The Guam quarter is the third in the 2009 District of Columbia and U.S. Territories Quarters Program. Initial Western contact with Guam occurred when explorer Ferdinand Magellan reached the southernmost Mariana Islands in 1521. From 1668 to 1815, it served as a way station for Spanish Acapulco-to-Manilla ships. Spanish rule of Guam came to an end when American forces secured the island during the Spanish-American War. During World War II, the Japanese seized Guam and occupied it for more than two years, with American forces recapturing it in 1944. Under the Organic Act of 1950, the people of Guam became American citizens and established a local government.

The Guam quarter reverse design depicts the outline of the island, a flying proa (a seagoing craft built by the Chamorro people), a latte stone (an architectural element used as the base of homes) and the inscriptions, GUAM and Guahan I Tanó ManChamorro, which means "Guam - Land of the Chamorro." The proa represents the endurance, fortitude and discovery of the Chamorro people. The vessel, made by expert carvers and sailed by master navigators, is admired as a technical marvel. The latte speaks to a historic icon that hails from the Micronesian area. Chamorro is one of the official languages of Guam, and its usage is enjoying a renaissance there and on the Mariana Islands.

This coin was minted at the Denver Mint and carries the "D" mint mark.

THE STATE QUARTER PROGRAM
The 50 State Quarters program is the release of a series of commemorative coins by the United States Mint. Between 1999 and 2008 (the anticipated completion date), it features each of the 50 individual U.S. states on unique designs for the reverse of the quarter.
During the program, a new statehood quarter is released by the United States Mint every "quintile," or 1/5th of a year (73 days); five designs are released each year. Each quarter's reverse celebrates one of the 50 states with a design honoring its unique history, traditions and symbols, usually designed by a resident of that state and chosen by the state government.
The quarters are released in the same order that the states joined the Union. The obverse of each quarter is the same, but is a redesign of the previous design of the quarter.
The statehood quarters program has become one of the most popular commemorative coin programs in United States history; the United States Mint has estimated that over one hundred million individuals have collected state quarters, either formally or informally.

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