qt GUAM 13°29'N 144°48 E MARIANA ISLANDS General Guamisaterritory of the United States under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of the Interior, and is the most populous, and largest island in the Marianas. The capitalis Agana. The commercial port of Agana is Apra Harbor. Guam is strategically located between Hawaii, the Philippines and other S.E, Asian countries and serves as a major airline fueling station for civilian and military aircraft. Military installations include Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Physical Data Guam is located at the southern extremity of the Mariana Archipelago. The peanut-shaped island is 28 miles long and varies in width from 4 to 8 miles. The northern coral-capped plateau varies between 200 to 600 feet in height. The plateau surface slopes southwestward toward the lowland in the vicinity of Agana and the Agana River. The seaward edges of the plateau adjoin narrow discontinuous plains separated by rocky headlands on the north and west, and drops directly to the water on the northeast. An area of low hills marks the plateau descent to the Agana River valley on the south. The entire plateau area is underlain by porous limestone. Forest and scrub cover the area. Across the center an area of volcanic hills separates the plateau from the remainder of the island. These hills continue as a line of peaks southward along the western coast. Lamlam Mountain, elevation |, 334 feet, is the highest. The mountain range descends toa narrow broken coastal plain on the west side; on the east side the terrain descends from 500 to a 300 ft. plateau, with steep slopes and cliffs along the beaches. East flowing streams cross the plateau and havecut the area into valleys and uplands. Along the southern portion, numerous small bays indent the coast. Sword grass is the chief vegetation found in the volcanic areas. The forest between Mt. Alifan and Mt. Lamlam extends eastward across the island merging witha forest area along the East Coast. Climate Annual rainfall is about 90 inches and approximately 60 percent of this occur6 during the rainy season from June through November with a monthly average between 8 and 15 inches. The driest period is from January through May with an average monthly rainfall between 2 and 3 inches. The driest month is April. Mean average temperature is 81°F, the mean maximum is 90°F. January and February are the coolest months. Humidity is high throughout the year with an average of 76 percent. From December to May, northeasterly and east-northeasterly winds predominate. Light westerly winds may prevail during the summer months; however, typhoons occur most often during the summer. Facilities Apra Harbor provides facilities for ships of all sizes. is provided at the wharves, and on lighters and barges. Cargo handling Wharf cranes of 1-ton to 45-ton and floating cranes of 125 tons are available. The U.S. Naval Station, Guam, and the U.S. Coast Guard Station are located in the port area. This is a port of call for major steamship lines. The Commercial Air Terminal handles Pan American and other carriers and is located at the U.S, Naval Air Station, Agana. Anderson AFB handles military aircraft only and does accommodate large planes. Radio, teletype, telephone and cable systems, including SEACOM connect with Australasia, South East Asia, Japan, the Philippines, Saipan, Hawaii and the United States. Hospital facilities are also available. 29-1 VOL If