what is considered the big island in hawaii
However, it only has 13% of Hawaii's people. The island of Hawaii is the third largest island in Polynesia, behind the two main islands of New Zealand. The island is often referred to as the Island of HawaiÊ»i, the Big Island, or HawaiÊ»i Island to distinguish between the island and the state. Administratively, the whole island is encompassed by HawaiÊ»i County. As of the 2010 Census the population was 185,079. The county seat and largest city is Hilo.
The state of Hawaii consists of eight main islands: Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island of Hawaii. Hawaii is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth. Hawaii is 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines.