Guam: this is what was one of the most remote territories of the Spanish Empire today

The Island of Guam was part of Spain for 333 years, from 1565 until its cession to the United States in 1898. Today it remains in American hands.

Fort Soledad: one of the most remote military positions that Spain had
Kosrae: this is the forgotten island that was the most remote territory of the Spanish Empire

An island discovered by Magellan in 1521

Once called Guaján, the island was discovered by Magellan in his historic circumnavigation of the world in 1521. It has an area of ​​549 square kilometers and is located 13,203 kilometers from Madrid, in the Mariana Islands (Pacific Ocean). , so it was one of the most remote territories of the Spanish Empire (the most remote of all was the island of Kosrae, in the archipelago of the Caroline Islands, which were ceded by Spain to Germany in 1899 ). Today Guam is part of one of the two commonwealth states of the United States: the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (the other is Puerto Rico).

The Spanish legacy that is still preserved on that remote island

Despite the passage of time, the Spanish heritage is still present on the island, with elements such as the Chamorro language spoken by the islanders, which preserves many features of Spanish and is one of the few languages ​​on the island. world - and the only one in Oceania - that uses the letter eñe. Another atypical element of an island in that area of ​​the world and which is due to its Hispanic legacy is that 75% of the islanders are Catholic. Also, the island has an important pro-life movement.

Apra Harbor Naval Base and Andersen Air Base

Guam is today one of the most important United States military bases in the Pacific Ocean. In addition to a US Navy naval base, Apra Harbor (where the training ship "Juan Sebastián de Elcano" of the Spanish Navy arrived in February on its round-the-world trip for the fifth centenary of the Expedition Magallanes-Elcano), there is also a USAF air base, Andersen AFB. Much of the island's surface is, in fact, under military control, with the Armed Forces being the main source of income for this territory.

The YouTube channel Un Mundo Inmenso published yesterday an interesting video showing what this island is like today, in addition to offering some information about its past and its political status (the video is in Spanish, you can activate the automatic English subtitles in the bottom bar of the player):