The official name of the island isIsland of Hawaiʻi (often shortened toHawaiʻi Island) to distinguish it from the state.[3] It is also referred to asThe Big Island, due to its size relative to the other islands. InHawaiian, the island is sometimes calledMoku o Keawe. The wordkeawe has several meanings. One definition, "southern cross", is said to be the name of an ancient chief.[4] Another definition is "the bearer".[5]
Hawaiʻi is allegedly named afterHawaiʻiloa, a legendaryPolynesian navigator who is said to have discovered the island. Other accounts attribute the name to the legendary realm ofHawaiki, a place from which some Polynesians are said to have originated, the place where they transition to in the afterlife, or the realm of the gods and goddesses. The indigenous Hawaiian name of the island was originally rendered and published as "Owyhee" or "Owhyhee".
It is uncertain when Hawaiʻi was first discovered by humans. Early archaeological studies suggested that Polynesian explorers from theMarquesas Islands orSociety Islands may have arrived in the Hawaiian islands as early as the 3rd century AD,[8] possibly with a second wave arriving from Tahiti around 1100.[9] However, more recent analyses suggest that the first settlers arrived around 900–1200 AD.[10]
Oral tradition holds one of the most famousaliʻinui of Hawaiʻi to beʻUmi-a-Līloa, who united the island by force.[11] He was the illegitimate son ofLīloa, aliʻinui of Hawaiʻi who ruled fromWaipiʻo Valley in theHāmākua district. When Līloa died, the island passed to ʻUmi's half-brother Hakau. However, ʻUmi attacked and killed Hakau along with thealiʻi (nobles) who served him, winning control of Hāmākua. He then proceeded to conquer the rebelling districts ofHilo,Puna,Kaʻū, andKona. He placed the seat of his new government inKailua in the Kona district.[12]
In 1779,Captain James Cook made his second voyage to the Hawaiian islands, anchoring inKealakekua Bay on the island of Hawaiʻi. He spent several weeks there, meeting and trading with locals and readying his ships for a planned trip to the Arctic. The Hawaiians received him hospitably, considering him to be an incarnation of the godLono. Early in 1780, Cook departed. However, his ships were damaged in a storm immediately after setting sail, and he was forced to return to Kealakekua after only a week at sea. During this second anchoring, an altercation between the Europeans and the Hawaiians turned violent, resulting in the death of multiple people on both sides, including Cook himself. Peaceful relations were eventually restored with the crew of his ships, who departed for good later that month.[13]: 15–20
In 1780, the island of Hawaiʻi was controlled by thealiʻinuiKalaniʻōpuʻu, a descendant of ʻUmi-a-Līloa. On his death in 1782, he designated his sonKīwalaʻō as his heir. However, a feud between Kīwalaʻō and Kalaniʻōpuʻu's nephewPaiʻea Kamehameha soon escalated into a civil war. Kīwalaʻō was killed in theBattle of Mokuʻōhai later that same year, leaving control of the island divided between Kamehameha in the west, Kīwalaʻō's uncle and advisorKeawemaʻuhili in the northeast, and Kīwalaʻō's half-brotherKeōua Kūʻahuʻula in the south. The three chiefs, aided by Western ships and weapons, fought to a standstill for eight years until 1790, when Keōua defeated and killed Keawemaʻuhili. In 1791 Kamehameha's men killed Keōua at a diplomatic meeting, leaving control of Hawaiʻi to Kamehameha.[13]: 32–38
In 1822, missionaryWilliam Ellis arrived and was one of a party that completed a tour of the island, descriptions of which were later published in his journal.[15]
In July, 1898, Hawaiʻi and all the Hawaiian islands were annexed by the United States, becoming theTerritory of Hawaii. In 1905, the passage of the County Act established theCounty of Hawaiʻi, providing the island with local government for the first time since 1810.[16]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,086 square miles (13,170 km2), of which 4,028 sq mi (10,430 km2) is land and 1,058 sq mi (2,740 km2) (20.8%) is water.[17] 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.Delaware'sSussex County comes in second at 48.0 percent, whileRhode Island'sProvidence County is third at 39.6 percent.
At its greatest dimension, the island is 93 miles (150 km) across. Measured from its sea floor base to its highest peak,Mauna Kea at 10,000 metres (33,000 ft) is the world's tallest mountain, taller than evenMount Everest, since the base of Mount Everest is above sea level.[18]
The most southern point of Hawaiʻi,Ka Lae, is thesouthernmost point of the United States. The nearest landfall to the south is theLine Islands. To the northwest of the island of Hawaiʻi is the island ofMaui, whoseHaleakalā volcano is visible from Hawaiʻi Island across theʻAlenuihāhā Channel.
