Portal:Oceania/Selected article/January, 2010
Hagåtña (Chamorro pronunciation: [həˈɡɑtɲə], formerly English Agana /əˈɡɑːnjə/ and in Spanish Agaña, is the capital of the American island territory 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. Today, it remains one of the island's major commercial districts in addition to being the seat of government.
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) and a population in 2000 of 1,100 people (less than 1% of Guam's total).
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.