Maui Doesn't Have a Nationality—It's an Island

Maui is not a person, so it doesn't have a nationality. It's the second-largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, part of the State of Hawaii, United States of America.

Quick Facts

• Location: North Pacific Ocean, ~2,400 miles west of California.
• Size: 727 sq mi (1,883 km²)—48 miles long, 26 miles wide.
• Population: ~165,000 (2023).
• Highest point: Haleakalā volcano, 10,023 ft (3,055 m).
• County: Maui County (also includes Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, Kahoʻolawe).

Political Status

Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1898, a state in 1959. Maui's residents are U.S. citizens. The island has no separate sovereignty.

Cultural Note

Native Hawaiians (Kānaka Maoli) are the indigenous Polynesian people of the archipelago. Their nationality is American; their ethnicity and cultural identity are Hawaiian. The island's name comes from the demigod Māui in Polynesian mythology—not from a nation.

So if someone asks "What nationality is Maui?" the answer is: It's an island. Islands don't have nationalities. It's part of the United States.