Malesso' (formerly Merizo) is the southernmost village in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

territory of

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

Cocos Island Cocos Island ( es, Isla del Coco) is an island in the Pacific Ocean administered by Costa Rica, approximately southwest of the Costa Rican mainland. It constitutes the 11th of the 13 districts of Puntarenas Canton of the Province of Puntarenas ...

(Chamorro: Islan Dåno) is a part of the municipality. The village's population has decreased since the island's 2010 census. Malesso' is the closest populated place in the United States to the

equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...

History

During the first

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

missionary efforts on Guam, Malesso' was the site of resistance encouraged by Choco, a Chinese resident of the village. The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of Malesso' was the second established by the Spanish on Guam. A large population of

Chamorro Chamorro may refer to: * Chamorro people, the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific * Chamorro language, an Austronesian language indigenous to The Marianas * Chamorro Time Zone, the time zone of Guam and the Northern Mar ...

s from the

Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

were relocated to the village during Spanish rule. The village covers an area of and is located on the shore below the volcanic hills of southern Guam. Places of interest for visitors include

Merizo Bell Tower The Merizo Bell Tower, on Guam Highway 4 in Merizo, Guam, is a bell tower that was built in 1914 or 1919. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1975. and The tower is tall and sits on a square base; it is built of ...

Malesso' Kombento
and Merizo Pier where ferries can be taken to

Cocos Island (Guam) Cocos Island ( ch, Islan Dåno) is an island off the southern tip of the United States territory of Guam, located within the Merizo Barrier Reef, part of the municipality of Merizo. The island is uninhabited, long in a southwest-northeast di ...

Resort. Several popular dive sites are located off the Malesso' coast. In August 2021, Gov.

Lou Leon Guerrero Lourdes Aflague "Lou" Leon Guerrero (born November 8, 1950) is an American politician who has served as the 9th governor of Guam since 2019. She was president and CEO of the Bank of Guam from 2007 to 2017, having previously served as a senator o ...

signed a bill officially changing the name of the village from Merizo to Malesso'.

Contamination of lagoon

Officials from the Guam Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Public Health and Social Services and the Coast Guard announced findings of major

polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer products, whose production was banned in the United States by the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1979 and internationally by t ...

(PCB) contamination in the

Cocos Lagoon Cocos Lagoon appears as a small incomplete coral atoll attached to the south-western coast of Guam near the area of the village of Merizo. It stretches about east-west and north-south, covering an area of more than . Cocos Island and Babe Isla ...

on February 20, 2006 and warned people not to eat fish caught there. The contamination is believed to have come from a

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

station which operated on Cocos Island from 1944-1963.

Climate

Demographics

The

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

has the Malesso'

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Guam Public School System The Guam Department of Education (GDOE), formerly the Guam Public School System, is a school district that serves the United States territory of Guam. The school district can be thought of as analogous to the school districts of other cities and co ...

serves the island. Merizo Martyrs Elementary School in Malesso' and Inarajan Middle School in Inarajan serve Malesso'. Southern High School in Santa Rita serves the village.Guam's Public High Schools
" ''Guam Public School System''. Accessed September 8, 2008.

Public libraries

Guam Public Library System Guam Public Library System (Chamoru: Sisteman Laibirihan Pupbleko Guåhan) is the public library system of the United States territory of Guam. The main library is the Nieves M. Flores Memorial Library at 254 Martyr Street in the village of Hag� ...

operates the Malesso' Library at 376 Cruz Avenue.

Recreation

Water sport crafts can be rented near Merizo Pier. The pier is also a fishing spot.

List of mayors

References

* Rogers, Robert F (1995). Destiny's Landfall: A History of Guam: University of Hawai'i Press. * Carter, Lee D; Carter, Rosa Roberto; Wuerch, William L (1997). Guam History: Perspectives Volume One: MARC. * Sanchez, Pedro C. Guahan, Guam: The History of our Island: Sanchez Publishing House.

External links

Merizo Guam
at Guam Portal

{{Coord, 13, 15, 48, N, 144, 40, 11, E, type:city_region:US-GU, display=title Villages in Guam Census-designated places in Guam