December - Week 52 - US Territories

Guam

Date became a US territory – August 1, 1950 (as unincorporated territory), April 11, 1899 [acquired from Spain]
Postal abbreviation – GU
Capital – Hagåtña
Area – 570.7 [smaller than Rhode Island]
Population as of census 2010 – 159,358 [lower than every state]
Population density per square mile – 759.9 [about as crowded as Connecticut, the 4th most crowded state]
Area code – 671
Zip codes – 96910 - 96932
Official nickname – Island of Warriers, or Tano 'l ManChamorro meaning 'Land of the Chamorros'
Official motto – Where America's Day Begins [it is located on the other side of the international date line] 

Flag of Guam

Fun facts
-Guam does not have sand. The beaches are coral.
-It is the largest island in Micronesia.
-It is approximately 30 miles long, and its width varies between 4 and 12 miles.
-Guamanians are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections.

Puerto Rico

 

Date became a US territory – March 2, 1917 (as unincorporated territory, a commonwealth), April 11, 1899 [acquired from Spain], it has voted to become the 51st US state but that is not yet official
Postal abbreviation – PR
Capital – San Juan
Area – 5,324.7 [larger than only Delaware and Rhode Island]
Population as of census 2010 – 3,725,789 [approximately the same as Connecticut]
Population density per square mile – 1,088.1 [only District of Columbia and New Jersey are more crowded]
Area code – 787, 939
Zip codes – 00600 – 00799 and 00900 - 00999
Official nickname – Island of Enchantment
Official motto – "JOANNES EST NOMEN EJUS" means "John is his name", referring to St. John the Baptist or San Juan Bautista, the original name of the island. 

Flag of Puerto Rico

Fun facts
-The official name is the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
-The temperature varies between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit all year round.
-The largest telescope in the world is located in Puerto Rico. It is used to look at asteroids and determine if any get too close to the Earth.
-Puerto Ricans are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections.
-Puerto Rico is an archipelago consisting of the main island of Puerto Rico, smaller islands Vieques and Culebra, and 140+ other islands, most of which are uninhabited.
-Puerto Rico has the only tropical rainforest in the US Forest System, and has no snakes.

US Virgin Islands

Date became a US territory – March 31, 1917 (as unincorporated territory) [purchased from Denmark]
Postal abbreviation – VI
Capital – Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas
Area – 732.8 [about twice the size of the District of Columbia]
Population as of census 2010 – 106,405 [lower than Guam]
Population density per square mile – 791.7 [about the same as Guam]
Area code – 340
Zip codes – 00801 - 00851
Official nickname – 'Rock City' for St. Thomas, 'Love City' for St. John, and 'Twin City' for St. Croix.
Official motto – "United in Pride and Hope" 

Flag of the US Virgin Islands

Fun facts
-The US purchased the islands from Denmark for $25 million in gold.
-The US Virgin Islands is the only location in the United States where you drive on the left side of the road.
-Point Udall is the Easternmost Point in the United States. 
-There is an Underwater National Park off the coast of St. John. 
-Virgin Islanders are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections.
-The US Virgin Islands is an archipelago consisting of three main islands – St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix – and 50+ other islands.

American Samoa

Date became a US territory – April 17, 1900 (as unincorporated territory)
Postal abbreviation – AS
Capital – Pago Pago
Area – 581.1 [about half the size of the US Virgin Islands, slightly larger than the District of Columbia]
Population as of census 2010 – 55,519 [approximately half of the US Virgin Islands]
Population density per square mile – 726.7 [about the same as Connecticut]
Area code – 684
Zip code – 96799
Official nickname – The Heart of Polynesia
Official motto – "Sāmoa, Muamua Le Atua" which means “Samoa, Let God be First” 

Flag of American Samoa

Fun facts
-American Samoa has earned the nickname "Football Island," as the islands produce more American football players than anywhere else in the world.
-American Samoa consists of five volcanic islands (Tutuila, Aunu'u, and the Manu'a islands of Ofu, Olosega, and Ta'u) and two coral atolls (Rose and Swains atolls)
-American Samoa is located 2,300 miles south of Hawaii, making it the most southern point in the United States.
-Bats are the only native species of mammals found in American Samoa. The Samoan flying fox bat is only found in Samoa and Fiji. They are active both day and night, and have a 3 foot wingspan.
-American Samoa's waters were used for the splash landings for US astronauts during the 60s and 70s.
-It rains 300 days each year 

Northern Mariana Islands

Date became a US territory – November 4, 1986 (as unincorporated territory, a commonwealth), conquered by the US in 1947 during WWII
Postal abbreviation – MP
Capital – Capitol Hill on the island of Saipan
Area – 1,975.7 [almost as large as Guam]
Population as of census 2010 – 53,883 [smallest of all states and territories]
Population density per square mile – 295.7 [about the same as Ohio]
Area code – 670
Zip codes – 96950 - 96952
Official nickname – Pearl of Saipan

Flag of Northern Mariana Islands

Fun facts
-The Northern Mariana Islands, plus Guam, comprise the Mariana Islands archipelago.
-The island chain geographically consists of two groups:  a northern group of ten volcanic main islands, all currently uninhabited; and a southern group of five coralline limestone islands (Rota, Aguijan, Tinian, and Saipan, along with Guam), all inhabited except Aguijan.
-The temperature remains almost constant during the year.  The rainy season is July through November and the dry season is December through June.  Ocean temperature is usually around 80 degrees.
-The atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 were loaded onto war planes on the island of Tinian.
-Northern Marianans are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections.