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Guam ( or ; Chamorro: ') is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government.〔." DOI Office of Insular Affairs. February 9, 2007.〕〔 ''Office of Insular Affairs''. Retrieved October 31, 2008.〕 The island's capital city is Hagåtña (formerly rendered Agaña). Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands, and the largest island in Micronesia. Guam is one of the 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories under supervision of the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United Nations, whose goal is to bring the colonization to an end.〔(Non-Self-Governing Territories - Official U.N. Website )〕 The Chamorros, Guam's indigenous people, first populated the island approximately 4,000 years ago. The island has a long history of European colonialism, beginning with its discovery for Europe by Ferdinand Magellan during a Spanish expedition on March 6, 1521. The first colony was established in 1668 by Spain with the arrival of settlers including Padre San Vitores, a Catholic missionary. For more than two centuries Guam was an important stopover for the Spanish Manila Galleons that crossed the Pacific annually. The island was controlled by Spain until 1898, when it was surrendered to the United States during the Spanish–American War and later formally ceded as part of the Treaty of Paris. Guam is the largest island in Micronesia and was the only U.S.-held island in the region before World War II. Guam was captured by the Japanese on December 8, 1941, just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was occupied for two and a half years. During the occupation, the people of Guam were subjected to acts that included forced labor, torture, beheadings, and rape,〔(War Restitution Act : hearing before the Subcommittee on Insular and International Affairs of the Co... |National Library of Australia ). Catalogue.nla.gov.au (September 20, 1994). Retrieved June 13, 2012.〕〔"(Statement of David B. Cohen Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Affairs Before the House Committee on Resources Regarding the Report of the Guam War Claims Review Commission |July 21, 2004 )." ''Office of Insular Affairs''. Retrieved September 19, 2012.〕 and were forced to adopt the Japanese culture. Guam was subject to fierce fighting when U.S. troops recaptured the island on July 21, 1944, a date commemorated every year as Liberation Day. Today, Guam's economy is supported by its principal industry, tourism, which is composed primarily of visitors from Japan. Guam's second largest source of income is the United States Armed Forces. == History == (詳細はNorthern Mariana Islands are believed to be descendents of Austronesian people originating from Southeast Asia as early as 2000 BC. These people evolved into the Chamorro people. Ancient Chamorro society had four classes: ''chamorri'' (chiefs), ''matua'' (upper class), ''achaot'' (middle class), and ''mana'chang'' (lower class).〔 The ''matua'' were located in the coastal villages, which meant they had the best access to fishing grounds, whereas the ''mana'chang'' were located in the interior of the island. ''Matua'' and ''mana'chang'' rarely communicated with each other, and ''matua'' often used ''achaot'' as an intermediary. There were also "''makåhna''" (similar to shamans), skilled in healing and medicine. Belief in spirits of ancient Chamorros called "''Taotao mo'na''" still persists as a remnant of pre-European culture. Society was organized along matrilineal clans.〔 ''Latte'' stones are stone pillars that are found only in the Mariana Islands and are a recent development in Pre-Contact Chamorro society. The latte stone was used as a foundation on which thatched huts were built.〔 Latte consist of a base shaped from limestone called the ''haligi'' and with a capstone, or ''tåsa'', made either from a large brain coral or limestone, placed on top.〔 A possible source for these stones, the Rota Latte Stone Quarry, was discovered in 1925 on Rota.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Guam」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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