The State of Hawai‘i—The Aloha State

Island Nicknames 

O‘ahu—The Gathering Place

Kaua‘i—The Garden Isle

Ni‘ihau—The Forbidden Isle

Moloka‘i—The Friendly Isle

Lāna‘i—The Private Isle

Maui—The Valley Isle

Hawai‘i—The Orchid Isle

Kaho‘olawe

Facts About the State of Hawai‘i

Land Area: 6,423.4 square miles (16,636.6 sq. km).

Size Comparison: 47^th largest of the United States.

Statehood: Became 50^th state on August 21, 1959.

Latitude: Between 19º and 22º north (main Islands).

Longitude: Between 155º and 161º west (main Islands).

State Bird: Nēnē—Hawaiian goose (Branta sandvicensis).

State Tree: Kukui—Candlenut (Aleurites moluccana).

State Flower: Pua Ma‘o Hau Hele—Yellow Hibiscus (Hibiscus brackenridgei).

State Marine Mammal: Koholā—Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).

State Plant: Kalo—Taro (Colocasia esculenta).

State Team Sport: Outrigger Canoe Paddling.

State Fish: Humuhumunukunukuāpua‘a—Reef triggerfish (Rhinecanthus rectangulus).

State Song (Anthem): Hawai‘i Pono‘ī (words written by King Kalākaua [David La‘amea Kalākaua], music by Henry Berger).

State Gem: Black Coral.

OfficialStateNickname: The Aloha State.

State Motto:

Ua mau ke ea o ka ‘āina i ka pono.

The life of the land is perpetuated (preserved) in righteousness.

State of Hawai‘i Holidays

Ø New Year’s Day—January 1.

Ø Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day—January 19.

Ø Presidents’ Day—February 16.

Ø Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole Day—March 26.

Ø Good Friday—April 9.

Ø Memorial Day—May 31.

Ø King Kamehameha Day—June 11.

Ø Independence Day—July 11.

Ø Admissions Day—Third Friday in August.

Ø Labor Day—September 6.

Ø Veterans’ Day—November 1.

Ø Election Day—November 2.

Ø Thanksgiving Day—Fourth Thursday in November.

Ø Christmas Day—December 25.

State Seal:

Hawai‘i’s State Seal was created in 1959 when the Hawaiian Islands became the 50^th state. The State Seal was designed after the Territorial Seal, which was designed by Viggo Jacobsen in 1895 for the Republic of Hawai‘i.

The State Seal is circular in shape, with the words “State of Hawai‘i” on the top of the Seal, and Hawai‘i’s State Motto (see above) written on the bottom.

In the middle of the State Seal is a heraldic shield, which is also the state’s Coat of Arms. Kapu sticks are on the lower left and upper right of the shield, and horizontal stripes are at the lower right and upper left of the shield.

Above the shield is the sun, and “1959,” commemorating statehood. King Kamehameha I is to the left of the shield, while the Goddess of Liberty (holding the state flag) is on the right side of the shield.

A phoenix with leaves of kalo (Colocasia esculenta, taro), mai‘a (Musa species, banana), and ‘iwa‘iwa (Adiantaceae, maidenhair fern) are at the bottom of the State Seal.

[Photograph: State Seal]

Ocean Channels Between the Hawaiian Islands

 

Kaulakahi Channel

Kaulakahi means “The single flame (streak of color”[i])

Location: Between Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau

Ka‘ie‘iewaho Channel

Ka‘ie‘iewaho means “Outer Ka‘ie‘ie”[ii]

Named after the ‘ie‘ie vine (Freycinetia arborea))

Location: Between Kaua‘i and O‘ahu

The Ka‘ie‘iewaho is also called the Kaua‘i Channel.

Kaiwi Channel

Kaiwi means “The bone”[iii]

Location: Between Moloka‘i and O‘ahu

Kalohi Channel

Kalohi means “The slowness”[iv]

Location: Between Lāna‘i and Moloka‘i

Pailolo Channel

Pailolo means “Pai (lift), oloolo (shifting)”[v]

Location: Between Maui and Moloka‘i

‘Au‘au Channel

‘Au‘au means “Bathe”[vi]

Location: Between Lāna‘i and Maui

Kealaikahiki Channel

Kealaikahiki means “The way to foreign lands”[vii]

Location: Between Kaho‘olawe and Lāna‘i

‘Alalākeiki Channel

‘Alalākeiki means “Child’s wail (believed heard here)”[viii]

Location: Between Maui and Kaho‘olawe

‘Alenuihāhā Channel

‘Alenuihāhā means “Great billows smashing”[ix]

Location: Between Maui and Hawai‘i Island

Na kai ‘ewalu.

