If you can name it, we probably have it here on the Big Island. From scuba to skiing, or from racing to relaxing on the beach, we have it all. The Big Island is home to some of the worlds best golf, scuba, fishing, beaches and hiking. The ultimate test of human endurance, The Ironman World Championship, is held on the Big Island. Those of us who live here also enjoy some more simple things that are often taken for granted: amazing sunsets, friendly people, a perfect climate, and a lifestyle that is the envy of everyone we know!!!
Just a few of the activities you can find are listed to the left.
Hawaii is the 50th state of the United States, comprising a group of eight major islands and numerous islets in the central Pacific Ocean.
Area, 6,450 sq mi (16,706 sq km).
Pop. (2000) 1,211,537, a 9.3% increase since the 1990 census.
Capital and largest city, Honolulu.
Nickname, Aloha State.
Motto, Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono [The Life of the Land Is Perpetuated in Righteousness].
State bird, Hawaiian goose known as a "Nene". 
State flower, hibiscus.
State tree, Kukui Nut Tree or candlenut.
The Big Island is made up of three volcanic mountain masses rising from the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai. Lava flows, some of which reach the sea, and volcanic ash cover parts of the island. The north and northeast coasts are rugged with high cliffs; the west and south coasts are generally low, with some good beaches. An unusual black-sand beach lies on the southeast coast.
The Hawaiian Islands are of volcanic origin and are edged with coral reefs. Oahu, where the capital, Honolulu, is located, is the most populous and economically important. The other principal islands are Kahoolawe, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and Niihau . The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, consisting of uninhabited islets and excluding Midway, stretch more than 1,100 mi (1,800 km) from Nihoa to Kure. Most of islets are encompassed in the Hawaiian Island National Wildlife Refuge; the surrounding waters and coral reefs are in the vast 84-million-acre (34-million-hectare) Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Reserve. Palmyra atoll and Kingman Reef , which were within the boundaries of Hawaii when it was a U.S. territory, were excluded when statehood was achieved.
 Sugarcane and pineapples, grown chiefly on large company-owned plantations, are the major agricultural products and the basis of the islands' principal industry, food processing. Macadamia nuts, papayas, greenhouse vegetables, and coffee are also important. Other products include cocoa, cattle, and dairy products. Commercial fishing, especially tuna, is also significant. Tourism is, however, the leading source of income, and defense installations, including Pearl Harbor, follow.
*Information from Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition |