Hagåtña, Guam

Hagåtña Agana / Agaña
Village
Modern Hagåtña as seen Fort Santa Agueda
Location of Hagåtña (Agana) within the Territory of Guam
Coordinates: 13°28′45″N 144°45′00″E / 13.47917°N 144.75000°E / 13.47917; 144.75000
Country	United States
Territory	Guam
Government
• Mayor	John A. Cruz (R)
Area
• Total	1 sq mi (3 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,051
Time zone	ChST (UTC+10)
ZIP codes	96910, 96932 (PO Box)
Area code(s)	671

Hagåtña (pronounced [həˈɡɑtɲə] ), formerly English Agana /əˈɡɑːnjə/ and in Spanish Agaña, is the capital of the United States territory of Guam. From the 18th through mid 20th century, it was Guam's population center, but today it is the second smallest of the island's 19 villages in both area and population. However, it remains one of the island's major commercial districts in addition to being the seat of government.

"Hagåt" (also romanized as haga', with a glottal stop instead of a syllable-final "t") means "blood" in the Chamorro language. The suffix "-ña" can be translated as either the possessive pronouns his, hers or its in English, or a signification of greater comparative degree, similar to some uses of the English suffix "-er". There is much speculation that the natives originally migrated from the village of Agat/Hagåt. Therefore, "Hagåtña" can be translated "his or her blood" possibly meaning "related to him, her or it", or it could be translated to what might roughly mean "more Hagåt", as in, an extension of the village of Hagåt. It could also mean "better Hagåt", or "more than, surpassing or superior to Hagåt" in a sense of being "more Hagåt than Hagåt itself". In 1998, the Guam Legislature changed the name from "Agana" back to the original Chamorro/Chamoru form. However, the name of the neighboring village Agana Heights, remains unchanged.

Hagåtña is located at the mouth of the Hagåtña River on Guam's west coast. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1 square mile (2.6 km²). The village is bounded by the sandy beaches of Agana Bay to the north, the Agana River and associated wetlands to the east, and a cliff (above which is the village of Agana Heights) to the South. Several high-rise office buildings are in the center of the village, while the western portion of the city known as Anigua is more residential. Unlike many villages, central Hagåtña is divided into city blocks with shops and small restaurants throughout the center of the village. Highly populated residential areas in the villages of Mongmong-Toto-Maite, Sinajana, and Agana Heights surround Hagåtña.