My Expanding List of Things I Find Intriguing About Oʻahu:
- Oʻahu is the third largest of the eight main Hawaiian islands but the most populated.
- More people live on the island of Oʻahu than in the entire state of Alaska.
- Oʻahu is also the most densely populated of the Hawaiian islands with a population density of 1,704 persons/sq mile. For reference, Oʻahu is approximately 8 times more densely populated than Maui (Hawaii’s second most densely populated island) and 35 times more densely populated than The Big Island (Hawaii’s fourth most densely populated island).
- The City and County of Honolulu is 1,380 miles long end to end! That’s because Honolulu County includes the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (except Midway).
- Oʻahu has the only royal palace, ‘Iolani Palace, in the United States.
- Kamehameha The Great (Paiʻea) founded the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi with the conquest of Oʻahu in 1795 and Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli) moved the capital from Lāhainā to Honolulu in 1845.
- Waikīkī used to be fishponds (loko iʻa) and wetlands. It was drained with the construction of the Ala Wai Canal in 1928.
- In the 1920s and 1930s sand was brought in from Manhattan Beach, California. Over the years, sand has been brought in from other parts of Oʻahu as well. In recent times all sand is dredged-in from just off the Waikīkī shoreline.
I add new discoveries to my growing list here after I verify sources.
Geeky Stats I Find Interesting About Oʻahu:
Name: Oʻahu
Nickname: The Gathering Place. To be clear, the word Oʻahu does not mean The Gathering Place, that’s just a nickname.
Population: 1,016,508 (70%+ of state population) (source: United States Census Bureau 2020)
Most populated town and county seat is Honolulu.
Area: 597 sq miles
Highest elevation: 4,025 ft (Mt. Kaʻala)
Flower: ʻIlima (Sida fallax)
Color: Melemele (yellow)
Airports:
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
Dillingham Airfield (HDH)
Kalaeloa Airport (JRF)
Distance from Honolulu to
Los Angeles: 2562 miles
New York City: 4958 miles
London: 7217 miles
Tokyo: 6186 miles
Sydney: 5072 miles
Temperature at (source: NOAA Climate Data):
Honolulu International Airport
Average Temperature: 78.0 F
Ave Low Temperature: 71.5 F
Ave High Temperature: 84.6 F
Ave Hottest Month: August
Ave Coldest Month: January
Annual Rainfall: 16.41 inches
Driest Month: June/July
Wettest Month: March