The Island of Hawaiʻi, also called the Big Island or Hawaiʻi Island (pronounced /həˈwaɪ.i/ in English and [həˈwɐiʔi] or [həˈvɐiʔi] in Hawaiian), is a volcanic island in the U.S. State of Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of 4,028 square miles (10,432 km²), it is larger than all of the other Hawaiian Islands combined and is the largest island in the United States.
Hawaiʻi is said to have been named for Hawaiʻiloa, the legendary Polyn...
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The Island of Hawaiʻi, also called the Big Island or Hawaiʻi Island (pronounced /həˈwaɪ.i/ in English and [həˈwɐiʔi] or [həˈvɐiʔi] in Hawaiian), is a volcanic island in the U.S. State of Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of 4,028 square miles (10,432 km²), it is larger than all of the other Hawaiian Islands combined and is the largest island in the United States.
Hawaiʻi is said to have been named for Hawaiʻiloa, the legendary Polynesian navigator who first discovered it. However, other accounts attribute the name to the legendary land or 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.
The Island of Hawaiʻi is administered as the County of Hawaiʻi. The county seat is Hilo. It is estimated that as of the year 2008, the island had a resident population of 201,109.
Hawaiʻi was the home island of Pai`ea Kamehameha, called by Westerners Kamehameha the Great, who by 1795 had...
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