Guam is an unincorporated, organized territory of the United States, located in the Pacific Ocean; its capital is Hagatna (Agana). The island was settled by Chamorros around 2000 BC, and the island was first explored by Europeans on 6 March 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan visited Guam. In 1668, Guam was colonized by Spain, which sent settlers and missionaries to the island. From the 1500s to the 1700s, Guam was an important stopover for "Manilla galleons", large treasure ships that travelled across the Spanish Empire to pick up and deliver hefty gold shipments. In 1898, the United States conquered Guam during the Spanish-American War, and Guam was occupied by Japan for thirty months during World War II until the USA recaptured the island in 1944. Today, Guam is a center of tourism and the US Navy, and it had a population of 162,742 people in 2016.
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