Kauai, Hawaii

The Pacific Ocean at Kauai
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kauai.jpg
Author: Thomas E. Martin, Jr.


Kauai is the fourth largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Located on the western part of the archipelago, it covers 562.3 sq mi (1,430.4 sq km) and has a population of 65,700 people (2011 estimate). The island is in the Hawaiian/Aleutian Time Zone, which is UTC-10 with no daylight saving time.

The island of Kauai is within Kauai County, which also includes the islands of Kaula, Lehua and Niihau. The county seat is Lihu'e. It is the second most populous town on the island after Kapa'a. Being the farthest west of the main islands, Kauai developed its own distinct dialect of the Hawaiian language. Unfortunately the dialect is today extinct. If pronounced in the local dialect, the name Kauai will sound more like Tauai.

Kauai coast, Hawaii
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coast_of_Kauai,_Hawaii.jpg
Author: Paul Bica


As with the other islands of the archipelago, Kauai is volcanic. It is also the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands, being formed some six million years ago. The highest peak on Kauai is the 5,243-ft (1,598 m) Kawaikini.

Kauai is home to one of the wettest places on earth, the eastern side of Mount Wai'ale'ale, which receives an average annual rainfall of 460 in (12,000 mm). The heavy rain has carved deep valley in the mountains, and also created many scenic waterfalls. On the west coast of Kauai is the Waimea Canyon, one of the most scenic canyons in the world.

Unsurprisingly, the economy of Kauai is today dependent on tourism, with most of the visitors coming from mainland United States (84% of all arrivals) and Japan (3%). The hotel and food services industries are the biggest employer followed by government and retail. Kauai traditionally depended on sugar plantations, but today most of these plantations have closed.

Koloa Sugar Mill, the first commercially successful sugar plantation and mill in Hawaii
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Koloa_sugar_maill.jpg
Author: Jhofman

Visiting Kauai

Most visitors arrive from Honolulu by flight to Lihue Airport (LIH). There are also some non-stop flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Seattle/Tacoma.

Cities on Kauai

Na Pali Coast, Kauai
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Na_Pali_Coast_profile_Kauai.jpg
Author: Dcrjsr

Places of Interest in Kauai

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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.