Oahu, island (1990 pop. 836,231), 593 sq mi (1,536 sq km), third largest and chief island of Hawaii, part of Honolulu co., between Molokai and Kauai. Oahu is composed of two parallel mountain ranges (Waianae and Koolau) that are separated by a rolling plain dissected by deep gorges. Mt. Kaala (4,040 ft/1,231 m) is the island's highest peak. Oahu has no active volcanoes, but there are many extinct craters, among them Diamond Head, Koko Head, and Punchbowl. Pearl Harbor indents the island's southern coast. Honolulu, the state capital and the economic center of Hawaii, is on the highly urbanized southern coast of Oahu. Manoa Valley is the site of the Univ. of Hawaii, Punahou Academy, and the Mid-Pacific Institute. The island is an important defense area that includes the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Command and the Pearl Harbor naval base. There are many bathing beaches (including Waikiki), some of which have coral gardens. Large pineapple and sugarcane plantations cover the rural areas of the island, and their products form Oahu's chief agricultural exports. Dairy farming and fishing are also important activities, but tourism is the principal economic mainstay of Oahu.

Island (pop., 2000: 876,165) of Hawaii, U.S. Situated between the islands of Kauai and Molokai, it occupies 607 sq mi (1,574 sq km) and is the third largest and most densely populated of the Hawaiian Islands. Of volcanic origin, it has two parallel mountain groups, the Koolau Range and Waianae Ranges, which are connected by a central plateau. It is the site of Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, and Waikiki. Military installations, tourism, pineapples, and sugar are important to its economy.

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Oahu (usually Oahu outside Hawaiian and Hawaiian English), known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the State of Hawaii. 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 , making it the 20th largest island in the United States. In greatest dimension, this volcanic island is long and across. The length of the shoreline is . The island is the result of two separate shield volcanoes: Waianae and Koolau, with a broad "valley" or saddle (the central Oahu Plain) between them. The highest point is Mt. Ka'ala in the Waianae Range, rising to above sea level.

Introduction

The 2000 census showed a population of 876,151, which was essentially the entire population of Honolulu County except for 5 individuals who lived in the far-flung Northwestern Hawaiian Islands portion of the county in the United States Census Bureau's Census Tract 114.98 of Honolulu County, Hawaii.

The island is home to about 900,000 people (approximately 75% of the resident population of the state) and partly because of this, Oahu has for a long time been nicknamed "The Gathering Place". However, the term Oahu has no confirmed meaning in Hawaiian, other than that of the place itself. Ancient Hawaiian tradition attributes the name's origin in the legend of Hawaiiloa, 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 Hawaii—is located here. As a jurisdictional unit, the entire island of Oahu 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). The island extends from Kaena on the west end to Makapuu on the east. Well-known features found on Oahu include Waikīkī, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Kāneohe Bay, and the North Shore.

History

The old Kingdom of Oahu was once ruled by the most ancient Alii 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. 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 Nuuanu. And with the conquest of Oahu 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, Oahu in 1845. Iolani Palace, built later by other members of the royal family, is still standing, and is the only royal palace on American soil.

Oahu 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. Oahu 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 Hawaii) on February 14, and was leaving the islands for the North Pacific.

The opening battle of World War II in the Pacific for the United States was the Imperial Japanese Navy preemptive attack on Pearl Harbor, Oahu 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, Oahu 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 Oahu 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.

Tourist attractions

• Ala Moana
• Bernice P. Bishop Museum
• Diamond Head
• Hanauma Bay
• Honolulu
• Honolulu Academy of Arts
• North Shore
• Pearl Harbor
• Polynesian Cultural Center
• USS Arizona Memorial
• USS Missouri
• Waikīkī
• Valley of the temples

Television and film

Oahu 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's Johnny Tsunami and 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, Oahu (as well as other regions in Oahu), and the city of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. 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 Oahu island with of roads and highways.'

Notes

References

• Macdonald, Gordon A., Agatin T. Abbott, and Frank L. Peterson. 1983. Volcanoes in the Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 517 pp.
• Pukui, M.K., S.H. Elbert, and E.T. Mookini. 1976. Place names of Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press. 289 pp.

External links

• A history of Oahu's Harbors

O'ahu: Three Perfect Days Hemispheres Magazine