Five Things You Didn’t Know About Guam

Though perhaps best known stateside as a World War II battleground, Guam’s real claim to fame is white-sand beaches and tropical weather.

No passport needed
Though it’s more than 6,000 miles from Los Angeles, Americans don’t need a passport to enjoy Guam. A U.S. territory since 1898, it’s the most distant (and debatably the most different) place you can visit without leaving “home.”

Closer to Asia than America
Guam is about 1,500 miles from the Philippines and Japan, compared with nearly 8,000 miles from New York. Almost a million Japanese tourists visit each year, compared with about 50,000 arriving from the U.S.

Mexican echoes
American influence pervades Guam, but its traditional Chamorro culture has also been shaped by former rulers Spain, the relatively nearby Philippines and even Mexico. (Spanish galleons travelling from Mexico to the Philippines often stopped in Guam.)

Duty-free delights
Guam boasts extensive high-end shopping, with a twist — it’s all tax-free.

World’s tallest mountain — sort of
Guam’s Mount Lamlam stands a modest 1,332 feet above sea level, but measured from its submerged ocean base, it reaches 37,000 feet.

—Paul Rogers, Brand Publishing Writer