The Island of Hawaiʻi, also called the Big Island or Hawaiʻi Island ( /həˈwaɪ.i/ or /həˈwɑːiː/; Hawaiian: [həˈwɐiʔi] or [həˈvɐiʔi]), is a volcanic island (the eastern-most and southern-most in the Hawaiian islands chain) in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of 4,028 square miles (10,430 km), it is larger than all of the other Hawaiian Islands combined and is the largest island in the United States. The Island of Hawaiʻi is administered as the...
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The Island of Hawaiʻi, also called the Big Island or Hawaiʻi Island ( /həˈwaɪ.i/ or /həˈwɑːiː/; Hawaiian: [həˈwɐiʔi] or [həˈvɐiʔi]), is a volcanic island (the eastern-most and southern-most in the Hawaiian islands chain) in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of 4,028 square miles (10,430 km), it is larger than all of the other Hawaiian Islands combined and is the largest island in the United States. The Island of Hawaiʻi is administered as the County of Hawaiʻi within the state of Hawaii. The county seat is Hilo. In modern times, Hawaiʻi is known as the "Big Island" to reduce confusion between Hawaiʻi Island and the state.
Hawaiʻi is said to have been named for Hawaiʻiloa, the legendary Polynesian navigator who first discovered it. Other accounts attribute the name to the legendary realm of Hawaiki, a place from which the Polynesians originated (see also Manua), the place where they go in the afterlife, the realm of the gods and goddesses. Captain James Cook, who called them the ...
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