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Concept
Hawaii (island)
Summary
Hawaii (həˈwaɪʔi ; Hawaii həˈvɐjʔi) is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of , it has 63% of the Hawaiian archipelago's combined landmass. However, it has only 13% of the archipelago's population. The island of Hawaiʻi is the third largest island in Polynesia, behind the north and south islands of New Zealand.
The island is often referred to as the Island of Hawaii or Hawaii Island to distinguish it from the state. It is also referred to as the Big Island. To distinguish it without relying on English, it is sometimes called Moku o Keawe. Administratively, the island is coextensive with Hawaii County.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 200,629. The county seat and largest town is Hilo. There are no incorporated cities in Hawaiʻi County.
History of Hawaii
Hawaii#History
Hawaii is said to have been named after Hawaiiloa, a legendary Polynesian navigator who is said to have discovered the island. Other accounts attribute the name to the legendary realm of Hawaiki, a place from which some Polynesian people are said to have originated, the place where they transition to in the afterlife, or the realm of the gods and goddesses. Captain James Cook, the English explorer and navigator who was captain of the first European expedition that came upon the Hawaiian Islands, called it O-Why-hee (from Hawaiian) and the "Sandwich Islands" after his patron, the Earl of Sandwich. Cook was killed on the Big Island at Kealakekua Bay on 14 February 1779, in a melee which followed the theft of a ship's boat.
Hawaii was the home island of Paiea Kamehameha, later known as Kamehameha the Great. Kamehameha united most of the Hawaiian islands under his rule in 1795, after several years of war, and gave the kingdom and the island chain the name of his native island.
In 1822, the missionary William Ellis arrived and was one of a party that completed a tour of the island, descriptions of which were later published in his journal.
Official source
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