function createArray() {

    /*
     * FYI: It's not necessary to use an instance of `Array` for the
     * purpose of creating a hash map. You could just as easily use a
     * regular object. This implementation uses an array strictly because
     * it's the most direct equivalent to how other languages implement
     * hash maps.
     */

    // Object.seal() ensures we don't accidentally add more items
    return Object.seal(
    
        /*
         * Creates a new array with a predefined length of 16. This doesn't
         * actually create each of the properties in the array, so the
         * `fill()` method is used to do so. This is necessary because a
         * sealed array cannot have new properties defined, and since the
         * array starts out without any numeric properties defined, it
         * would prevent us from even assigning a value to array[0].
         */
        new Array(ARRAY_SIZE).fill(undefined)
    );
}
Creates an array to use as the basis for a hash map.
@returns {void}
@private