Dededo is the most populous village of the American island of Guam. According to the U.S. census bureau estimates, Dededo's population was 46,000 in 2004. The village is located on the coral plateau of Northern Guam.----------Dededo is located at the north central part of the island of Guam where most of the population presently centers. It encompasses an area of about 30 square miles (78 km2) of Guam’s 209 square miles (540 km2). The word, “Dededo,” comes from a system of measurement using the fingers in which each finger signifies an inch. So as one measures “one inch, two inches, three inches …” the name “Dededo” was derived from the measurement of two fingers indicating two inches. There is another word that could have possibly given this village its name. The word, “dedeggo,” is a person who walks on tiptoes so as not to wake up those who are sleeping. It is not clear whether Dededo got its name because someone long ago measured the place with his fingers, or because the people habitually walked on tip toes.-------Before World War II, Dededo Village was located at the bottom of the Macheche Hill. Dededo grew into a major village after World War II when the U.S. Navy constructed housing for Guamanians displaced by the war and for laborers coming from off-island to help in Guam's development. Following Typhoon Karen in 1962, the Kaiser subdivision in Dededo was constructed for island residents displaced by the storm. Further housing subdivisions were constructed increasing the village's population.