A view of the Kohala Coast and adjacent volcanoes, taken from the slopes ofKohala, about 6 miles (10 km) northwest ofKawaihae. From left to right:Mauna Kea,Mauna Loa, andHualālai.
The five shield volcanoesSteam plume asKīlauea's red lava enters the ocean. Three Waikupanaha and one Ki lava ocean entries.
The island of Hawaiʻi is built from five separateshield volcanoes that erupted somewhat sequentially, one overlapping the other. These are (from oldest to youngest):[19]
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 Nīnole and Kulani) were all but buried by the younger Mauna Loa.[20] Geologists now consider these "outcrops" to be part of Mauna Loa.
Based ongeochemical (includingtrace elements) andisotope differences in their eruptive products, Hawaiian volcanoes fall into two families. The differences are believed due to their separate magma systems. Hualālai and Mauna Loa are members of one family, while Kohala, Mauna Kea, and Kilauea are members of the other.[21]
Because Mauna Loa and Kīlauea are active volcanoes, the island is growing. Between January 1983 and September 2002,lava flows added 543 acres (220 ha) to the island. Lava flowing from Kīlauea destroyed several towns, includingKapoho in 1960 and again in 2018, andKalapana andKaimū in 1990. In 1987 lava filled in "Queen's Bath", a large, L-shaped, freshwater pool in the Kalapana area.[22] Another 875 acres were added between May and July 2018 by the2018 lower Puna eruption, with "Fissure 8" located withinLeilani Estates subdivision being a primary source of the lava.[23][24]Green Lake, the largest freshwater lake on the island, was covered by lava in that eruption as well as Ahalanui Beach Park and part ofIsaac Hale Beach Park, the latter of which was inundated withblack sand, rendering itsboatramp unusable. Mauna Loa erupted briefly in 2022, 38 years after the prior activity.[25]
Some geologists also count twoundersea volcanoes in the base of the island.[26]Māhukona off the northwest corner of the island has eroded below the ocean surface.[27]Kamaʻehuakanaloa (formerly Lōʻihi) is under water 22 miles (35 km) southeast of Hawaiʻi. It is an erupting seamount that has grown to reach 3,200 feet (980 m) below the ocean surface, and it is forecast to break the surface in 10,000 to 100,000 years.[28]
The volcano Kilaueak, has had its 38th eruption on December 8th 2025. It began Saturday morning and sent lava shooting at least 1,000 feet into the air, according to the USGS. At one point, a "rare" triple fountain occurred: three lava fountains spewed from vents in the north and south cones. During these events, the USGS put a code orange in place, which indicates that an eruption is either likely or occurring, but with no, or minor, ash. There was also a warning of tephra, or hot glassy volcanic fragments, as well as pumice, scoria and reticulite, which can fall on the ground within one to three miles of the eruptive vents.[29]
The Great Crack is an eight-mile-long (13,000 m), 60-foot-wide (18 m) and 60-foot-deep (18 m) fissure in the island, in the district ofKaʻū. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Great Crack is the result of crustal dilation frommagmatic intrusions into the southwest rift zone ofKīlauea.[30] While neither theearthquake of 1868 nor that of 1975 caused a measurable change in the Great Crack, lava welled out of its lower 6 miles (10 km) in 1823.[30]
Trails, rock walls, and archaeological sites from as old as the 12th century exist near the Great Crack. In August 2018, theNational Park Service purchased nearly 2,000 acres (810 ha) of private land adjacent toHawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, claiming that the area had important geological features to be studied and preserved.[31]
TheHilina Slump is a 4,760-cubic-mile (19,800 km3) section of the south slope of Kīlauea that is moving away from the island. Between 1990 and 1993,Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements showed a southward displacement of about 4 inches (10 cm) per year.[32] Undersea measurements show a "bench" that has formed a buttress and that this buttress may tend to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic detachment.[33][34]
On 2 April 1868,an earthquake with a magnitude estimated between 7.25 and 7.9 rocked the southeast coast of Hawaiʻi. This was the most destructive earthquake in the Hawaiʻi's recorded history.[35] It triggered alandslide onMauna Loa, 5 miles (8 km) north ofPāhala, killing 31 people. Atsunami claimed 46 more lives. The villages ofPunaluʻu,Nīnole, Kāwāʻa,Honuʻapo, andKeauhou were severely damaged. The tsunami reportedly rolled over the tops of the coconut trees up to 60 feet (18 m) high, and it reached inland a distance of a quarter of a mile (400 meters) in some places.[36]
