facts about Oahu

Quick Facts -- O‘ahu

The following are facts about the Island of Oahu.

• Nickname: The Gathering Place

• Flower: 'ilima

• Color: yellow

• Area: 597.1 square miles

• Average temperature: 68� to 81� F

• Average rainfall: 23 inches per year on the coast

• Population (1998): 872,478

Although the City and County of Honolulu is the smallest (geographically) of the four Hawai'i counties, it has three-fourths of the state's population.

- By age (1997):
Under 5: 7.9 %
5 to 19: 20.3 %
20 to 44: 38.3 %
45 to 64: 21.2 %
65+: 12.9 %

- By ethnic group (1998):
Caucasian : 22%
Japanese: 20 %
Hawaiian/part Hawaiian: 19 %
Filipino: 13 %
Chinese: 5 %

- By urban area (1990):
Honolulu: 377,059
Kailua: 36,818
Kane'ohe: 35,448

• Government:
The island of O'ahu is governed by the City and County of Honolulu. The county also includes most of the unpopulated Northwestern Hawaiian Islands extending to Kure Atoll, which is 1,367 miles from Honolulu. The County is operated by a mayor, a nine-member city council, and the county's departments and agencies.

• Major industries: tourism, agriculture

- Tourism:
Most visitors to Hawai'i either stop or stay on O'ahu. Visitor arrivals in 1999 totaled 4,731,940. For the most current visitor arrival statistics, visit the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT).

- Agriculture:
Despite its urban nature, many crops are grown on O'ahu. Vegetables and fruits -- including pineapple -- are cultivated. Sugarcane production ended in 1996.

- Aquaculture (1996): There are 44 operations with a production value of $2.1 million.

For more information visit the Department of Agriculture.

• Major Attractions: Waikiki, Diamond Head crater, the Arizona Memorial, the world-class winter surf on the North Shore, the Pali Lookout, and Hanauma Bay. Click here for a complete list of O'ahu attractions.

• Commerce:
O'ahu is the center of business and government for the State of Hawai'i. Downtown Honolulu is Hawai'i's financial center.

• Financial Institutions:
As of 1998 O'ahu had 6 banks with 127 branches. Other financial services include savings and loan associations and credit unions.

• Print and broadcast media:
Honolulu has two daily English-language newspapers: The Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, as well as several non-English papers. In 1997 there were 17 AM and 14 FM commercial radio stations, 9 commercial TV stations, 1 public TV station and 2 cable TV companies with 256,436 subscribers. For more local media links, click here.

• Military:
The majority of military personnel and dependents stationed in Hawai'i reside on O'ahu, which is home to Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and the unified military command for the Pacific (CINCPAC).

• Health care:
In 1998 there were 2,420 doctors, 804 dentists, 7,258 nurses and 605 pharmacists on O'ahu. Major hospitals include Castle Medical Center; Kaiser Permanente; Kapi'olani Medical Center; Kuakini Medical Center; St. Francis Medical Center; Wahiawa General Hospital; The Queens Medical Center; Straub Clinic and Hospital; and Hawai'i State Hospital (mental health).

• Education:
Higher education facilities include the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Brigham Young University-Hawai'i, Chaminade University and Hawai'i Pacific University. There are four community colleges.

• Science and technology:
Research facilities at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa include the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, Institute for Astronomy, Hawaii Institute for Geophysics, the Pacific Biomedical Research Center and the Marine Bioproducts Engineering Center.

• Notable facts:

O'ahu is the third largest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands, and also the most densely populated. Nearly 75 percent of the state's 1.2 million residents live on the island.

The capital city of Honolulu, on the southern coast of the island, is the hub of commerce for the entire state. Most food and manufactured goods are shipped to Hawai'i through Honolulu Harbor and then distributed to the neighbor islands.

The island of O'ahu was formed nearly four million years ago, by two now-dormant volcanoes that also created the Ko'olau and Waianae mountain ranges. These ranges run the length of the island's eastern and western coasts, respectively, and create specific weather patterns for parts of the island. More rain falls on the eastern, or windward, side of O'ahu, making it thick with vegetation. The western, or leeward, side of the island is drier and sunnier.

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