Oahu

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(Redirected from O'ahu)

 Image = Image:Oahu.jpg |
 Nickname = The Gathering Isle |
 Population = 868,751 (2004)|
 Area = 608 mile² (1,600 km²) |
 Rank = 3rd Largest Hawaiian Island. |
 Highest Point = Mt. KaTemplate:Okinaala: 4,019 ft (1,225 m) |
 Flower = Ilima}}

OTemplate:Okinaahu (usually Oahu outside Hawaiian and Hawaiian English), the "Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous island in the State of Hawaii. It has a total land area of 608 mile² (1,600 km²). In greatest dimension, this volcanic island is 71 km (44 mi) long and 48 km (30 mi) across. The length of the shoreline is 366 km (227 mi). The island is the result of two separate shield volcanoes: WaiTemplate:Okinaanae and [[Koolau Range|KoTemplate:Okinaolau]], with a broad "valley" or saddle (the central OTemplate:Okinaahu Plain) between them. The highest point is Mt. KaTemplate:Okinaala in the WaiTemplate:Okinaanae Range, rising to 1,225 m (4,019 ft) above sea level (Macdonald, Abbott, & Peterson, 1983).

The island is home to about 900,000 people (approximately 75% of the resident population of the state) and partly because of this, OTemplate:Okinaahu has for a long time been nicknamed "The Gathering Place". However, the term OTemplate:Okinaahu has no confirmed meaning in Hawaiian, other than that of the place itself (Pukui, et al., 1976). Ancient Hawaiian tradition attributes the name's origin in the legend of [[Hawaiiloa|HawaiTemplate:Okinailoa]], the Polynesian navigator credited with discovery of the Hawaiian Islands. The story relates that he named the island after a son.

Image:Hanauma Bay.jpg Image:Oahu windward side beach.jpg

The city of Honolulu—largest city, state capital, and main deepwater marine port for the State of HawaiTemplate:Okinai—is located here. As a jurisdictional unit, the entire island of OTemplate:Okinaahu 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). The island extends from [[Kaena Point|KaTemplate:Okinaena]] on the west end to [[Makapuu|MakapuTemplate:Okinau]] on the east. Well-known features found on OTemplate:Okinaahu include Waikīkī, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, [[Kaneohe Bay|KāneTemplate:Okinaohe Bay]], and the North Shore.

1 History
2 Tourist attractions
3 Miscellaneous
4 Sources
5 External links

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History

Kamehameha III moved his capital from Lāhainā, Maui to OTemplate:Okinaahu in 1845. [[ʻIolani Palace|Template:OkinaIolani Palace]], built later by other members of the royal family, is still standing, and is the only royal palace on American soil.

OTemplate:Okinaahu was apparently the first of the Hawaiian Islands sighted by the crew of HMS Resolution on 18 January 1778 during Capt. 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. OTemplate:Okinaahu was not actually visited by Europeans until 28 February 1779 when Captain Clerke aboard HMS Resolution stepped ashore at Waimea Bay. Clerke had taken command of the ship after Capt. Cook was killed at Kealakekua Bay ([[Hawaii Island|Island of HawaiTemplate:Okinai]]) on February 14, and was leaving the islands for the North Pacific.

The opening battle of the Second World War in the Pacific for the United States was the Imperial Japanese Navy attack on Pearl Harbor, OTemplate:Okinaahu 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 killed 2,403 American servicemen and 68 civilians.

Today, OTemplate:Okinaahu has become a tourism and shopping haven as over 5 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 her multicultural people now personify.

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Tourist attractions

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Miscellaneous

OTemplate:Okinaahu has been featured in hundreds of movies and TV shows, including Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-O, some scenes of the Jurassic Park movies, and Jake and the Fatman to name but a few. Lost is filmed on OTemplate:Okinaahu, and a recent television series called North Shore was filmed there. There's also a racing game, called Test Drive Unlimited(XBox 360), that takes place on this island.

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Sources

Macdonald, Gordon A., Agatin T. Abbott, and Frank L. Peterson. 1983. Volcanoes in the Sea. University of HawaiTemplate:Okinai Press, Honolulu. 517 pp.
Pukui, M.K., S.H. Elbert, and E.T. Mookini. 1976. Place names of HawaiTemplate:Okinai. University of HawaiTemplate:Okinai Press. 289 pp.

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External links

Template:Commons Template:Wikitravel

Photos of O Template:Okinaahu - Terra Galleria

Image:Flag of Hawaii.svg	State of [[Hawaii\|HawaiTemplate:Okinai]] Cities \| Geography \| History \| Landmarks
State capital:	Honolulu
Largest communities:	Hilo - Honolulu - Kahului - Waipahu - [[Lihue, Hawaii\|LīhuTemplate:Okinae]]
Islands:	[[Hawaii (island)\|HawaiTemplate:Okinai]] - [[Kahoolawe\|KahoTemplate:Okinaolawe]] - [[Kauai\|KauaTemplate:Okinai]] - [[Lanai\|LānaTemplate:Okinai]] - Maui - [[Molokai\|MolokaTemplate:Okinai]] - [[Niihau\|NiTemplate:Okinaihau]] - Northwestern Hawaiian Islands - [[Oahu\|OTemplate:Okinaahu]]
Counties:	[[Hawaii County, Hawaii\|HawaiTemplate:Okinai]] - Honolulu - Kalawao - [[Kauai County, Hawaii\|KauaTemplate:Okinai]] - Maui
Languages:	Hawaiian - English - Pidgin