Big Island
Hawaii
At less than a million years old, the Big Island of Hawaii is, geologically speaking, a youngster. And with the help of lava flowing from Kilauea volcano, it's still growing. So, unlike the other islands in the Hawaiian chain, the Big Island hasn't had time to develop many sandy beaches along its shores. Although they are few in number, the beaches of the Kona and Kohala coasts (especially the bright white strand at Hapuna Beach State Parks) are beautiful, and the black-sand beach at Punaluu is otherworldly.
What the Big Island does have in spades is big-game fishing (particularly at Kona, the self-proclaimed "Marlin Capital of the Pacific"), golf (on about 20 championship courses), vast ranchlands (including the 225,000-acre Parker Ranch, which dates to the early 19th century), incredible hiking (150 miles of trails in Volcanoes National Park alone), and great natural beauty (the 400-foot cascade of Akaka Falls, for example. At 4,038 square miles, it's a huge island, and since resort development is concentrated along the Kona-Kohala coast, there's a lot left to explore, from lava deserts to steaming rain forests.
Driving around the Big Island, you may come across petroglyphs and ancient Polynesian stone temples called heiau. Stop at Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, also known as The City of Refuge, where a reconstructed temple stands on the lava-lined west coast. The refuge served as a sanctuary for Hawaiians who were cast out of their clans or had received death sentences for breaking sacred tabus. The park's exhibits will help you understand the island's history and its powerful chief, Kamehameha, who became the first to rule over all the Hawaiian islands.
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BIOLOGY Big Island has a wide variety of plant, marine and animal life. Many species are rare and endangered including the giant Pacific Green Sea Turtle (which can grow to 400 pounds), the Nene Goose (the official state bird) and the Humpback Whale (the official state marine mammal). Vegetation zones include: coastal, dryland forest, mixed open forest, rain forest, subalpine and alpine.
CLIMATE Like most of the Hawaiian Islands, Big Island has only two seasons: "summer" between May and October and "winter" between October and April. Depending upon locale:
ECONOMY Healthy In 2006! Key indicators are positive for continuing growth in the second half of this decade. However, Hawaii's cost of living is among the highest in the nation and its 2004 per capita personal income below average. In fact, sources indicate a cost of living ranging from 30% above the national average to over 60% depending upon family size and circumstances.
Major contributions to the State of Hawaii's economy include:
GEOGRAPHY Big Island has an area of more than 4,028 square miles with 266 miles of coastline (93 miles long by 76 miles wide).
Big Island is:
GEOLOGY Big Island (the youngest island in the Hawaiian chain) was formed by five volcanoes. Two are still active: Mauna Loa and Kilauea, the world's most continuously active volcano. At 13,796 feet and 13,677 feet respectively, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are the highest mountains in the Pacific. Ka Lae in the Kau District is the southernmost point in the United States.
GOVERNMENT On Big Island, as throughout the State, there are no separate municipal governments. The County of Hawaii is responsible for local government on Big Island and has a mayor elected for up to two four-year terms and a nine member council with two-year terms. Big Island's county seat is located in Hilo.
HEALTH Practices (2004): 327 doctors, 90 dentists, 1,159 nurses and 92 pharmacists.
OFFICIAL COLOR AND FLOWER The official color is red and the official flower is the lehua.
POPULATION Big Island:
CLIMATE Like most of the Hawaiian Islands, Big Island has only two seasons: "summer" between May and October and "winter" between October and April. Depending upon locale:
- Average temperature ranges from 71.2 to 77.3 (°F) in the coastal regions.
- Kailua-Kona average temperature:
- Jan.-Feb. 72.1 (°F)
- Aug.-Sept. 77.3 (°F)
- Average annual rainfall ranges from 10 inches at Kawaihae (near the Kohala coast) to 128 inches at Hilo Airport.
CULTURAL HISTORY Big Island is a multi-cultural society with major immigration from:
- Polynesia - 700 A.D.
- United States - 1820
- China - 1852
- Japan - 1868
- Portugal - 1878
- Puerto Rico - 1900
- Korea - 1903
- Philippines - 1906
ECONOMY Healthy In 2006! Key indicators are positive for continuing growth in the second half of this decade. However, Hawaii's cost of living is among the highest in the nation and its 2004 per capita personal income below average. In fact, sources indicate a cost of living ranging from 30% above the national average to over 60% depending upon family size and circumstances.
- 2005 Visitor Arrivals to the State totaled 7.4 million (a record)
- 2005 Gross State Product was $54 billion
Major contributions to the State of Hawaii's economy include:
- Visitor Expenditures: $11.8 billion (2005) - an all-time high*
- Federal Defense Spending: $4.8 billion (2003)
- Construction (Private Building Permits): $3.5 billion (2005) * Visitor Expenditure figures are deceptive, since a certain percentage of tourism dollars do not remain in the Islands, but are returned to overseas investors.
With the demise of its sugar and pineapple industries in the 1990's, Hawaii is working to diversify its economy with a focus on industries such as science and technology, health and wellness tourism, diversified agriculture, ocean research and development, and film and television production. A Study currently being conducted by the State is looking at the extent to which the benefits from tourism can be maintained, while sustaining the quality of our social, economic and environmental assets.
The Big Island's major sources of annual income include agriculture (the majority of the State's fruits, nuts and coffee are produced on Big Island) and tourism. Sugar cane is no longer produced on Big Island - abandoned in 1996.
EDUCATION Big Island : - K-12 students in public schools (2004): 24,201 (excluding Special & Charter Schools)
- Number of Public schools (2004): 54
- Number of Private schools (2005): 21
GEOGRAPHY Big Island has an area of more than 4,028 square miles with 266 miles of coastline (93 miles long by 76 miles wide).
Big Island is:
- located in Polynesia
- near the center of the Pacific Ocean
- just below the Tropic of Cancer
- one of the most remote spots on Earth
- 2,315 miles west of San Francisco, California
- the largest of the 8 main Hawaiian islands (twice the combined size of the other islands)
GEOLOGY Big Island (the youngest island in the Hawaiian chain) was formed by five volcanoes. Two are still active: Mauna Loa and Kilauea, the world's most continuously active volcano. At 13,796 feet and 13,677 feet respectively, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are the highest mountains in the Pacific. Ka Lae in the Kau District is the southernmost point in the United States.
GOVERNMENT On Big Island, as throughout the State, there are no separate municipal governments. The County of Hawaii is responsible for local government on Big Island and has a mayor elected for up to two four-year terms and a nine member council with two-year terms. Big Island's county seat is located in Hilo.
HEALTH Practices (2004): 327 doctors, 90 dentists, 1,159 nurses and 92 pharmacists.
OFFICIAL COLOR AND FLOWER The official color is red and the official flower is the lehua.
POPULATION Big Island:
- had a resident population of 162,971 in 2004
- is the second most populous island in the State
In 2003, Big Island's ethnic groups roughly broke down as follows:
Unmixed (except Hawaiian): 82,103 (53.1%)
Caucasian - 43,608 (28.2%)
Japanese - 23,350 (15.1%)
Filipino - 12,704 (8.2%)
Chinese - 1,259 (0.8%)
Black - No data (sample size too small)
Korean - No data (sample size too small)
Samoan/Tongan - 359 (0.2%)
Mixed (except Hawaiian) - 27,772 (18.0%)
Hawaiian/Part Hawaiian - 44,652 (28.9%)
TOURISM Big Island had approximately 1.5 million visitors in 2005.
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