Guam is an island in the Pacific Ocean near Australia and has an area of about 212 square miles. The highest point in Guam is Mount Lamlam at an elevation of 1,334 feet (407 meters).
The terrain of Guam consists of mostly flat coastline with steep coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in the northern portion of the island, with low hills in the center and mountains on the southern end.
Along with the geographical facts about Guam, Guam has a naval base which covers about 30% of the island.Here is a naval ship entering the Apra Harbor which, at the southern end, houses the U.S. Naval Base in Guam.
Guam is also home to the Andersen Air force base which is home to the 39th wing, among other units. Which has been active since February 1st of 1940.
Interested fact about Guam. The Guam Organic Act of 1950 established Guam as an incorporated territory of the US.
The human activities on Guam created a disaster towards its ecosystem. The limestone and ravine forests of Guam have historically supported fourteen species of terrestrial birds. Two of these fourteen birds are endemic to Guam at the species level. Five bird species are endemic at the sub-species level. One of the endemic species is now extinct. Seven have been extirpated from the island.
This is a picture of the famous Micronesian Kingfisher. A very beautiful bird, isn’t it? They scary fact about this specie is that it remains only as a captive population of fewer than one hundred individuals as of 2006.
The reason for their extinction is the introduction of the brown treesnake. It is native to northern and eastern coastal of Australia. Its intrusion is considered to be deadly to the birds population.
Another bird that became endangered because of the snakes is the popular Guam rail, known as Ko’Ko. It is a flightless bird and can only be found on Guam. This specie had population of as many as 80,000. However, by 1986, only 19 individuals remained.
Thankfully, the government now has paid much close attention to these birds. Now, the survivors of Ko’Ko and Kingfisher are being captivity bred in zoos in the hope that they can eventually be released back into the wild.
Despite the ecosystem disasters in Guam, it is still a very popular travel place. People from different countries love to spend their vocations their. Here are a few attractions.
The Two Lovers’ Point.
Latte Stone Park
Guam Pacific War Museum
by Peter and Barbara
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micronesian_kingfisher
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guam_rail
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