home |
meetings |
convention
center |
groups |
banquet
| leisure activities
| transportation
| ground handling
|
GEOGRAPHY Hawaii's Big Island is the youngest and largest of the Hawaiian Islands with 4,028 square miles and it's still growing as long as lava continues to pour out of Kilauea, the world's most active volcano. It has 266 miles (428 km) of coastline. Hawaii's Big Island stretches from sea level to the volcanic peaks of Mauna Kea, 13,796 feet (4,205 m), and Mauna Loa, 13,677 feet (4,169 m). Hawaii's Big Island has the Islands' highest lake, Lake Waiau, at 13,020 feet (3,969 m) above sea level; the state's longest sheer drop waterfall, 'Akaka Falls, 442 feet (135 m); the southernmost tip of the United States, Ka Lae (South Point) and the tallest mountain measured from the ocean floor, Mauna Kea. Of all the islands, Hawaii's Big Island is the most ecologically diverse, with natural environments ranging from the desert plains of Ka'u to the rain forests above Hilo, to snowcapped Mauna Kea. There are said to be 13 climatic regions on earth and the Big Island has all but two, the Arctic and the 
Saharan.CLIMATE Average temperature ranges from 71° - 77° F (22° - 25° C) with cooler climates of 57° - 63° F (14° - 17° C) at the 4,000-foot Hawaii Volcanoes National Park headquarters, and 62° - 66° F (17° - 19° C) at 2,760-foot Waimea. Rainfall is variable in different sectors, which makes for some beautiful, lush scenery. MAJOR INDUSTRIES Kona coffee (only gourmet coffee grown in the United States), macadamia nuts, papaya, cattle, anthuriums, orchids, aquaculture, scientific technology, and tourism including ag-tourism, nature-tourism, science-tourism and edu-tourism. RECREATION Deep sea fishing, ocean kayaking, stargazing, snorkeling, sightseeing, National Parks, National Historic Sites, hiking, horseback riding, scuba diving, tennis, golfing, sailing, whale watching, camping, surfing, bicycling, hunting, shopping and agricultural tourism including Kona Coffee tours, botanical garden tours and family-run farm tours. BRIEF HISTORY  Believed to be the first Hawaiian Island discovered and settled by Polynesians, perhaps as early as the fifth century, Hawaii's Big Island has been the scene of many of the state's historic events. The birthplace of King Kamehameha I, this land was the one from which he launched forays to unify the islands. For a time, it was the capital of the kingdom. Hawaii's Big Island was also the scene of King Kamehameha I's death, and with it the end of the kapu system, abolished by his successor (and son) Kamehameha II in 1819. Kealakekua Bay, Captain Cook's first Big Island landfall in 1779, and the scene of his death, is the site where the first Christian service (a seaman's burial) was performed on Hawaii's shores. Today, much of ancient Hawaii can still be seen throughout the island, where historical sites have been preserved. FASCINATING FACTS
TOP-RATED ATTRACTIONS
|