The eight seas.

The “seas” that divide the eight inhabited islands.[x]

Distances:

Hawai‘i Island to Midway Atoll: 1,580 miles (2,543 km).

Hawai‘i Island to Kaua‘i: More than 400 miles (644 km).

Honolulu to Equator: 1,470 miles (2,366 km).

Honolulu to Tokyo, Japan: 3,847 miles (6,191 km).

Honolulu to Los Angeles, California: 2,557 miles (4,115 km).

Honolulu to Anchorage Alaska: 2,781 miles (4,476 km).

Honolulu to Midway Atoll: 1,309 miles (2,107 km).

[Illustration: Map of eight main Hawaiian Islands, each island boldly labeled.]

[Text underneath: The State of Hawai‘i. Text on each island: Kaua‘i, Ni‘ihau, O‘ahu, Maui, Lāna‘i, Kaho‘olawe, Moloka‘i, and Hawai‘i.]

O‘ahu—The Gathering Place

Land Area: 596.7 square miles (1,545 sq.km.).

Size Comparison: Third largest Hawaiian Island; most populated island.

Island Emblem: Pua ‘Ilima—Flower of ‘Ilima (Sida fallax).

Highest Elevation: 4,003 feet (1,220 m) at the summit of Ka‘ala in the Wai‘anae Range.

Official Nickname: The Gathering Place.

O‘ahu is about 44 miles (71 km) long by 30 miles (48 km) wide, with more than 112 miles (180 km) of coastline and more than 100 white-sand beaches.

Popular surfing sites are found on all sides of O‘ahu, including the north shore’s renowned Banzai Pipeline where the world’s best surfers challenge the giant winter waves.

O‘ahu has more than 900,000 residents, and each day the island hosts an average of nearly 70,000 tourists. Hotel rooms and other vacation accommodations number more than 36,000 rooms.

[Photograph: Waikīkī]

The prominent geographical features of O‘ahu are two parallel mountain ranges: the older Wai‘anae Mountains and the deep-furrowed Ko‘olau Mountains. Formed by volcanic eruptions more than one million years ago, the two mountain ranges are aligned perpendicular to the northeast tradewinds, creating a wet windward side of O‘ahu (the eastern side) and a much drier leeward side.

The majestic Ko‘olau Mountains run north to south for the entire span of the island of O‘ahu. Between the two major mountain ranges is the fertile Leilehua Plateau, long known for its pineapple production.

[Photograph: Ko‘olau Mountains at Waimanalo (steep furrows)]

O‘ahu has three prominent geologic landmarks known as tuff cones: Koko Head (Kohelepelepe), Punchbowl (Pūowaina), and Diamond Head (Lē‘ahi). These volcanic cones provide visual reminders of the island’s volcanic past. O‘ahu has 62 county parks as well as 25 state parks and three national parks.

[Photograph/Map: O‘ahu]

Kaua‘i—The Garden Isle

Land Area: 552.3 square miles (1,430 sq.km.).

Size Comparison: Fourth largest Hawaiian Island.

Island Emblem: Mokihana—Fruit of Mokihana (Pelea anisata).

Highest Elevation: 5,243 feet (1,598 m) at the summit of Mt. Kawaikini.

Official Nickname: The Garden Isle.

Kaua‘i is the oldest of the eight main Hawaiian Islands, having formed about five million years ago. The age of the island accounts for its many stunning features, from the deeply carved valleys of Waimea Canyon to the steep cliffs and spires of the Nāpali Coast.

Kaua‘i is about 33 miles (53 km) long and 25 miles (40 km) wide, with about 90 miles (145 km) of coastline. Kaua‘i is known for its scenic, rugged mountains as well as its pristine, white-sand beaches, with the most beach per mile of coastline of any of the eight main Hawaiian Islands

Kaua‘i is also known for resisting the rule of King Kamehameha I long after he conquered the other Hawaiian Islands. In 1810, Kaua‘i’s paramount ruler, King Kaumuali‘i, ceded the island of Kaua‘i to King Kamehameha to avoid impending war against Kamehameha’s powerful army. King Kamehameha had twice earlier attempted to invade Kaua‘i, but was not successful.

