Hawaii (island)

Hawaii (island)
Hawaii is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of , it has 63% of the Hawaiian archipelago's combined landmass. However, it has only 13% of the archipelago's population. The island of Hawaiʻi is the third largest island in Polynesia, behind the north and south islands of New Zealand.
The island is often referred to as the Island of Hawaii or Hawaii Island to distinguish it from the state. It is also referred to as the Big Island. To distinguish it without relying on English, it is sometimes called Moku o Keawe. In Hawaiian, the word keawe has several meanings, one definition; southern cross and is said to be the name of an ancient chief as well as a second definition; "the bearer" (ke-a-we). Administratively, the island is coextensive with Hawaii County.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 200,629. The county seat and largest town is Hilo. There are no incorporated cities in Hawaiʻi County.
History
Hawaii is said to have been named after Hawaiʻiloa, a legendary Polynesian navigator who is said to have discovered the island. Other accounts attribute the name to the legendary realm of Hawaiki, a place from which some Polynesian people are said to have originated, the place where they transition to in the afterlife, or the realm of the gods and goddesses. Captain James Cook, the English explorer and navigator who was captain of the first European expedition that came upon the Hawaiian Islands, called it O-Why-hee (from Hawaiian) and the "Sandwich Islands" after his patron, the Earl of Sandwich. Cook was killed on the Big Island at Kealakekua Bay on 14 February 1779, in a melee which followed the theft of a ship's boat.
Hawaii was the home island of Paiʻea Kamehameha, later known as Kamehameha the Great. Kamehameha united most of the Hawaiian islands under his rule in 1795, after several years of war, and gave the kingdom and the island chain the name of his native island.
In 1822, the missionary William Ellis arrived and was one of a party that completed a tour of the island, descriptions of which were later published in his journal.
Geology and geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (20.8%) is water. The county's land area comprises 62.7 percent of the state's land area. It is the highest percentage by any county in the United States.
At its greatest dimension, the island is across. It has a land area of comprising 62% of the Hawaiian Islands' land area. Measured from its sea floor base to its highest peak, Mauna Kea is the world's tallest mountain, taller than even Mount Everest, since the base of Mount Everest is above sea level.
Ka Lae, the southernmost point in the 50 states of the United States, is on Hawaii. The nearest landfall to the south is in the Line Islands. To the northwest of the island of Hawaii is the island of Maui, whose Haleakalā volcano is visible from Hawaii across the Alenuihaha Channel.
Volcanism
The island of Hawaiʻi is built from five separate shield volcanoes that erupted somewhat sequentially, one overlapping the other. These are (from oldest to youngest):
Kohala – extinct
Mauna Kea – dormant
Hualālai – active
Mauna Loa – active, partly within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Kīlauea – active, part of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Geological evidence from exposures of old surfaces on the south and west flanks of Mauna Loa led to the proposal that two ancient volcanic shields (named Ninole and Kulani) were all but buried by the younger Mauna Loa. Geologists now consider these "outcrops" to be part of the earlier building of Mauna Loa.
Based on geochemical (including trace elements) and isotope differences in their eruptive products, Hawaiian volcanoes fall into two different families along the island chain. The differences are believed to be due to two separate magma systems originating at the Hawaii hotspot. On the Island of Hawaiʻi, Hualālai and Mauna Loa are members of one family, while Kohala, Mauna Kea, and Kilauea are members of the other.
Because Mauna Loa and Kīlauea are fairly active volcanoes, the island of Hawaii is still growing. Between January 1983 and September 2002, lava flows added to the island. Lava flowing from Kīlauea has destroyed several towns, including Kapoho in 1960 and again in 2018, and Kalapana and Kaimū in 1990. In 1987 lava filled in "Queen's Bath", a large, L-shaped, freshwater pool in the Kalapana area. Another 875 acres were added between May and July, 2018 by the 2018 lower Puna eruption. Mauna Loa erupted in 2022 after 38 years.
