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History of Guam

Guam was first discovered and inhabited bywar. (Spain later sold the Northern Mariana
sea-faring people who came from AsiaIslands  to  Germany).
(possibly Indonesia or the Philippines),
around about 2000 BC. These people, theDuring World War II, Japanese forces invaded
Chamorros, developed a complex society, andthe islands and subjected them to a brutal
traded  with  other  islands  in  Micronesia.31-month occupation. The islands were
eventually recaptured in the Battle of Guam
On March 6th, 1521, the first Europeanswhich took place between July 21st and August
arrived: Ferdinand Magellan's ships, on their10th  of  1944
expedition to circumnavigate the globe. The
Chamarros natives of the islands welcomed theFollowing World War II, a series of acts
Spanish with food and drink. The Chamarrosrelaxed the U.S. administration of Guam,
expected to be paid, whereas the Europeansestablished the island as an unincorporated
believed these supplies to be gifts, so theorganized territory of the United States,
Chamarros stole iron from the decks of thegranted US citizenship to all persons born on
Spanish ships. The Spanish retaliated byGuam since 1899, allowed a non-voting Guam
killing several islanders and burning homes.delegate in the US House of Representatives,
Magellan consequently named Guam and theand allowed the islanders to elect their own
other Mariana Islands, "Las Islas de losgovernor and lieutenant governor. In 1982,
Ladrones"  (The  Islands  of  Thieves).Guam residents overwhelmingly voted for a
closer relationship with the United States as
In 1667, Spain claimed the islands anda Commonwealth. However, progress towards
established a colony there. In 1668, Padreimplementing  the  decision  has  been  slow.
San Vitores, the first Spanish missionary,
arrived. He renamed the islands "LasIn recent years, Guam has suffered a number
Marianas" after Mariana of Austria, widow ofof setbacks, including the 1990s Asian
King Philip IV of Spain, and remained on theeconomic crisis, and September 11th attacks,
islands  until  his  murder  in  1672.damaging the tourism industry, the 1990s
military cutbacks affecting the
On June 21st, 1898, Guam was captured by USmilitary-dependant part of the island's
forces during the Spanish-American war, andeconomy, and the supertyphoons Paka in 1997,
was ceded to the United States by theand Pongsona in 2002.
subsequent Treaty of Paris which ended the



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