Today Kaua‘i has a resident population of about 62,000 people. The island’s major industry is tourism, but military spending and agricultural enterprises also bring significant income. Kaua‘i’s main agricultural products are sugarcane, coffee, papaya, pineapple, guava, and tropical flowers.

The 5,148-foot summit of Kaua‘i’s Mt. Wai‘ale‘ale is one of the rainiest spots on the planet, recording 681 inches in 1982, with an average annual rainfall of 451 inches, the highest in the world. This annual average rainfall exceeds even India’s Cherrapunji Village, which received 905 inches of rainfall in 1861, but has an average annual rainfall of just 428 inches.

Scientists think Wai‘ale‘ale’s actual rainfall may be even more than 451 inches because researchers have seen the high winds at the summit blow the rain nearly horizontally over the gauges. Automated gauges atop Wai‘ale‘ale now relay weather information via satellite.

[Photograph/Map: Kaua‘i]

Ni‘ihau—The Forbidden Isle

Land Area: 69.5 square miles (180 sq.km.).

Size Comparison: Seventh largest Hawaiian Island.

Island Emblem: Pūpū Ni‘ihau—Ni‘ihau Shell

Kahelelani (Leptothyra verruca); Momi (Euplica varians); Laiki (Mitrella margarita).

Highest Elevation: 1,281 feet, at summit of Pānī‘au.

Official Nickname: The Forbidden Isle.

Also called: Island of Yesteryear (Yesterday).

[Illustration: Map—Ni‘ihau]

A single volcano formed Ni‘ihau about 4.9 million years ago. Ni‘ihau is about 6 miles (9.7 km) wide and 18 miles (29 km) long, making it the smallest inhabited Hawaiian Island.

Ni‘ihau is just over 17 miles (27 km) from the west side of Kaua‘i, across the ocean channel called Kaulakahi, which means “The single flame (streak of color).”[xi] Ni‘ihau is relatively dry because it is in Kaua‘i’s rain shadow.

The main town on Ni‘ihau is Pu‘uwai (“Heart”[xii]), and Ni‘ihau’s 860-acre (348 ha) Hālali‘i Lake is the largest lake in all of the Hawaiian Islands. In pre-contact times, Ni‘ihau was known for the mats made there from the native makaloa (Cyperus laevigatus). These mats were considered the finest sleeping mats in all of ancient Polynesia.

Ni‘ihau was also famous in ancient days for the fine quality of the uhi (Dioscorea alata, yams) that grew there. These yams were grated and used for medicinal preparations, and also were considered “slippery and tenacious,” as noted in the ancient proverb, “Ni‘ihau i ka uhi pahe‘e,” (“Ni‘ihau of the slippery yam.”)[xiii]

The Robinson family owns the island of Ni‘ihau, which is not open to tourism. The Robinsons are descendants of Eliza (McHutcheson) Sinclair, who purchased the island of Ni‘ihau from King Kamehameha V (Lot Kapuāiwa Kamehameha) in 1864 for $10,000 worth of gold.

Largely isolated from the rest of the Hawaiian Islands, Ni‘ihau is considered by some to be the last bastion of pure Hawaiians speaking the Hawaiian language. Ni‘ihau has no airport, nor does it have an Island-wide electricity or phone system.

[Photograph/Map: Ni‘ihau]

Moloka‘i—The Friendly Isle

Land Area: 260 square miles (673 sq.km.).

Size Comparison: Fifth largest Hawaiian Island.

Island Emblem: Pua Kukui—Flower of Kukui (Aleurites moluccana, candlenut).

Highest Elevation: 4,970 feet (1,515 km) at the summit of Kamakou.

Official Nickname: The Friendly Isle.

Moloka‘i is located about 9 miles (14.5 km) northwest of Maui, 9 miles (14. 5 km) north of Lāna‘i, and 22 miles (35 km) southeast from Honolulu across the Kaiwi Channel. Moloka‘i is about 38 miles (61 km) long by 10 miles (16 km) wide, and somewhat rectangular in shape.

Moloka‘i has no fast food chains, high-rise buildings, shopping centers, movie theaters, or traffic signals. The main town, and perhaps Moloka‘i’s only true “town,” is Kaunakakai on the island’s southern coast.

