Aerial photo of Guam

Apra Harbor-Atoll in Guam

(Image courtesy of US Navy. Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apra_Harbor.jpg#/media/File:Apra_Harbor.jpg)

The picture above shows an atoll, or a ring-shaped reef, island, or chain of islands formed of coral. It was home to a US naval base, with an air force base installation later. With budget cuts, the naval station and the air force base merged under the Joint Region Marianas. The two divisions were combined in 2009, with the downsizing of the US military per a Congressional study. Another notable site near the harbor is Nimitz Hill; both are on the south side of the island.

US battleship

US ship entering Apra Harbor

(Image source: U.S. Navy. 015_The_aircraft_carrier_USS_Ronald_Reagan_(CVN_76)_enters_Apra_Harbor_for_a_scheduled_port_visit.jpg)

Guam is the largest island in Micronesia. The native people are called Chamorros. Spanish explorers came upon the island and established Roman Catholic missions to convert the people from their polytheism beliefs to the monotheistic faith. This event, like similar events in the New World, resulted in deaths due to European diseases and forced assimilation. Guam was officially part of the Spanish Empire. This would stand for generations. Today, the majority of residents still practice the Catholic faith as taught to them by Jesuit priests.

World War II memorial

Memorial of World War II

(Courtesy of U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs. Image source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/War_in_the_Pacific_National_Historical_Park.jpg)

Guam became a US territory, as it still exists today. This took place in 1898 due to the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish-American War. Japan took control of the island in 1941 with the United States retaking it as part of the Pacific Theater in World War II in July 1944. Today the US Air Force and tourism are the revenue generators for the island. A local tourist attraction is “Two Lovers Point” as seen below.

guam coast

Photo courtesy of: Daderot

(Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Puntan_Dos_Amantes_(Guam)_-_DSC01150.JPG#/media/File:Puntan_Dos_Amantes_(Guam)_-_DSC01150.JPG)

The island is approximately 210 square miles and enjoys a tropical marine climate. The land mass was created by colliding tectonic plates and continues to experience earthquakes today. The island has experienced significant typhoon activity with the highest risk in the months of September and October. These storms cause immediate wind damage but loss is compounded with the double digit rain received, plus tidal surge. A view of a national marine reserve in the photo below.

beach

(Image courtesy of: Abasaa. Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tumon_Beach.JPG#/media/File:Tumon_Beach.JPG)

Guam’s native birds were nearly wiped out by the invading brown tree snake accidentally introduced on the island. As such, Guam experiences a significant pest problem with spiders and beetles, as their only natural predators with the birds were eliminated. Further loss to the natural environment was caused by the fighting of World War II. The land has not regained the lush tropical trees it had prior to the war, but has shrubs and grassland covering it instead, prone to wild fires and erosion. Fortunately, the marine life has been somewhat spared. Below, an angelfish found in the coral reef waters of Guam.

tropical fish

Royal Angelfish

(Courtesy R. Patzner. mage source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Royal_angelfish_Pygoplites_diacanthus_photo_Patzner_R.jpg)

Wake Island

Wake Island is another US territory in Micronesia. The island was discovered in the 1879s by an English Sea Captain named Wake. Technically it is an atoll, since the land encases a lagoon and is made of a coral reef. There are only 94 residents on the island, but the US Air Force has a presence with the Wake Island Airfield with a missile launch facility, and as such, the land is restricted. The island was formerly taken as a possession in 1899, during McKinley’s term in office. The illustration commemorates the event when the US flag was raised by Commander Bennington.

Wake Island illustration

"Commander Taussig of the USS Bennington claims Wake Island for the United States of America"

(Courtesy of Surfsupusa. Image source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Commander_Taussig_of_the_USS_Bennington_claims_Wake_Island_for_the_United_States_of_America.jpg)

The island was overtaken by Japanese troops in late December 1941. American troops were taken as prisoners of war with US civilian citizens retained on the island for labor purposes. The Japanese victory was short lived, as the US would retake the island in September 1945. Sadly, with the American troops moving in, the US citizens were assassinated by order of a Japanese Naval Captain. In memorial, a tombstone was placed with the names of the 98 men that were brutally killed that autumn day. Thankfully the Japanese commanders were tried and convicted of war crimes after the war.

The island would see more military service with the Korean War. General Douglas MacArthur and President Harry Truman chose the site to ensure the military leader would not be far from his troops. In the 1960s, the island was the site of an oil spill. In the 1970s, the island would be used with the Vietnam War as a refugee camp. Today, besides the base site it serves as a missile launch site. In addition, it has been formerly declared a part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

Wake Island map

(Courtesy of Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center - National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wake_Island_NASA_photo_map.jpg#/media/File:Wake_Island_NASA_photo_map.jpg)

In your notebook, respond to the following:

What is an atoll?
What US presence is on the island?
What kind of inheritance does Guam have?
What influence did the Spanish have on the island?
How did the US gain Guam?
What kind of climate does Guam have?
What is on Wake island?
What role did Wake island play in World War II?