Some geologists count seven volcanoes as building the island, which include the submarine volcanoes Māhukona and Kamaʻehuakanaloa (formerly Lōʻihi) as parts of the base of the island. Māhukona off the northwest corner of the island has already disappeared below the surface of the ocean. Approximately southeast of Hawaii lies the undersea volcano known as Kamaʻehuakanaloa. It is an erupting seamount that now reaches approximately below the surface of the ocean. Continued activity at current rates from Kamaʻehuakanaloa will likely cause it to break the surface of the ocean sometime between 10,000 and 100,000 years from now.
Great Crack
The Great Crack is an , and fissure in the island, in the district of Kau. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Great Crack is the result of crustal dilation from magmatic intrusions into the southwest rift zone of Kilauea. While neither the earthquake of 1868 nor that of 1975 caused a measurable change in the Great Crack, lava welled out of the lower of the Great Crack in 1823.
Visitors can find trails, rock walls, and archaeological sites from as old as the 12th century around the Great Crack. In August 2018, the National Park Service purchased nearly of private land adjacent to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, claiming that the area has important geological features that need to be studied and preserved.
Hilina Slump
The Hilina Slump is a section of the south slope of the Kīlauea volcano which is slipping away from the island. Between 1990 and 1993, Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements showed a southward displacement of about per year. Undersea measurements show that a "bench" has formed a buttress and that this buttress may tend to reduce the likelihood of future catastrophic detachment.
Earthquakes and tsunamis
On 2 April 1868, an earthquake with a magnitude estimated between 7.25 and 7.9 rocked the southeast coast of Hawaii. This was the most destructive earthquake in the recorded history of Hawaii. It triggered a landslide on Mauna Loa, north of Pahala, killing 31 people. A tsunami claimed 46 more lives. The villages of Punaluʻu, Nīnole, Kawaʻa, Honuʻapo, and Keauhou Landing were severely damaged. The tsunami reportedly rolled over the tops of the coconut trees up to high, and it reached inland a distance of a quarter of a mile (400 meters) in some places.
On 29 November 1975, a section of the Hilina Slump dropped and slid toward the ocean. This movement caused a 7.2 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami. Oceanfront property was washed off its foundations in Punaluu. Two deaths were reported at Halape, and 19 other people were injured.
The island suffered tsunami damage from earthquakes in Alaska on 1 April 1946, and in Chile on 23 May 1960. Downtown Hilo was severely damaged by both tsunamis, with many lives lost. Just north of Hilo, Laupāhoehoe lost 16 schoolchildren and five teachers in the tsunami of 1946.
In March 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the east coast of Japan again created a tsunami that caused minor damage in Hawaii. The estimated damage to public buildings alone was about US$3 million. In the Kona area this tsunami washed a house into Kealakekua Bay, destroyed a yacht club and tour boat offices in Keauhou Bay, caused extensive damage in Kailua Kona, flooded the ground floor of the King Kamehameha Hotel, and permanently closed the Kona Village Resort.
In early May 2018, hundreds of small earthquakes were detected on Kīlauea's East rift zone, leading officials to issue evacuation warnings. On 3 May 2018, the volcano erupted in Puna after a 5.0 earthquake earlier in the day, causing evacuations of the Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions. A seemingly related 5.3 magnitude quake and a subsequent 6.9 magnitude earthquake occurred on 4 May.
Volcanic fog
Vog (volcanic fog) can envelop the island of Hawaii when Kilauea Volcano is active. Since the termination of volcanic activity in September 2018, the vog has largely disappeared on the west side of the island. The gas plumes of the Kīlauea Volcano create a blanket of vog which the dominant trade winds mostly deflect toward the Kona coast on the west side of the island of Hawaiʻi. Vog contains chemicals that can damage the environment and the health of plants, humans, and other animals. Most of the aerosols are acidic and of a size where they can remain in the lungs to damage them and impair function. Flu-like symptoms and general lethargy are reported, and are especially pronounced in people with respiratory conditions.
National protected areas
Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail
Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park
Kohala Historical Sites State Monument (Mookini Heiau)
Kona Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site
Economy
Sugarcane was the backbone of the island of Hawaii's economy for more than a century. In the mid-20th century, sugarcane plantations began to downsize, and in 1995 the last plantation closed.
Most of the island's economy is based on tourism, centered primarily in resort areas on the western coast of the island in the North Kona and South Kohala districts. More recently, Hawaii Island has become a focus for sustainable tourism.
