frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (especially in August)
Climate:
tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to June, rainy season from July to December; little seasonal temperature variation
The economy depends on US military spending, tourism, and the export of fish and handicrafts. Total US grants, wage payments, and procurement outlays amounted to $1 billion in 1998. Over the past 20 years, the tourist industry has grown rapidly, creating a construction boom for new hotels and the expansion of older ones. More than 1 million tourists visit Guam each year. The industry has recently suffered setbacks because of the continuing Japanese slowdown; the Japanese normally make up almost 90% of the tourists. Most food and industrial goods are imported. Guam faces the problem of building up the civilian economic sector to offset the impact of military downsizing.
Industry:
US military, tourism, construction, transshipment services, concrete products, printing and publishing, food processing, textiles
Ethnicgroups:
Chamorro 47%, Filipino 25%, white 10%, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other 18%
Vaccination requirements:
No vaccination requirements for any international traveller.
