of MicronesiaThe Federated States of Micronesia or FSM is an independent, sovereign island nation, made up of four states from west to east: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. It comprises approximately 607 islands with c...
, and the northern maritime boundary forms a border with the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas IslandsNorthern Mariana IslandsThe Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
.
Climate:
- Tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade windTrade windThe trade winds are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics, within the lower portion of the Earth's atmosphere, in the lower section of the troposphere near the Earth's equator...
s; dry seasonDry seasonThe dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
from January to June, wet seasonWet seasonThe the wet season, or rainy season, is the time of year, covering one or more months, when most of the average annual rainfall in a region occurs. The term green season is also sometimes used as a euphemism by tourist authorities. Areas with wet seasons are dispersed across portions of the...
from July to December; little seasonal temperature variation.
Terrain:
- Volcanic originHigh islandIn geology , a high island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, whose origin is due to sedimentation or uplifting of coral reefs.-Definition and origin:...
, surrounded by coral reefCoral reefCoral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s; relatively flat coralCoralCorals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
line limestoneLimestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
plateau (source of most freshwaterFreshwaterFresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
), with steep coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low-rising hills in center, mountains in south
Elevation extremes:
- Lowest point: Pacific OceanPacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, 0 metres (0 ft) - Highest point: Mount LamlamMount LamlamMount Lamlam is a peak on the island of Guam. It is located in the village of Agat, in the southwest of the island. At 1,332 feet , it is the highest peak in Guam. The distance from the peak to the bottom of the nearby Mariana Trench is perhaps the greatest change in elevation on Earth over such a...
, 406 metres (1,332 ft)
Natural resources:
- Commercial fishingCommercial fishingCommercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
(mostly servicing and unloading of longline fleets and commercial vessels), recreational fishingRecreational fishingRecreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....
of Indo-Pacific Blue Marlin (MakairaMakairaMakaira is a genus of marlins and spearfishes. It includes the black, Atlantic blue, and Indo-Pacific blue marlins.- Sustainable consumption :...
mazara), WahooWahooThe wahoo is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high-quality flesh make it a prize game fish...
(Acanthocybium solandri), Mahi-mahiMahi-mahiThe mahi-mahi or common dolphinfish is a surface-dwelling ray-finned fish found in off-shore temperate, tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. It is one of only two members of the Coryphaenidae family, the other being the pompano dolphinfish...
(Coryphaena hippurus), Yellowfin tunaYellowfin tunaThe yellowfin tuna is a species of tuna found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide.Yellowfin is often marketed as ahi, from its Hawaiian name ahi although the name ahi in Hawaiian also refers to the closely related bigeye tuna. The species name, albacares can lead to...
(Thunnus albacares), and deepwater reef fish, tourism (especially from JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
but increasingly from ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
).
Land use:
- Arable land: 11%
- Permanent crops: 11%
- Permanent pastures: 15%
- Forests and woodland: 18%
- Other: 45% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land:
- N/A km²
Natural hazards:
- Frequent squalls during wet season; relatively rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (typhoons are possible in any season but most common from August through December)
Environment - current issues:
- ExtirpationLocal extinctionLocal extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
of native birdBirdBirds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
population by the rapid proliferation of the Brown tree snakeBrown tree snakeThe brown tree snake is an arboreal rear-fanged colubrid snake native to eastern and northern coastal Australia, Papua New Guinea, and a large number of islands in northwestern Melanesia....
(Boiga irregularis), an exotic speciesIntroduced speciesAn introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
. Island also supports feral populations of introduced deerDeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, Pigs (Sus scrofa) and CarabaoCarabaoThe carabao or Bubalus bubalis carabanesis is a subspecies of the domesticated water buffalo found in the Philippines, Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and various parts of Southeast Asia...
(Bubalus bubalis carabanesis).
Geography - note:
- Largest and southernmost island in the Mariana IslandsMariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
archipelago; strategic location in western North Pacific OceanPacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Extreme points
This is a list of the extreme points of GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.
- Northern-most point – Ritidian PointRitidian Point-References:*Bendure, G. & Friary, N. Micronesia:A travel survival kit. South Yarra, VIC: Lonely Planet....
- Eastern-most point – Pati PointPati PointPati Point is the easternmost point of Guam. It is located in the far north of the island, close to Anderson Air Force Base. A long reef-protected bay lies to the west of Pati Point, separating it from the island's northernmost point, Ritidian Point....
- Southern-most point – Cocos IslandCocos Island (Guam)Cocos Island is an island off the southern tip of Guam, located within the Merizo Barrier Reef, part of the municipality of Merizo. The island is uninhabited, long in a southwest-northeast direction, but only between and wide, and has an area of . It sits atop the southwestern coral reef rim...
- Southern-most point (mainland) – Aga PointAga PointAga Point is the southernmost point on the main island of Guam. It is located between the villages of Merizo and Inarajan. The only parts of Guam further south are Cocos Island and parts of its surrounding Merizo Barrier Reef....
- Western-most point – Orote Point