Diversified agriculture is a growing sector of the economy. Major crops include macadamia nuts, papaya, flowers, tropical and temperate vegetables, and coffee beans. Only coffee grown in the Kona District of this island may be branded Kona coffee. The island's orchid agriculture is the largest in the state, and resulted in the unofficial nickname "The Orchid Isle". The island is home to one of the United States' largest cattle ranches: Parker Ranch, on in Waimea. The island is also known for astronomy, with numerous telescopes operated on the summit of Mauna Kea at the Mauna Kea Observatories, where atmospheric clarity is excellent and there is little light pollution.
NELHA (Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority), a state developed site, is a green economic development ocean science and technology park on the west side of the island. It provides resources and facilities for energy and ocean-related research, education, and commercial activities in an environmentally sound and culturally sensitive manner. Business tenants on this coastal site include microalgae farms, aquaculture, solar technology and marine biotech. Tenants have access to three sets of pipelines delivering deep-sea water from a depth of up to , as well as pristine sea surface water and almost constant sunshine. A 2012 study by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO) found the total economic impact of activities at NELHA was $87.7 million and created 583 jobs.
Transportation
Roads
Three routes connect the two major towns, Hilo on the east coast and Kailua-Kona on the west coast of the island:
State highways 19 & 190, the northern route via Waimea
State highway 11, the southern route via Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Saddle Road (aka the Daniel K. Inouye Memorial highway), passing between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea).
There are also State highways 270 (Kawaihae – Hawi) and 180 (the "Kona coffee road", from Honalo to State highway 190), South Point Road (Highway 11 to South Point), etc.
There are presently three Hawaii Scenic Byways on the island of Hawaii:
Mamalahoa Kona Heritage Center
Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast
Kaʻu Scenic Byway – The Slopes of Mauna Loa
Rental car offices are at the international airports. Taxi service is also available. Island-wide bus service is provided by the "Hele-On Bus".
Airports
Two commercial airports serve Hawaiʻi Island:
Hilo International Airport (ITO)
Kona International Airport (KOA)
There is also:
Waimea-Kohala Airport (MUE)
Upolu Airport (UPP)
Seaports
Major commercial ports are Hilo on the east side and Kawaihae on the west side of the island. Cruise ships often stop at Kailua-Kona (90 times in 2017) and Hilo (108 times in 2017).
Tourism
Places of interest
Akaka Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls on the island.
Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden houses many endangered endemic plants.
East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center
Hawaiʻi Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, comprising the active volcanoes Kīlauea and Mauna Loa
Huliheʻe Palace, a royal palace in Kailua-Kona
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo
Ka Lae, the southernmost point in the United States
Laupāhoehoe Train Museum
Lyman House Memorial Museum in Hilo
Manuka State Wayside Park
Mauna Kea Observatories
Nani Mau Gardens
Onizuka Center for International Astronomy
Pacific Tsunami Museum overlooking Hilo Bay
Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo in Hilo
Pua Mau Place Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
Puʻukoho'ā Heiau National Historic Site, the site of one of the most significant heiau in Hawaii
Rainbow Falls State Park
Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens
Umauma Falls
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Botanical Gardens
Waipiʻo Valley
Wao Kele o Puna
World Botanical Gardens
Hotels on the east coast
The larger hotels on the east coast are:
Grand Naniloa Hotel, Hilo
Hilo Hawaiian Hotel
Volcano House, Kīlauea
Hotels on the west coast
The larger hotels on the west coast, from north (Puako) to south (Captain Cook):
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
The Fairmont Orchid
Hilton Waikoloa Village
Waikoloa Beach Marriott
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
Royal Kona Resort
Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay
Manago Hotel
Mauna Lani Resort by Auberge
Maps
Interactive 3D model for Chrome or Firefox
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings on the island of Hawaii
References
External links
Official Hawaii County website
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park official website
Hawaii (island) at Encyclopædia Britannica
Hawaii Tribune-Herald – official website of the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, a daily newspaper in Hilo
West Hawaii Today – official website of West Hawaii Today
Island of Hawaii from the International Space Station – NASA satellite image, taken from the International Space Station on 28 February 2015
Islands of Hawaii
Endemic Bird Areas