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O‘ahu
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Oahu
Nickname: Gathering Place
Geography
Location	21°30′N 158°00′W / 21.5°N 158.0°W
Area	596.7 sq mi (1,545 km2)
Area rank	3rd largest Hawaiian Island
Highest elevation	4,025 ft (1226.8 m)
Highest point	Kaʻala
Administration
	United States
Symbols
Flower	ʻilima
Color	Melemele (yellow)
Largest settlement	Honolulu
Demographics
Population	1,016,508 (2020)
Pop. density	1,704/sq mi (657.9/km2)

Fly-around tour of the island

Oahu (/oʊˈɑːhuː/ oh-AH-hoo; Hawaiian: Oʻahu pronounced [oˈʔɐhu]) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii.^[1] The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands^[2] constitute the City and County of Honolulu. In 2021, Oahu had a population of 995,638,^[3] up from 953,207 in 2010 (approximately 70% of the total 1,455,271 population of the Hawaiian Islands,^[4] with approximately 81% of those living in or near the Honolulu urban area).

Oahu is 44 miles (71 km) long and 30 miles (48 km) across. Its shoreline is 227 miles (365 km) long. Including small associated islands such as Ford Island plus those in Kāneʻohe Bay and off the eastern (windward) coast, its area is 596.7 square miles (1,545.4 km²), making it the 20th-largest island in the United States.^[5]

Well-known features of Oahu include Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Kāneʻohe Bay, Kailua Bay, and the North Shore.

Name

The Island of Oahu in Hawaii is often nicknamed (or translated as) "The Gathering Place". The translation of "gathering place" was suggested as recently as 1922 by Hawaiian Almanac author Thomas Thrum. Thrum possibly ignored or misplaced the ʻokina because the Hawaiian phrase "ʻo ahu" could be translated as "gathering of objects" (ʻo is a subject marker and ahu means "to gather"). The term Oʻahu has no other confirmed meaning in Hawaiian.^[6]

History

It is uncertain when Oahu was first settled by humans. Early archaeological studies suggested that Polynesian explorers from the Marquesas may have arrived as early as the 3rd century A.D.,^[7] possibly with a second wave arriving from Tahiti around 1100 A.D.^[8] However, more modern analyses indicate that the first settlers probably arrived around 900–1200 A.D.^[9]

The first great king of Oahu was Maʻilikūkahi, the lawmaker, who initiated a 304-year dynasty of monarchs. Kualiʻi was the first of the warlike kings and was succeeded by his sons. In 1773, the throne fell upon Kahahana, the son of Elani of Ewa.^{[citation needed]} In 1783, Kahekili II, King of Maui, conquered Oahu, deposed Kahahana, and made his son, Kalanikūpule, king of Oahu, turning Oahu into a puppet state. Kamehameha the Great conquered Kalanikūpule's forces in the Battle of Nuʻuanu. Kamehameha founded the Kingdom of Hawaii with the conquest of Oahu in 1795, though the Hawaiian islands were not fully unified until King Kaumualiʻi surrendered the islands of Kauai and Niihau in 1810.^[10]^: 29-60

On January 19, 1778, Oahu was the first of the Hawaiian Islands to be sighted by Captain James Cook during his third voyage of discovery.^[11] This was the first recorded encounter of the Hawaiian Islands by non-Polynesian people. Cook bypassed Oahu, landing instead at Kauai before continuing his original mission to explore the coast of North America. The next year, on February 27, 1779, Cook's second in command, Captain Charles Clerke, became the first recorded non-Polynesian to visit Oahu when he landed at Waimea Bay. Earlier that month, Cook had been killed at Kealakekua Bay on the island of Hawaii when a dispute with the local people turned violent.^[12] Clerke's visit to Oahu was brief and the expedition's two ships left Waimea Bay the same day after finding it difficult to obtain fresh water.^[13]

By the late 18th century, Waikīkī was a major settlement on Oahu, serving as Kahekili II's residence after 1783.^[10]^: 34 However, as trade with foreigners intensified, the nearby town of Honolulu came to eclipse it in size and importance due to its more accessible harbor.^[10]^: 27In 1845, Kamehameha III moved his capital to Honolulu from Lahaina on the island of Maui.^[10]^: 228 Later, King Kalākaua had a modern residence built in Honolulu for the royal family – the ʻIolani Palace which still stands as the only royal palace on American soil.^[14] In January, 1893, a group of leading American businessmen took up arms near ʻIolani Palace and, along with US Marines from the USS Boston that landed in Honolulu harbor, launched a successful coup d'état against Queen Liliʻuokalani. The insurgents abolished the monarchy and established the Republic of Hawaii, which later successfully lobbied the US government for annexation to the US.^[15]

On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Oahu, bringing the United States into World War II. The attack was aimed at destroying the American will to fight and forcing the US to sue for peace. They attacked the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy and its defending Army Air Forces and Marine Air Forces. The attack damaged or destroyed 12 American warships, destroyed 188 aircraft, and killed 2,335 American servicemen and 68 civilians (of those, 1,177 were the result of the destruction of the USS Arizona alone).^[16]^[17]

After World War II, Oahu became a tourism and shopping destination with more than five million visitors per year, mainly from the contiguous United States and Japan.^[18]

Geography and climate

Like all other Hawaiian Islands, Oahu was formed from the volcanism associated with the Hawaii hotspot; it started to grow from the sea floor 4 million years ago.^[19] Today, the island is composed of the remnants of two extinct and extensively eroded shield volcanoes: the Waiʻanae and Koʻolau Ranges, with a broad valley or saddle between them.^[20] The highest point is Kaʻala in the Waiʻanae Range, rising to 4,003 feet (1,220 m) above sea level.^[21]

Oahu is known for having the longest rain shower in recorded history. Kāneʻohe Ranch reported 247 straight days of rain from August 27, 1993, to April 30, 1994. The average temperature in Oahu is around 70–85 °F (21–29 °C). The island is the warmest from June through October. The winter is cooler, but still warm, with an average temperature of 68–78 °F (20–26 °C).

Tourism

Oahu, along with the rest of the State of Hawaii, relies on tourism as a driving force of the local economy.^[23] Popular tourists attractions include beaches such as Ala Moana Beach, Hanauma Bay, Kāneʻohe Bay, Ko Olina Beach Park, Waikiki Beach, among others. Other tourist attractions include Ala Moana Center, Bishop Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art, ʻIolani Palace, and Kualoa Ranch.