A tiny Pacific island is now the centre of US-North Korea tensions, after Pyongyang threatened to attack it. Guam, a sovereign US territory used by the Americans as a strategic military base, is home to about 1,62,000 people
Tales of terror, woe and valour
Guam, settled about 4,000 years ago by the Chamorros who now make up less than 40 per cent of the population, was ceded by Spain to the US in 1898. Spain had claimed the island in 1565. During World War II Japanese forces sped to the island following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 and captured it
For two and a half years, Japan subjected its people to violence estimated to have killed 10 per cent of its population, according to the Washington Post. US recaptured the territory on this day in 1944
From air and sea
The island is also home to about 6,000 US troops and houses two military installations. Many Guamanians have joined the US forces; 18 of them were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan
Citizens without a vote
In 1950 Guam was recognised as a territory of the US, granting its people American citizenship. But as it is not a state, the islanders cannot vote for the president and their congressional representative is a non-voting member, according to AFP
Target acquired and locked
Guam is just about 3,540 km southeast of North Korea—within range of Pyongyang’s missiles. It is also close to China, Japan and the Philippines. This makes the island a strategic possession for the US