Kauai

Related Topics:
Kauai

Kaua‘i (usually called Kauai outside the Hawaiian Islands, pronounced kawa-ee) is the oldest and fourth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands, having an area of 1,430.43 km² (552.29 sq mi). Known also as the "Garden Isle", Kaua‘i lies 105 miles (170 kilometers) across the Kaua‘i Channel, northwest of O‘ahu. Of volcanic origin, the highest peak on this mountainous island is Kawaikini at 1,598 m (5,243 ft). The second highest peak is Mount Wai‘ale‘ale near the center of the island, 1,570 m (5,148 ft) above sea level. One of the wettest spots on Earth, with an annual average rainfall of 460 inches (11,700 millimeters), is located on the east side of Mount Wai‘ale‘ale. The high annual rainfall has eroded deep valleys in the central mountain, carving out canyons with many scenic waterfalls.

There is no known meaning behind the name of Kaua‘i. Native Hawaiian tradition indicates the name's origin in the legend of Hawai‘iloa — the Polynesian navigator attributed with discovery of the Hawaiian Islands. The story relates how he named the island of Kaua‘i after a favorite son; therefore a possible translation of Kaua‘i is "place around the neck", meaning how a father would carry a favorite child.

The United States Census Bureau defines Kauai as Census Tracts 401 through 409 of Kauai County, Hawaii, which is all of the county except for the islands of Kaula, Lehua, and Niihau. The 2000 census population of Kauai (the island) was 58,303. Census Tracts 401 through 409, Kauai County United States Census Bureau

History

During the reign of King Kamehameha, the islands of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau were the last Hawaiian Islands to join his Kingdom of Hawai‘i. Their ruler, Kaumuali‘i, resisted Kamehameha for years. King Kamehameha twice prepared a huge armada of ships and canoes to take the islands by force and twice failed, once due to a storm, once due to an epidemic. In the face of the threat of a further invasion; however, Kaumuali‘i decided to join the kingdom without bloodshed, and became Kamehameha's vassal in 1810, ceding the island to the kingdom of Hawai‘i upon his death.

The city of Līhu‘e, on the island's southeast coast, is the seat of Kaua‘i County and the largest city on the island. Waimea, on the island's southwest side and once the capital of Kaua‘i, was the first place in Hawai‘i visited by explorer Captain James Cook in 1778. Waimea town is located at the mouth of the Waimea River, whose flow formed one of the most scenic canyons in the world: 3000 ft (900 m) deep Waimea Canyon.

The island of Kaua‘i was featured in Disney's 2002 animated feature film Lilo & Stitch. Waimea Canyon was used in the filming of the 1993 film Jurassic Park.

Kaua‘i is home to the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility.

Kaua‘i was known for its distinct dialect of the Hawaiian language before it went extinct there. Whereas the standard language today is based on the dialect of Hawai‘i island (also extinct), the Kaua‘i dialect was known for pronouncing /k/ as /t/. Therefore, the native name for Kaua‘i was Taua‘i, and the major settlement of Kapa‘a would have been called Tapa‘a.

Important towns and cities

Places of interest

External links

Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce - Essential business information
Hawaii State Vacation Planner
Waterfalls on Kaua‘i
Kaua‘i Beaches
Google Map

Notes

References

Edward Joestring. Kaua‘i, the Separate Kingdom. University of Hawai‘i Press and Kaua‘i Museum Association. Honolulu. 1984. ISBN 0824811623

Islands of Hawaii | Volcanoes of Hawaii