Chocolate House in Hagatna

Hagåtña (pronounced huh-GAHT-nya) is the capital of Guam. It is the island's second smallest village in both area and population. From the 18th through mid 20th century, it was Guam's population center; but following heavy bombardment during WWII, much of the village was destroyed and a majority of Hagåtna's population permanently relocated to neighboring villages. Rebuilt to include a number of large government and office buildings, as well as storefronts, Hagåtña today is both the seat of local government and one of the island's major commercial districts. It has a population of only 1,100, but the surrounding metropolitan area is much larger.

Understand

Formerly known as Agana in English, Hagåtña (also spelled as Hagatna on various publications) is now known by its original name in the native Chamorro language, which was restored in 1998. It is speculated that Hagåtña roughly translates as "related to Agat" or "more/better Agat," Agat being a southern Guamanian village where the founders of Hagåtña are thought to have migrated from.