Hagåtña, Guam

Hagåtña ( pronunciation [ həɡɑtɲə ], formerly Agana or Spanish Agaña ) is the capital of the island of Guam and military base of the United States of America. The city is located on the west coast near the port Apra.

The city was founded in 1668 by Spain with the name Agana is the oldest "European" city in the Pacific. It is located on the western shore of the island of Guam north of the deep-sea port Apra Harbor. Today it is the capital of Guam, an international airport is nearby.

Distributed throughout the city are unusual statues. One of them, in the Plaza de España, is an image of Pope John Paul II, which rotates within 24 hours once around itself. In the Paseo de Susana Park is a replica of the Statue of Liberty, further there in Hagåtña a statue of the mermaid. After the occupation of Guam by the Japanese army during World War II Hagåtña was only slightly damaged during the liberation of the island by the Allies.

1998, the government decided from Guam to change the name of the city of Agana in Hagåtña, because it close to the pronunciation of the native population.