Hafa Adai! That's how Hello sounds in Chamorro, the native language of Guam.

Guam is the largest of the Mariana Islands and also the largest island in Micronesia. It was originally inhabited by the Chamorro people and the first European to discover the island was Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. It was a Spanish colony for many years, and today it's a territory of the US and nearly 1/3 of the island's total land area is a U.S. military base.

Chanel, who sent the card, wrote that there are many tourists from Japan, Taiwan and Korea who visit Guam to enjoy beaches, food and relaxed environment. Characteristic Guam things include e.g.: the latte stones, which you can see on this postcard, stone pillars that are found only in the Mariana Islands, used as a foundation to build huts; ko'ko' a flightless bird, native to Guam; and Taotaomona, the spirits of ancient inhabitants, who (as people in Guam believe) haunt the mountains. Thank you Chanel!

guam

country

organized, unincorporated territory of US

location

in the western Pacific Ocean

inhabitants

159,358

capital

Hagåtña

postcard received

29.12.2014

distance travelled

~11,379km

sent from

Dededo, Guam