Kahoolawe, Hawaii

Kahoolawe is the smallest of the eight main islands of the Hawaiian archipelago. It covers 44.6 sq mi (115.5 sq km). Kahoolawe measures 11 miles (18 km) long and 6 miles (9.7 km) across.

Kahoolawe is arid, as it is in the rain shadow of Maui's Haleakala volcano. The island is today uninhabited due mainly to the lack of readily available freshwater. It was used by the US military for live-fire training, which was eventually ended in 1990.

Kahoolawe coastal landscape
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_041014-0205_Chamaesyce_celastroides.jpg
Author: Forest & Kim Starr


The highest point on Kahoolawe is Puu Moaulanui, at 1,477 ft (450 m) above sea level. It is part of the crater of Lua Makika.

Today the island has been established as the Kahoolawe Island Reserve (since 1993), and is used mainly by native Hawaiians for cultural and religious purposes.

Visiting Kahoolawe

Presently Kahoolawe has not been developed for tourism, so there are no regular public transport to the island.

Arid landscape of Lua Makika on Kahoolawe
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_030429-0055_Chenopodium_oahuense.jpg
Author: Forest & Kim Starr

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.