The United States territory of Guam is divided into nineteen municipalities, called villages. Each village is governed by an elected mayor. Village populations range in size from under 1,000 to over 40,000. In the 2020 census, the total population of Guam was 153,836.Population of Guam: 2010 and 2020
U.S. Census Bureau. Each village is counted as a

county equivalent In the United States, a county is an administrative or political subdivision of a state that consists of a geographic region with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 states, wh ...

by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes.

History

Many villages have rich histories reaching back thousands of years. Artifacts from ancient

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 Mari ...

settlements can be found in every village of Guam. When the Spanish Empire colonized the Marianas Islands as part of its Pacific possessions in the 16th and 17th centuries, the island was divided into separate districts with each district consisting of a parish with a village center governed by an

alcalde Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) a ...

, appointed by the island's governor. In the 18th century, there were six parishes on Guam: Hagåtña, Hagat, Humåtak, Malesso', Inalåjan, and Pago. Prior to Spanish colonization, Chamorro people regularly held village celebrations. After adopting Christianity, these celebrations became fiestas in honor of the patron saint of each village. Annual village fiestas are still held throughout the island every year. The current division of Guam into municipalities took place in the 1920s under United States Navy Administration. Santa Rita was formerly

Sumay Sumay, also Sumai, was a village on the United States territory of Guam. It was located on the north coast of the Orote Peninsula along Apra Harbor. It was inhabited by Chamorro people before contact with Europeans. Sumay became a prosperous port ...

, before the U.S.

taking Taking or takings may refer to: * Theft, illicit taking * The acquisition of land under eminent domain * Take (hunting) or taking, an action that adversely affects a species * Kidnapping of persons See also * * * * Take (disambiguation) * Ta ...

of that village after World War II.

List of villages

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

* *
{{U.S. Counties Populated Guam 1 Guam Guam