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Oahu or Oahu in Hawaiian), known as "The Gathering Place", is the
third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands
in the State of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the
southeast coast. Including small close-in offshore islands such as
Ford Island and the islands in Kaneohe Bay and off the eastern coast,
it has a total land area of 596.7 square miles (1,545.4 km2), making
it the 20th largest island in the United States. In greatest
dimension, this volcanic island is 44 miles (71 km) long and 30 miles
(48 km) across. The length of the shoreline is 227 miles (365 km). The
island is the result of two separate shield volcanoes: Waiʻanae and
Koʻolau, with a broad "valley" or saddle (the central Oʻahu Plain)
between them. The highest point is Mt. Ka'ala in the Waianae Range,
rising to 4,003 feet (1,220 m) above sea level.
The opening battle of
World War
II in the Pacific for the United States was the Imperial Japanese
Navy preemptive attack on Pearl Harbor, Oʻahu on the morning of
December 7, 1941. The surprise attack was aimed at the Pacific Fleet
of the United States Navy and its defending Army Air Corps and Marine
Air Forces. The attack damaged or destroyed twelve American warships,
destroyed 188 aircraft, and resulted in the deaths of 2,403 American
servicemen and 68 civilians.
Today, Oahu has become a tourism and shopping haven as over five
million visitors (mainly from the American mainland and Japan) flock
there every year to enjoy the quintessential island holiday experience
that the Hawaiian Islands and their multicultural people now
personify. |
