Kauaʻi

Kauaʻi is one of the primary Hawaiian Islands located in the Pacific Ocean.

It sits 73 miles northwest of Oahu across the Kauai Channel. The island covers 562.3 square miles of land. This makes it the fourth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauaʻi is part of Kauai County, which includes the nearby island of Niihau. The island is often called the "Garden Isle" due to its lush scenery.

The island formed through complex volcanic processes. It is approximately five million years old. This makes it the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. The land was created as the Pacific Plate moved over a volcanic hotspot. This process formed an eroded shield volcano. A shield volcano is a broad volcano with gentle slopes. The island features a large summit caldera and two smaller flanking calderas. Between 0.6 and 1.40 million years ago, volcanic rejuvenation occurred. This left new lava flows and cones across the eastern two-thirds of the island.

Water and weather have shaped the island's dramatic geography. Mount Waialeale is the second-highest peak on the island. The area around it is one of the wettest spots on Earth. Between 1949 and 2004, the average rainfall at Mt. Waialeale was very high. This heavy rain has eroded deep valleys into the central mountains. These valleys contain many scenic waterfalls, such as Manawaiopuna Falls.

On the west side, the Waimea River flows through the landscape. It carved out Waimea Canyon, a massive feature. Many people call this canyon the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific." The Nā Pali Coast also features high coastal cliffs and isolated beaches.

Human history on the island involves many different cultures. Polynesian explorers likely arrived between 900 and 1200 AD. Legend says the navigator Hawaiiloa named the island. One translation of Kauaʻi is "place around the neck." This refers to how a father carries a child. In January 1778, British navigator James Cook made the first recorded European contact.

He arrived at Waimea Bay by accident. The local people traded food for iron items like nails. Later, King Kamehameha I sought to unite the islands. Kauai remained independent for many years. In 1810, a diplomatic agreement made Kauai a vassal to the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Political and international interests also reached the island. In 1815, Georg Anton Schäffer arrived with the Russian American Company. He attempted to bring Kauai under the protection of the Russian Empire. This was part of a plan for exclusive trading privileges. A Russian flag was even raised over a fort at Waimea in 1817. However, Kaumualii eventually abandoned this relationship. He forced the Russians to leave the island. This period is known as the Schäffer affair.

Agriculture has been a pillar of the local economy for a long time. Sugarcane plantations dominated the island from the 1830s until the mid-20th century. The first plantation was founded in 1835. One specific plantation, Gay & Robinson, operated for 118 years. It finally stopped planting sugarcane in 2008. While sugarcane has vanished, the soil remains very fertile. Farmers now grow many different crops. These include mango, banana, papaya, avocado, and pineapple.

Today, the economy relies heavily on different sectors. Tourism is the largest industry on Kauaʻi. In 2007, over 1.2 million people visited the island. Most visitors come from the continental United States or Japan. This industry provides about one third of the island's income. Other important sectors include government and retail. Small businesses are very common on the island. In fact, 87% of non-farm businesses have fewer than 20 employees. The island continues to be a place of natural wonder and economic change.