The island of Moloka‘i has the highest percentage of native Hawaiians of any of the Hawaiian Islands except Ni‘ihau. Much of Moloka‘i’s relatively small population (less than 8,000 total) still clings largely to a subsistence lifestyle of farming, fishing, hunting, and gathering.

Moloka‘i was formed by Kauhakō and Kamakou Volcanoes, which originally created two separate islands but were later joined when lava flows formed the Ho‘olehua Plains.

After the main part of Moloka‘i had been formed, Kauhakō Crater erupted offshore, creating the peninsula of Kalaupapa on the island’s northern side, and thus Kauhakō Crater became part of the island of Moloka‘i. The crater rises to 400 feet above sea level, and is the highest point on the Kalaupapa peninsula.

Moloka‘i has vast amphitheater valleys and spectacular coral reefs. The sea cliffs along Moloka‘i’s northern shore have an average steepness of more than 55 degrees and rise to more than 3,300 feet, making them among the highest sea cliffs in the world.

The waterfall called Kahiwa (“The chosen one”[xiv]) cascades 1,750 feet down the cliffs over a horizontal distance of 1,000 feet (305 m), and is one of the highest waterfalls in the Hawaiian Islands.

The western half of Moloka‘i is generally the drier side, and is dominated by the shield-shaped dome of Mauna Loa, which has two peaks, including 1,381-foot-tall Pu‘unānā, the highest point on west Moloka‘i.

Located on the northwest coast are the dunes of Mo‘omomi, a unique Hawaiian habitat supporting many endangered plant species. Numerous archaeological sites are also located in the area.

In ancient times, Mauna Loa was the site of adze quarries, where pōhaku pa‘a (basaltic rocks) were chipped into ko‘i (stone adzes) that had many important uses.

Mauna Loa was also the site of he‘e hōlua (hōlua sledding), which involved using specially constructed papa hōlua (wooden sleds) to slide down a hillside or a ramp slide constructed of stone.

[Photograph/Map: Moloka‘i]

Lāna‘i—The Private Isle

Land Area: 140.5 square miles (364 sq.km.).

Size Comparison: Sixth largest Hawaiian Island; smallest inhabited island.

Island Emblem: Kauna‘oa—Native Dodder (Cuscuta sandwichiana).

Highest Elevation: 3,370 feet, at the summit of Lāna‘ihale.

Official Nickname: The Private Isle.

Also called: The Pineapple Island, The Secluded Island.

Lāna‘i is about 17½ miles (28 km) long by 13 miles (21 km) wide. The island is somewhat teardrop-shaped, with about 47 miles (76 km) of coastline. Lāna‘i is about nine miles west of Maui (across the ‘Au‘au Channel), and 9 miles (14.5 km) south of Moloka‘i.

Lāna‘i’s Pālāwai Basin is the alluvium-filled crater of the single volcano that formed the island. The volcano last erupted about 1.3 million years ago. During the last century many pineapples were grown in the fertile Pālāwai Basin.

There are not many paved roads on Lāna‘i, and much of the island is accessible only by four-wheel-drive vehicles. On a clear day one may see five of the Hawaiian Islands from atop Lāna‘ihale (“House [of] Lāna‘i”[xv]), the highest point on Lāna‘i. The 3,370-foot (1,027-km) summit of Lāna‘ihale is about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Lāna‘i City.

The peak of Lāna‘ihale is the highest point of the ridge that runs from southeast to northwest across the island. This ridge is a significant geographical feature affecting Lāna‘i’s climate, which is relatively dry because the West Maui Mountains block the northeast tradewinds.

[Photograph/Map: Lāna‘i]

Maui—The Valley Isle

Land Area: 727.2 square miles (1,883 sq.km.).

Size Comparison: Second largest Hawaiian Island.

Island Emblem: Pua Lokelani—Damask Rose (Rosa species).

Highest Elevation: 10,023 feet (312 m) at the summit of Haleakalā.

Official Nickname: The Valley Isle.

Maui has a resident population of about 140,000, and is about 48 miles (77 km) long by 26 miles (42 km) wide and ringed with beautiful beaches, quiet coves, and hidden waterfalls.

