Oahu ( in English) or
Oahu ( in
Hawaiian), 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.
It is also the most populous island in the
Western Hemisphere that neither contains a national capital nor possesses a road or rail connection to a national capital. 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
Waikīkī is one of the best known beaches in the world.
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). Well-known features found on Oahu include
Waikīkī,
Pearl Harbor,
Diamond Head,
Hanauma Bay,
Kāneohe Bay,
Kailua Bay,
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 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. Kamehameha founded the
Kingdom of Hawaii with the conquest of Oahu in 1795. Hawaii would not be unified until the islands of
Kauai and
Niihau surrendered under King
Kaumualii in 1810.
Kamehameha III moved his capital from
Lāhainā, Hawaii,
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 Captain
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
Charles 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.
Mākua Valley military testing area, Oahu, Hawaii
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 07:07:49
HST on
15 October 2006, causing a statewide power outage and over $200 million in damages.
Tourist attractions
Valley of the Temples near the island's eastern shore
Top beaches
Attractions
Television and film
Oahu has been featured in many movies and television shows, including, but not limited to:
Blue Crush,
Dante's Cove,
50 First Dates,
Flight 29 Down,
Forgetting Sarah Marshall,
From Here to Eternity (movie),
From Here to Eternity (TV series),
Hawaii Five-O,
Jake and the Fatman, the
Jurassic Park movies,
The Karate Kid, Part II,
Magnum P.I.,
Mighty Joe Young,
North Shore,
Pearl Harbor,
Tora! Tora! Tora!, and
Windtalkers. The
Disney Channel movie
Johnny Tsunami as well as its sequel,
Johnny Kapahala, use Oahu as the hometown of the family. The Even Stevens Movie, also by Disney, was filmed in various locations on O'ahu. 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
rainforests and picturesque beaches are prominently featured.
Multiplayer online racing game Test Drive Unlimited takes place on a fully modeled Oahu island with of roads and highways.
Quick Driving Facts
- Steering wheel on left side of car
- Drive on right side of road
- Minimum age to drive is 16 years old
- Child seats required for children 8 years and under
- Maximum speed limit is 65 mph on major highways
- No texting or calling on a mobile phone while driving
