Kauai

Fourth-largest island in Hawaii, covering some 1,427 sq km/551 sq mi; population (2000) 58,500. Kauai is situated in the county of the same name, and lies 116 km/72 mi northwest of Oahu. Popularly referred to as the ‘Garden Isle’, it is the northernmost, and geologically the oldest, major island of the archipelago.

Kauai was the first Hawaiian island to be settled by Polynesians, and was also the first to be visited by Captain James Cook, in 1778. The settlement of Lihue, on the east coast, is its main community, and its principal harbours are at Nawiliwili, Hanalei, and Hanapepe. The highest points on the island, in the central region, are the peaks of Kawaikini (1,598 m/5,243 ft) and Waialeale (1,530 m/5,100 ft); the latter plunges dramatically into Waimea Canyon. In the northwest of the island lie the steep cliffs of the Na Pali Coast, while the southern and eastern coasts are covered with a fertile plain where sugar, rice, and pineapples are cultivated. Cattle ranching and tourism are also important economic activities. Kauai is prone to heavy rainfall and susceptible to Pacific hurricanes.