Santa Rita (Santa Rita Municipality)
As the rest of the island, Sånta Rita-Sumai was under Spanish rule. Prior to the War, the village of Sumay was on the Orote Peninsula, which forms the southern boundary of Apra Harbor. Once a thriving commercial center, it suffered severe devastation from bombardment by the United States military forces during the Liberation of Guam from the Empire of Japan. The U.S. military assumed control over the ruins of Sumay and built Naval Base Guam on the old village site, while the residents of Sumay were relocated to the hills between their former village and Fena.
They established a new village, naming the settlement after Saint Rita of Cascia. The Fena area, which houses Ordnance Annex and Fena Lake (the main source of fresh water for the island), borders the eastern boundary of Sånta Rita-Sumai.
In August 2021, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero signed a bill officially changing the name of the village.
Map - Santa Rita (Santa Rita Municipality)
Map
Country - Guam
People born on Guam are American citizens but are politically disenfranchised, having no vote in the United States presidential elections while residing on Guam. Guam delegates to the United States House of Representatives have no vote on the floor. Indigenous Guamanians are the Chamoru, historically known as the Chamorro, who are related to the Austronesian peoples of Malay archipelago, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Polynesia. But unlike most of its neighbors, Chamorro language is not classified as a Micronesian or Polynesian language. Rather, like Palauan, it possibly constitutes an independent branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language family. As of 2022, Guam's population is 168,801. Chamorros are the largest ethnic group, but a minority on the multi-ethnic island. The territory spans 210 mi2 and has a population density of 775 /mi2. The Chamorro people settled the island approximately 3,500 years ago. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, while in the service of Spain, was the first European to visit the island on March 6, 1521. Guam was colonized by Spain in 1668. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Guam was an important stopover for the Spanish Manila Galleons. During the Spanish–American War, the United States captured Guam on June 21, 1898. Under the 1898 Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded Guam to the U.S. effective April 11, 1899.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
---|---|---|---|
USD | United States dollar | $ | 2 |
ISO | Language |
---|---|
CH | Chamorro language |
EN | English language |