Big Island
Hawaii is a state, but the largest island of the state is also called Hawai’i or more commonly the Big Island. One of the legends of the islands is that it was named after Hawai’iloa, who was a legendary Polynesian navigator who discovered the island. Other legends state that is was named after the realm of Hawaiki, where Polynesian people supposedly originated as well as where they go in the afterlife.
One of the Big Island’s most prominent features is Mauna Kea, which is the world’s tallest mountain. The entire island was created from five different shield volcanoes that erupted in sequence and overlapped the others most of the time. Two of those volcanoes are still active and they are Mauna Loa and Kīlauea, while Kohala and Mauna Kea are extinct and Hualālai is dormant.
Another prominent feature is the Great Crack where people can find trails, rock walls, and multiple archaeological sites from the 12th century and more recent years.
Interesting and Unique Facts about the Big Island
· There are twelve climate zones on the island
· The island has tropical rainforests, frozen tundra, and an arid desert
· The Big Island is the youngest of all the Hawaiian Islands
· Hualālai last erupted in 1801
· Average rainfall – ten inches near the Western coast and 128 inches at the Hilo airport
· The official color of the island is red
· The official flower of the island is the lehua ‘ohi’a
· Parker Ranch is the largest contiguous ranch in the United States at 480,000 acres
· The majority of the world’s macadamia nuts are grown on the Big Island
· Kealakekua Bay is still owned by Great Britain
· The island is growing in size thanks to Kilauea erupting – it has been erupting since 1983 and now there is more than 500 acres of new land on the island
· Aloha means more than anyone thinks including love, affection, compassion, mercy, sympathy, pity, kindness, charity, salutation, sweetheart, lover, loved one, to be fond of, and much, much more
· The island is also known as ‘The Orchid Island’ and ‘Hawai’i’s Island of Adventure’
· The state bird is the Hawaiian Goose or Nēnē
Everyone should go to the Big Island to see the volcano that continues to erupt creating new land on the island. It is a beautiful sight as is the rest of the amazing island.
