Sixteen thousand miles east of Manila, in the Pacific Ocean, is the island of Guam (gwäm). This island belongs to the United States. It formerly belonged to Spain, but came into our possession following the Spanish-American War. Guam is only a small body of land some thirty miles long and from four to ten miles wide. Its area is somewhat more than two hundred square miles, or about one-third the size of Rhode Island. Its importance to the United States cannot be measured by its size. We have made it a naval station and keep there a garrison and a station ship. In case of war between the United States and an Asiatic country, Guam would serve as an important naval base from which to direct attacks upon the enemy or to help defend the Philippines. Guam is under the control of our Navy Department. The governor is appointed by the President and must be a naval officer. He has charge of making and executing the laws. The climate of Guam is tropical. From December to June the northeast trade winds blow and there is only a light rainfall. During the other six months the monsoon blows, producing a rainy season. Destructive typhoons and earthquakes visit the island. The soil is fertile, disintegrated coral, and cocoanuts, pineapples, breadfruits, coffee, rice, sweet potatoes and corn are grown. The higher lands are covered with a thick growth of valuable hard wood trees. Notice the carts in the foreground with their wheels of solid wood rimmed with iron, the thills are made of saplings and the simply formed yokes. These are carts of a very primitive kind. They are probably drawn by water buffalo, the common draught animal of the island. Which way is Guam from San Francisco? Keystone ID: 16401 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.