Honolulu
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What is Honolulu?
Honolulu, Hawaii's capital and main port, is a modern city on the southeastern shore of Oahu Island. Extending 10 miles along the shore and 4 miles inland to the Koolau Range foothills, it serves as a hub for trans-Pacific shipping, interisland services, and the state's commerce and industry. Honolulu, meaning "protected bay," was officially declared a city in 1850 by King Kamehameha III, although it had been the de facto capital since 1845. Honolulu is also the educational nucleus of the state and is the site of the University of Hawaii in Manoa Valley.
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Where is Honolulu located?
Honolulu is the capital and principal port of Hawaii, located on the southeastern shore of Oahu Island. The city extends 10 miles along the shore and 4 miles inland, nestled in the foothills of the Koolau Range. Honolulu is a vital hub for trans-Pacific shipping and air routes and serves as the commercial and industrial center of the state. Honolulu became the capital of the Hawaiian Islands in 1845 and was officially declared a city in 1850 by King Kamehameha III.
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Why is Honolulu important to Hawaii?
Honolulu is Hawaii's capital and principal port, located along Oahu's southeastern shore. In 1845, Honolulu became the de facto capital, and in 1850, it was officially declared the capital by King Kamehameha III.
Honolulu serves as the state's commercial and industrial center and a crossroads for trans-Pacific shipping and air routes. Honolulu Harbor is the center of Hawaiian shipping. Honolulu is also the educational nucleus of Hawaii. The majority of Hawaii's residents live on Oahu, with nearly three-fourths residing in Honolulu and its metropolitan area.
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What is the climate like in Honolulu?
Honolulu has a mild tropical climate, which many consider ideal. Temperatures are comfortable because of the northeast trade winds. Summer (May–October) brings high temperatures and reliable trade winds. Winter (November–April) is the rainy season, with cooler temperatures and frequent rainstorms.
The average temperature in Honolulu ranges from the low 70s F (about 22 °C) in the coolest month to the high 70s F (about 26 °C) in the warmest, but extreme temperatures have ranged from the high 50s F (about 14 °C) to the low 90s F (about 33 °C). The average yearly rainfall in Honolulu is 23 inches (590 mm).
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What are some popular attractions or landmarks in Honolulu?
Honolulu, Hawaii, offers a variety of popular attractions and landmarks. Waikiki, with its world-famous beaches and luxury hotels, is a major tourist destination offering water sports, an aquarium, a zoo, and the International Market Place for Pacific Basin crafts. Diamond Head, an extinct volcano, is another distinctive landmark.
Other notable sites include Hanauma Bay, part of Koko Head Regional Park, known for snorkeling, and Pearl Harbor, the site of the first Japanese attack against the United States in World War II. Honolulu is also home to the Bishop Museum, which has Polynesian collections, and the Honolulu Academy of Arts, considered the cultural center of Hawaii.
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How has Honolulu's history influenced its culture today?
Honolulu's culture is a layered mix of various cultural influences. Initially a small settlement, Honolulu grew in importance in the 1800s as a hub for trade and whaling. This led to economic development and an influx of migrants. The legacy of colonialism once diminished Native Hawaiian culture, but a renaissance in the 1970s sparked a resurgence of traditional practices like the Hawaiian language, hula, and canoe voyaging.
Today, Honolulu embraces its multicultural identity, celebrating traditions like the Chinese New Year and the Japanese Bon Festival. The "Aloha Spirit" reflects the diverse communities living together. Honolulu has become a cultural center with institutions such as the Honolulu Academy of Arts and the Bishop Museum.
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Honolulu, capital and principal port of Hawaii, U.S., seat of Honolulu county. A modern city, it extends about 10 miles (16 km) along the southeastern shore of Oahu Island and 4 miles (6 km) inland across a plain into the foothills of the Koolau Range. It is the crossroads of trans-Pacific shipping and air routes, the focus of interisland services, and the commercial and industrial centre of the state. The city-county (area 597 square miles [1,545 square km]) comprises all of Oahu and some outlying islets, which have an area aggregate of only 3 square miles (8 square km) but extend for more than 1,300 miles (2,100 km) and constitute the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuge. It is administered as a single entity and has about 80 percent of the state’s population.
Hawaiian legend indicates a settlement at Honolulu (meaning “protected bay”) in 1100. Overlooked by Captain James Cook and other early explorers, the harbour with its outlet through the reef of Nuuanu Stream and sheltered by Sand Island was entered by Captain William Brown in 1794. After 1820 Honolulu assumed first importance in the islands and flourished as a base for sandalwood traders and whalers. A Russian group arrived there in 1816, and the port was later occupied by the British (1843) and the French (1849) but was returned to King Kamehameha III, who on August 31, 1850, officially declared Honolulu a city and the capital of his kingdom (Honolulu had been the de facto capital since 1845). In December 1941 the city and the adjacent Pearl Harbor naval-military complex came under Japanese aerial attack. Honolulu became a prime staging area for the remainder of World War II, a position it retained during the Korean War and until the end of the Indochina (Vietnam) conflict in 1973. Military expenditure remains an important source of income.
The port serves numerous manufacturing plants in the city-county, including pineapple canneries, sugar refineries, clothing factories, and steel, aluminum, oil, cement, and dairying enterprises. The international airport is one of the busiest in the United States, with nearby Waikiki—which has a beach lined with luxury hotels and contains an aquarium, zoo, and the lively International Market Place for Pacific basin crafts—as the primary destination of tourists.
Honolulu is the educational nucleus of the state and is the site of the University of Hawaii in Manoa Valley (1907) with its East-West Center (established in 1960 for technical and cultural exchange); Chaminade University (1955); Hawaii Pacific University (1953); Honolulu (1920) and Kapi’olani (1965) community colleges; and the Kamehameha Schools (1887) for children of Hawaiian descent. The Bishop Museum (1889) has noted Polynesian collections, and the Honolulu Academy of Arts (1927), considered to be the cultural centre of Hawaii, sponsors a wide range of programs. Punchbowl, a 2,000-foot- (600-metre-) wide crater 1 mile (2 km) inland, contains the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific with some 24,000 graves of World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War dead.
The focus of Honolulu’s civic centre is the Iolani Palace (completed 1882); it is now a museum but served as the legislative seat until replaced by the nearby new State Capitol (an unusual rectangular structure featuring legislative chambers shaped like volcanoes and columns shaped like royal palms). Within a two-block radius of the palace are several historic buildings, including Kawaiahao Church (1841) and the early Mission Houses, built in the 1820s from lumber brought from Boston around Cape Horn by the first missionary contingents. The Library of Hawaii and the Honolulu Hale (City Hall) are also in the vicinity. Famous figures born in Honolulu include Queen Liliuokalani (born 1838), U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye (1924), singer and actress Bette Midler (1945), President Barack Obama (1961), actress Nicole Kidman (1967), actor Jason Momoa (1979), and singer Bruno Mars (1985).
Inc. city, 1909. Pop. (2010) 337,256; Honolulu Metro Area, 953,207; (2020) 350,964; Urban Honolulu Metro Area, 1,016,508.