Region: Oceania

Capital: Hagatna (Agana)

Population: 185,674 (July 2012 - CIA est.)

Surface area: 541.3 sq km

Currency: US dollar (USD)

GDP per capita: Purchasing power parity US $15,000 (2005 est.)

Background:
Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by the Japanese in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The military installation on the island is one of the most strategically important US bases in the Pacific.

Economy – Overview:
The economy depends largely on US military spending and tourism. Total US grants, wage payments, and procurement outlays amounted to $1.3 billion in 2004. Over the past 30 years, the tourist industry has grown to become the largest income source following national defense. The Guam economy continues to experience expansion in both its tourism and military sectors.

Major Export Commodities: transshipments of refined petroleum products, construction materials, fish, food and beverage products

Remittances: Not available

Human Development Index 2011 ranking: Not ranked

Official Development Assistance and Major Development Partners: Guam receives large transfer payments from the US Federal Treasury into which Guamanians pay no income or excise taxes; under the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guam Treasury, rather than the US Treasury, receives federal income taxes paid by military and civilian Federal employees stationed in Guam (2001 est.)

Total External Debt: Not available 

Life Expectancy At Birth: 78.5 years (CIA)

Sources:

CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. www.cia.gov 

World Development Indicators. World Bank www.worldbank.org

Development, Recipient Aid Charts. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. www.oecd.org

Human Development Report 2011. United Nations Development Programme. www.undp.org

Updated July 2012