Asan-Maina ( ch, Assan-Ma'ina) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

located on the western shore of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

territory of

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic ce ...

. The

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

combines the names of the coastal community of

Asan Asan () is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It borders the Seoul Capital Area to the north. Asan has a population of approximately 300,000. Asan is known for its many hot springs and is a city of spas. Asan has grown into t ...

with Maina, a community along the slopes of the

Fonte River The Fonte River is a river in the United States territory of Guam. The NRHP-listed Fonte River Dam is located in its upper reaches, south of Nimitz Hill Annex. See also *List of rivers of Guam This is a list of rivers in Guam, a (U.S. territory) ...

valley to the east. Asan was the northern landing site for

United States Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

during Guam's liberation from the Japanese during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Asan Beach Park is part of the

War in the Pacific National Historic Park The War in the Pacific National Historical Park is a multi-unit protected area in the United States territory of Guam, which was established in 1978 in honor of those who participated in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Uniquely among the Na ...

. The third community comprising Asan-Maina is Nimitz Hill Annex in the hills above Asan and Maina, which is the location of the Joint Region Marianas headquarters. Asan-Maina is located in the Luchan (Western) District.

Etymology

Asan derives its name from the Chamorro word ''hassan'' meaning scarce or rare. One meaning of the word ''ma’ina'' refers to an infant who, between the time of birth and

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

, is taken by the mother to

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different element ...

before sunrise. This old ritual was considered analogous to and in imitation of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.

History

On July 21, 1944, the Americans landed in Asan to recapture the island from occupying Japanese forces during the Battle of Guam. The

3rd Marine Division The 3rd Marine Division is a division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry divisions in the Marine Corps and together wit ...

landed in Asan at 08:28, and the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade landed near Agat to the south. Japanese artillery sank 20

Landing Vehicle Tracked The Amphibious Vehicle, Tracked (LVT) is an amphibious warfare vehicle and amphibious landing craft, introduced by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. (The USN and USMC use "L" to designate Amphibious vessels, also c ...

s, but by 09:00 tanks were ashore at both beaches.

fought Japanese forces fortified in the hills above the shore after establishing a beach head. During the following week, Americans pursued retreating Japanese forces northward and eventually won the battle. From April to November 1975 the former Camp Asan was used as a refugee camp for South Vietnamese refugees during Operation New Life. On August 6, 1997, Korean Air Flight 801 crashed east of Nimitz Hill Annex in Asan. A memorial was later constructed.

Demographics

The U.S. Census Bureau counts the following

census-designated places A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

in Asan-Maina:

, Maina, and Nimitz Hill Annex. - See "Asan muny"

Education

Guam Public School System serves the island. Southern High School in

Santa Rita Santa Rita may refer to: * Rita of Cascia (1381–1457), Catholic saint *Associação Atlética Santa Rita, a Brazilian football (soccer) club *Santa Rita de Cássia FC, an Angolan football (soccer) club Places Belize * Santa Rita, Corozal, a Ma ...

serves the village.Guam's Public High Schools
." ''Guam Public School System''. Accessed September 8, 2008.

Parks and recreation

Every year the island's largest Easter egg hunt is at the War in the Pacific National Park with over 10,000 eggs. The village also hosts the yearly International Kite Flying Competitions with people from South Korea, Japan, China, Guam, and the

Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonwe ...

competing for the championship.

Government

References

{{Coord, 13, 28, 17, N, 144, 42, 50, E, type:city_region:US-GU, display=title