Hagåtña, << hah GAHT nyah >> (pop. 943), is the capital of the American island of Guam. The city was formerly known as Agana. It lies on the island’s west coast. The city, which had a 1940 population of about 10,000, was largely destroyed during World War II (1939-1945). After the war, it was rebuilt, but its population never reached its prewar level.
Spain made Guam a possession in 1561 and ceded it to the United States in 1898. Hagåtña has sites that date from the Spanish period.