During the November to May whale-watching season, Maui is one of the best Hawaiian Islands to view breaching humpback whales. A well-known local saying, “Maui nō ka ‘oi,” translates to “Maui excels”[xvi] or “Maui is indeed the best.”[xvii]

Maui was formed by two separate volcanoes, which today are bridged by an isthmus of land that connects the two parts of the island. The West Maui Mountains rise to 5,788 feet at Pu‘u Kukui (“Candlenut Hill”[xviii]), and are older and more sculpted by erosion than the younger East Maui Mountains. The broad, sloping hills of the East Maui Mountains rise up to the 10,023-foot summit of Haleakalā Volcano, a site of ancient Hawaiian astronomy.

Throughout the 1900s, Maui’s economy was centered on agriculture, especially sugar and pineapple. In the 1970s, resort development and tourism became the economy’s driving force.

The championship golf courses and beachfront resort hotels of western Maui’s Kā‘anapali and Kapalua are now world-renowned, as is the bustling town of Lahaina. Other parts of the island remain remote and undeveloped, bathed in waterfalls and rainbows and steeped in Maui’s rich cultural history.

[Photograph/Map: Maui]

Hawai‘i—The Orchid Isle

Land Area: 4,028 square miles (10,432 sq.km.).

Size Comparison: Hawai‘i Island is the largest Hawaiian Island.

Island Emblem: Pua Lehua—Red Blossom of ‘Ōhi‘a Lehua (Metrosideros species).

Highest Elevation: 13,796 feet at the summit of Mauna Kea.

Official Nickname: The Orchid Isle.

Also called: The Big Island.

Hawai‘i Island is the youngest Hawaiian Island, at less than one-half million years old, and also the largest Hawaiian Island. Hawai‘i Island is more than twice as big as the rest of the Hawaiian Islands combined, and more than four times as big as Maui (the second largest Hawaiian Island).

Hawai‘i Island is about 93 miles (150 km) long by 76 miles (122 km) wide, and still growing due to the active lava eruptions coming from Kīlauea Volcano. Hawai‘i Island supports a great diversity of native ecosystems, from HawHsnow-covered peaks to lava deserts and lush rainforests.

Near the coast lava crackles and hisses as it flows into the sea. Snow tops the 13,796-foot (4,205-m) summit of Mauna Kea volcano, the highest spot in the Hawaiian Islands and all the Pacific Basin.

Six separate volcanoes formed Hawai‘i Island, and five of the volcanoes are above sea level: Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Kohala, Hualālai and Kīlauea Volcanoes. The sixth volcano, Mahukona, is submerged off the island’s northwest shore.

Kīlauea Volcano is currently the most continuously active volcano on Earth, having covered more than 500 square miles (1,295 sq.km.) with lava in the last 1,100 years. Kīlauea has erupted almost non-stop since 1983, covering more than 38 square miles (98 sq.km.) of Hawai‘i Island with lava.

This activity continues as the flank of Kīlauea Volcano erupts lava near Hawai‘i Island’s southeast coast and pours molten earth into the sea, adding to the island’s size and creating new material for black sand beaches.

Agricultural products of Hawai‘i Island include macadamia nuts, Kona coffee, and papayas as well as diversified products (e.g., mushrooms, lettuce) that supply the island’s fine restaurants. A large quantity of tropical flowers, such as anthuriums and orchids, are also grown. Another major export is beef.

Hawai‘i Island’s two main airports are Kona International Airport and Hilo International Airport. The smaller Waimea Kohala Airport is used by private charters and commuter flights.

Hilo is the county seat, with a population of about 163,000. Hawai‘i Island has about 266 miles (428 km) of coastline. Driving around the island’s circumference can be accomplished in about 222 miles (357 km).

[Photograph/Map: Hawai‘i Island]

Ku ka‘apā ia Hawai‘i, he moku nui.

It is well for Hawai‘i to show activity; it is the largest of the islands.

Hawai‘i should lead forth for she is the largest.”[xix]

Kaho‘olawe

Land Area: 44.6 square miles (116 sq.km.).

Island Emblem: Hinahina (Heliotropium anomalum var. argenteum)

Highest Elevation: 1,483 feet at the summit of Pu‘u Moa‘ulanui.

Size Comparison: Eighth largest Hawaiian Island.

Kaho‘olawe is about 11 miles (18 km) long and 6 miles (10 km) wide, and located less than 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Maui. A relatively dry island, Kaho‘olawe is largely blocked from heavy rains by Maui’s Haleakalā Volcano.