On 29 November 1975, a 37-mile-wide (60 km) section of the Hilina Slump dropped 11.5 feet (3.5 m) and slid 26 feet (7.9 m) toward the ocean. This movement caused a 7.2 magnitude earthquake and a 48-foot-high (15 m) tsunami. Oceanfront property was washed off its foundations in Punaluʻu. Two deaths were reported at Halape, and 19 other people were injured.[37]
The island suffered damage from a tsunami caused by earthquakes inAlaska on 1 April 1946, and inChile on 23 May 1960. DowntownHilo was damaged by both tsunamis, with many lives lost. Just north of Hilo,Laupāhoehoe lost 16 schoolchildren and five teachers in the tsunami of 1946.[38]
In March 2011, a9.0 magnitude earthquake off the east coast of Japan again created a tsunami that caused minor damage in Hawaiʻi. The estimated damage to public buildings was about US$3 million.[39] In theKona area this tsunami washed a house intoKealakekua Bay, destroyed a yacht club and tour boat offices inKeauhou Bay, caused extensive damage inKailua-Kona, flooded the ground floor of the King Kamehameha Hotel,[40] and temporarily closed the Kona Village Resort.[41]
In early May 2018,hundreds of small earthquakes were detected on Kīlauea's EastRift 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 ofLeilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions.[42][43] A seemingly related 5.3 magnitude quake and a subsequent6.9 magnitude earthquake occurred on 4 May.[44][45]
Mobile atmospheric volcanic fog (vog) measuring station in Hawaiʻi
Vog (volcanic fog) can envelop the island of Hawaiʻi when Kīlauea is active. Since the termination of volcanic activity in September 2018, vog has largely disappeared on the west side of the island.[46] The gas plumes created a blanket of vog that thetrade winds mostly deflect toward the Kona coast. Vog can damage the health of plants, humans, and other animals. Most of theaerosols are acidic and of a size where they can remain in the lungs to damage them. Flu-like symptoms and general lethargy are reported, and are especially pronounced in people with respiratory conditions.[47][48][49][50]
Sugarcane was the backbone of the island economy for more than a century. In the mid-20th century,sugarcane plantations began to downsize, and in 1995 the island's last plantation closed.[51]
Most of the island's economy depends ontourism, centered primarily in resort areas on the western coast of the island in the NorthKona and SouthKohala districts.Sustainable tourism is increasing.[52]
The island is known forastronomy, with numeroustelescopes positioned on the summit ofMauna Kea at theMauna Kea Observatories, where atmospheric clarity is excellent and littlelight pollution intrudes.[54] Astronomy has become somewhat controversial, given accusations of mismanagement by the observatory manager, theUniversity of Hawaiʻi. The proposed addition of theThirty Meter Telescope (TMT) generated protests that stalled the project and led to the transfer of management responsibility to a Governor-appointed body.[55]
NELHA (Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority), a 675-acre (273 ha) state developed site, is a green economic developmentocean 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 andculturally sensitive manner. Business tenants on this coastal site includemicroalgae farms,aquaculture,solar technology and marinebiotech. Tenants have access to three sets of pipelines delivering deep-sea water from a depth of up to 3,000 feet (910 m), as well as pristine sea surface water and almost constant sunshine. A 2012 study by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization reported that the total economic impact of activities at NELHA was $87.7 million and created 583 jobs.[56]
Other smaller freight only railroads also operated on the island, primarily for the transport ofsugarcane and other crops. Some of these includeWaiākea Plantation Railroad (inHilo), Honokaʻa Plantation Railroad, Hawaii Railway (on the north shore), Hawaiian Agricultural Company Railroad (inPāhala) and West Hawaii Railway (betweenKailua-Kona andCaptain Cook).
Green sea turtle lying on an old lava flow; the background shows a Hawaiian temple, known as a "heiau" in the Hawaiian language.Hawaiʻi from space, 26 January 2014[60]
ʻAkaka Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls on the island.
^MacDonald, G. A.; Abbott, A. T. (1970).Volcanoes in the Sea. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press.ISBN0-87022-495-6.Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. RetrievedJuly 31, 2023.
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