Guam is an unincorporated US Territory – basically means it is part of the US but the people don’t vote for the President as they are not a state.
As with everywhere else in the pacific it has a colonial history. The Spanish included it as part of the ‘Mariana Islands’ and lost it to the Americans in the Spanish American War in 1899.
The war ended the Spanish in the Pacific – they lost Philippines too and essentially didn’t have the capacity on a cost/benefit basis to manage or protect their other holdings in the Pacifc. They sold what they had left to the Germans – being the Caroline Islands – now Palau and Federated States of Micronesia, and the Northern Marianas (Roto, Tinean and Saipan)
Worth a read on how the US debated the afternmath of the war – they expressly didn’t want to build a global empire so had to figure out the legal basis for being in another place – same with Puerto Rico and Guantanamo which they also picked up. That said – having a place for a military base was cool too so they found a way.
It is predominantly known as a Military Island – non US and Canadians have one extra step on the Visa front to enter – plus you cannot then fly into a USA state on the same Visa/Permit.
The Latte Stone was the foundation of the traditional house – I took a pic of the monument by the Governers House.
I went to visit the Pacific War Musuem which closed early that day (just my luck). Only had 3 hours to look around otherwise.
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