A private island of only 69 square miles, Ni'ihau is reserved for Hawaiians only (Reference 2). The population is 230 and the main industry is raising livestock (Reference 3). Hawaiian legend says that Ni'ihau was home to the goddess Pele (Reference 3).
"The Garden Isle" is the fourth largest island and is known for its lush tropical vegetation and spectacular landscapes (Reference 2). The wettest place on earth is on Kaua'i's Waialeale Mountain, which sees an average annual rainfall of 488 inches (Reference 3).
O'ahu is the third largest island, but 77 percent of the state's population reside there. It is also home to the state capital, Honolulu, which is also the largest city (Reference 2). O'ahu has more than 100 world-renowned beaches (Reference 3).
The east side of Moloka'i receives 240 inches of rainfall every year and the island is said to be the "most Hawaiian isle." This island also has the highest sea cliffs in the world, Hawaii's longest waterfall and the largest white sand beach in the archipelago (Reference 3).
Lana'i is widely considered Hawaii's most secluded island and was once home to the world's largest pineapple plantations. Also, one of the best places to dive is the marine preserve at Hulope Bay (Reference 3).
Kaho'olawe is a 45 square mile, uninhabited island near the coast of Maui. From World War II until 1990, it was used as a military bombing range (Reference 2). Nobody is allowed to go ashore without permission because the U.S. Navy and Air Force are still cleaning up unexploded shells (Reference 3).
Maui is the second largest island (Reference 2) and home to the world's largest dormant volcano, Haleakala (Reference 3).
Also known as "The Big Island," the island of Hawai'i has two-thirds of the land area of the entire state. It is also the youngest island and is still growing as the volcano Kilauea continues to erupt and form new land mass (Reference 2).
Most of these islands are actually coral reef atolls. They used to be as big as the Big Island but have eroded because of rain and waves (Reference 2). The state constitution says that any island or islet that does not belong to another county is part of the city and county of Honolulu, thereby making Honolulu the longest city in the world as it stretches 1,500 miles across the archipelago (Reference 3).