According to Hawaiian tradition, Kaho‘olawe is the sacred home of the god Kanaloa. Ancient chants have revealed that a site at the 1,444-foot elevation on a Kaho‘olawe mountain called Moa‘ulaiki was a place where Polynesian ocean navigators were trained in the arts of celestial navigation, using stars to guide them over the vast Pacific Ocean.

Kaho‘olawe is also the site of many ancient heiau (sacred places of worship). Hakioawa (“Breaking of [the] harbor”[xx]) in north Kaho‘olawe is said to be where ‘Ai‘ai, the fish demigod, erected a kū‘ula (altar) on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

The temple at Hakioawa is thought to have been built before A.D. 1600. On the Kaho‘olawe volcano called Lua Makika is a large stone quarry used in ancient times.

More than 2,500 historical and archaeological sites have been identified on Kaho‘olawe. Many of Kaho‘olawe’s native sites were destroyed when the military used the island for bombing practice.

Kaho‘olawe’s native ecosystems have also suffered a long history of abuse including introduced goats and cattle ranching degrading the natural habitat.

In 1981, Kaho‘olawe was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The island has also been designated as a cultural reserve by the State of Hawai‘i. (See Kaho‘olawe, Chapter 2.)

[Photograph/Map: Kaho‘olawe; Moa‘ulaiki]

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands 

Combined Land Area: 3.108 square miles (8 sq.km.), not including Midway Islands (not part of state).

Size Comparison: One-tenth of one percent of the State of Hawai‘i’s land area.

Also called: The Leeward Islands; The Kupuna Islands.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands constitute .1% (one-tenth of one percent) of the State of Hawai‘i’s land area. The eight main Hawaiian Islands comprise the other 99.9% of the total land area of the State of Hawai‘i.

The 124 scattered islets, shoals, and atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are located to the west-northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands, extending as far as Kure Atoll about 1,264 miles (2,034 km) from Kaua‘i.

Most of the tiny islets barely rise above the water’s surface. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands contain about 70% of the United States’ coral reefs and support at least 7,000 native species, and about half of these species are endemic (unique) to the Hawaiian Islands.

The species include fish, birds, marine mammals and other flora and fauna.

[Photograph/Map: Northwestern Hawaiian Islands]

Origins of the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain

Each of the Hawaiian Islands was born on the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean at the site of the Hawaiian magmatic hot spot, a stationary plume of magma (molten lava) rising up from deep in the Earth and erupting onto the seafloor to form volcanic islands.

During the last 80 million years, the Hawaiian hot spot has created at least 107 volcanoes that now span over the Pacific seafloor for more than 3,100 miles (5,000 km) to form the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain, with the Hawaiian Islands at the southwest end.

The Hawaiian Islands are continually carried northwest by the movement of Earth’s crust. The southeast portion of Hawai‘i Island (the most recently formed island at less than one-half million years old), is currently above one edge of the erupting hot spot plume of lava.

The other edge of the magmatic hot spot is about 18 miles (29 km) off the southeast coast of Hawai‘i Island, where the newest undersea volcano is forming.

This newest volcano, called Lō‘ihi Seamount, is about 3,116 feet below the ocean’s surface and rises up more than 9,000 feet (2,743 km) from the seafloor. The erupting summit of Lō‘ihi should rise above the water about 50,000 to 200,000 years from now to become the next Hawaiian Island.

From 1983 to the present, Kīlauea Volcano on Hawai‘i Island has erupted almost continuously, increasing the island’s size by more than 370 acres (150 ha). In 1984, Kīlauea Volcano erupted fiery fountains of lava to heights of more than 1,500 feet (457 m).

[Photograph: Erupting lava]

The Hawaiian Archipelago

The Hawaiian archipelago includes the eight main islands as well as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, extending in a line from southeast to northwest for about 1,523 miles (2,451 km).

Slicing through the Tropic of Cancer, the Hawaiian Islands extend from Hawai‘i Island at about 19º north latitude, to Kure Island at 28.5º north latitude, and from 154º to 179º west longitude.

[Photograph: Cliffs and spires of Nāpali Coast]

[Illustration: Overview map of eight main Hawaiian Islands.]

Ages of the Islands

Island Age (in millions of years)[xxi]

Kaua‘i 5.1

Ni‘ihau 4.9

O‘ahu 2.6-3.7

Maui 1.32-.75

Lāna‘i 1.28

Kaho‘olawe 1.03

Moloka‘i 1.76-1.9

Hawai‘i .4-.43