Oahu:
Oʻahu or Oahu (pronounced /oʊˈɑːhuː/ in English and [oˈʔɐhu] in Hawaiian), known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the State of Hawaiʻi. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast. Including small close-in offshore islands such as Ford Island and the islands in Kaneohe Bay and off the eastern coast, it has a total land area of 596.7 square miles (1,545.4 km2), making it the 20th largest island in the United States.[1] In greatest dimension, this volcanic island is 44 miles (71 km) long and 30 miles (48 km) across. The length of the shoreline is 227 miles (365 km). The island is the result of two separate shield volcanoes: Waiʻanae and Koʻolau, with a broad "valley" or saddle (the central Oʻahu Plain) between them. The highest point is Mt. Ka'ala in the Waiʻanae Range, rising to 4,003 feet (1,220 m) above sea level.[2]
[edit] Introduction
Waikiki is one of the best known beaches in the world.
The island is home to about 900,000 people (approximately 75% of the resident population of the state) and partly because of this, Oʻahu has for a long time been nicknamed "The Gathering Place". However, the term Oʻahu has no confirmed meaning in Hawaiian, other than that of the place itself.[3] Ancient Hawaiian tradition attributes the name's origin in the legend of Hawaiʻiloa, the Polynesian navigator credited with discovery of the Hawaiian Islands. The story relates that he named the island after a son.
The city of Honolulu—largest city, state capital, and main deepwater marine port for the State of Hawaiʻi—is located here. As a jurisdictional unit, the entire island of Oʻahu is in the City & County of Honolulu, although as a place name, Honolulu occupies only a portion of the southeast end of the island (essentially, the Honolulu District). Well-known features found on Oʻahu include Waikīkī, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Kāneʻohe Bay, Kailua Bay, North Shore.
[edit] History
Waimanalo Beach on windward side of O ʻahu, Hawai ʻi
The old Kingdom of Oahu was once ruled by the most ancient Aliʻi in all of the Hawaiian Islands. The first great king of Oahu was Mailikukahi, the law maker, who was followed by many generation of excellent monarchs.[citation needed] Kualii was the first of the warlike kings and so were his sons. In 1773, the throne fell upon Kahahana, the son of Elani of Ewa. In 1783 Kahekili II King of Maui conquered Oahu and deposed the reigning family and then made his son Kalanikupule king of Oahu. Kamehameha the Great would conquer Kalanikupule's force in the Battle of Nuʻuanu. And with the conquest of Oʻahu in 1795 Kamehameha founded the Hawaiian Kingdom Hawaii would not be unifed until the islands of Kauai and Niihau surrender under King Kaumualii in 1810. Kamehameha III moved his capital from Lāhainā, Maui to Honolulu, Oʻahu in 1845. ʻIolani Palace, built later by other members of the royal family, is still standing, and is the only royal palace on American soil.
Oʻahu was apparently the first of the Hawaiian Islands sighted by the crew of HMS Resolution on 18 January 1778 during Capt. James Cook's third Pacific expedition. Escorted by HMS Discovery, the expedition was surprised to find high islands this far north in the central Pacific. Oʻahu was not actually visited by Europeans until 28 February 1779 when Captain Clerke aboard HMS Resolution stepped ashore at Waimea Bay. Clerke had taken command of the ship after Capt. Cook was killed at Kealakekua Bay (Island of Hawaiʻi) on February 14, and was leaving the islands for the North Pacific.
Mākua Valley military testing area, O ʻahu, Hawai ʻi.
The opening battle of World War II in the Pacific for the United States was the Imperial Japanese Navy preemptive attack on Pearl Harbor, Oʻahu on the morning of December 7, 1941. The surprise attack was aimed at the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy and its defending Army Air Corps and Marine Air Forces. The attack damaged or destroyed twelve American warships, destroyed 188 aircraft, and resulted in the deaths of 2,403 American servicemen and 68 civilians.
Today, Oʻahu has become a tourism and shopping haven as over five million visitors (mainly from the American mainland and Japan) flock there every year to enjoy the quintessential island holiday experience that the Hawaiian Islands and their multicultural people now personify.
An earthquake, measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale, struck Oʻahu and the surrounding islands at 7:07:49 AM HST on 15 October 2006, causing a statewide power outage and over $200 million in damages.
[edit] Tourist attractions
Valley of the Temples near the island's eastern shore.
[edit] Top Beaches
[edit] Attractions
[edit] Television and film
Oʻahu has been featured in many movies and television shows, including, but not limited to: Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 50 First Dates, Blue Crush, Flight 29 Down, Hawaii Five-O, Jake and the Fatman, the Jurassic Park movies, Windtalkers, Mighty Joe Young, The Karate Kid , Magnum P.I., North Shore, and Pearl Harbor. Disney Channel movie Johnny Tsunami and sequel Johnny Kapahala use Oahu as the hometown of the family. The reality TV show Dog the Bounty Hunter is filmed in the regions of Honolulu, Oʻahu (as well as other regions in Oʻahu), and the city of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. The children's series Flight 29 Down was filmed on the island. The hit television series Lost is also filmed on Oahu, and many of the show's stars call the island home. The island's thick jungles and picturesque beaches are prominently featured.
Multiplayer online racing game Test Drive Unlimited (Xbox 360 / PC / PS2 / PSP) takes place on a fully modeled Oʻahu island with 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of roads and highways.'
[edit] References
- Macdonald, Gordon A., Agatin T. Abbott, and Frank L. Peterson. 1983. Volcanoes in the Sea. University of Hawaiʻi Press, Honolulu. 517 pp.
- Pukui, M.K., S.H. Elbert, and E.T. Mookini. 1976. Place names of Hawaiʻi. University of Hawaiʻi Press. 289 pp.
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 21°28′N 157°59′W / 21.467, -157.983
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