United StatesHawaiian IslandsVolcanic island
Hawaii
10,434 km² rising to 4,207 m out of the Pacific Ocean.
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
10,434km²
Area
461km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
4,207m
Highest point
Mauna Kea
198,449
People
27°C
Warmest sea
September
3,846km
To the mainland
When to go to Hawaii
Best for the beach from June to October.
The sea is warmest in September (27 °C) and coolest in March (24 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Largest of the Hawaiian islands
Hawaii is an volcanic island in United States. It belongs to Hawaiian Islands. It covers 10,434 km², with 461 km of coastline. Its highest point, Mauna Kea, rises to 4,207 m. About 198,449 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 3,846 km away.
Getting there
- Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole (KOA)main airport (3 on the island with scheduled flights)Car hire at KOA airport (Kailua-Kona)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- 3,846 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From June to Octoberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Hawaii.
- 71beachesKe'ei Beach, Hapuna Beach, Lagoon Beach and 68 more
- 86viewpointsUekahuna, Waldron Ledge, Nāpau Crater Overlook and 83 more
- 3lighthousesKauhola Point Lighthouse, Ka Lae Lighthouse, Waiākea Light
- 5marinasWailoa River Small Boat Harbor, Honokōhau Small Boat Harbor and 3 more
- 400named peaks1949 Cone, 1940 Cone, Pōhakuhanalei and 397 more
- 23volcanoesMauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualālai and 20 more
- 122waterfallsKahuna Falls, Wai‘alae Falls, Poakana Falls and 119 more
- 34ruins and archaeological sitesPetroglyphs, Naha Stone, Hilo Coast Railway Flag Pole Base and 31 more
- 6dive centresKona Honu Divers, Boss Frog's Dive & Surf, Hilo Ocean Adventures and 3 more
- 7surf spotsHonoli‘i, Elevators, First Bay and 4 more
- 4waymarked walking routesCrater Rim Trail, Walua Road/Honl's Beach, The Streamside Trail of Waimea and 1 more
- 25campsitesNāpau Crater Camp Site, Malama Kiholo, Boy Scout Camp Honokaia and 22 more
- 146hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 421restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Hawaii in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Hawaii, each with its own numbers.
49beaches and covesCoastya
6waterfallsCascadyas
Tallest waterfall
792m
Waihilau Falls
according to Cascadyas
Beach with the warmest sea
27.2°C
Kapahukapu Manini Beach
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
49 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Magic Sands Beach27.2°C
- Punalu‘u Beach26.6°C
- Kehena Beach26.5°C
- Beans Beach27.2°C
- Honokohau Beach27.2°C
- Kamakahonu Beach27.2°C
- Kapahukapu Manini Beach27.2°C
- Bakers Beach26.6°C
41 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
6 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Waihilau Falls792m
- Hiʻilawe Falls442m
- Akaka Falls State Park
- Rainbow Falls
- Umauma Falls
- Poakana Falls
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 1,179 m above the sea. 15 % of it is below 200 m.
- 6 %0–50 m
- 9 %50–200 m
- 13 %200–500 m
- 22 %500–1,000 m
- 31 %1,000–2,000 m
- 19 %> 2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
100 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Hilo43,263 people
- Kailua-Kona11,975 people
- Hawaiian Paradise Park11,404 people
- Kalaoa9,644 people
- Waimea9,212 people
- Hōlualoa8,538 people
- Waikoloa4,806 people
- Hawaiian Ocean View4,437 people
- Hawaiian Beaches4,280 people
- Mountain View3,924 people
- Kahaluu-Keauhou3,549 people
- Captain Cook3,429 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 20 |
| Night low (°C) | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
| Sea (°C) | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
| Rain (mm) | 147 | 155 | 224 | 192 | 138 | 106 | 120 | 140 | 119 | 136 | 169 | 171 |
| Wet days | 13 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Sun h/day | 7.3 | 7.1 | 6.7 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 6.7 |
| Wind (km/h) | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +1.0 |
| 2021 | +0.8 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.5 | +0.1 | +0.2 |
| 2022 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.4 |
| 2023 | +0.8 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.5 |
| 2024 | +0.6 | +0.1 | −0.1 | −0.3 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.6 |
| 2025 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.7 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q68740) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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