Villages of Guam


The United States territory of Guam is divided into nineteen municipalities, called villages. Each village is governed by an elected mayor. Village populations range in size from under 1,000 to over 40,000. As of the 2000 census, the total population of Guam was 154,805. However, the entire island is counted as a single county equivalent by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes.

History

Many villages have rich histories reaching back thousands of years. Artifacts from ancient Chamorro settlements can be found in every village of Guam. When the Spanish Empire colonized the Marianas Islands as part of its Pacific possessions in the 16th and 17th centuries, the island was divided into separate districts with each district consisting of a parish with a village center governed by an alcalde, appointed by the island's governor.
In the 18th century, there were six parishes on Guam: Hagåtña, Hagat, Humåtak, Malesso', Inalåjan, and Pago.
Prior to Spanish colonization, Chamorro people regularly held village celebrations. After adopting Christianity, these celebrations became fiestas in honor of the patron saint of each village. Annual village fiestas are still held throughout the island every year.
The current division of Guam into municipalities took place in the 1920s under United States Navy Administration.

List of villages

VillageArea
km²
Population
Population
Region
Pop.
density
Agana Heights2.683,8083,940Central1,470
Agat27.194,9175,656South210
Asan-Maina14.352,1372,090Central150
Barrigada21.968,8758,652Central390
Chalan-Pago-Ordot14.736,8225,923Central400
Dededo79.1644,94342,980North540
Hagåtña2.331,0511,100Central470
Inarajan48.822,2733,052South60
Mangilao26.4515,19113,313Central500
Merizo16.391,8502,152South130
Mongmong-Toto-Maite4.796,8255,845Central1,220
Piti19.261,4541,666Central90
Santa Rita41.896,0847,500South180
Sinajana2.202,5922,853Central1,300
Talofofo45.813,0503,215South70
Tamuning 14.6619,68518,012North1,230
Umatac16.63782887South50
Yigo91.7120,53919,474North210
Yona52.536,4806,484South120
Guam543.52159,358154,794 285