O‘ahu (pronounced [oˈʔɐhu], anglicized Oahu /oʊˈɑːhuː/), known as "The Gathering Place", is the

third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people -- about two-thirds
of the population of the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. The state capital, Honolulu, is on O‘ahu's southeast
coast. Including small associated islands such as Ford Island and the islands in Kāneʻohe
Bay and off the eastern (windward) coast, its area is 596.7 square miles (1,545.4 km2), making it
the 20th-largest island in the United States.[1]
O‘ahu is 44 miles (71 km) long and 30 miles (48 km) across. Its shoreline is 227 miles (365 km)
long. The island is composed of two separate shield volcanoes: the Wai‘anae and Koʻolau
Ranges, with a broad "valley" or saddle (the central O‘ahu Plain) between them. The highest
point is Kaʻala in the Wai‘anae Range, rising to 4,003 feet (1,220 m) above sea level.[2]

Contents

 1Introduction
 2History
o 2.1Law enforcement
 3Tourist attractions
o 3.1Top beaches
o 3.2Attractions
 4In media
o 4.1Films
o 4.2Games
o 4.3Literature
o 4.4Television
 5Renewable energy
 6Notable people
 7See also
 8References
 9External links

Introduction[edit]
The island was home to 953,207 people in 2010 (approximately 72% of the population of the
state, with approximately 81% of those living in or near the Honolulu urban area).[3] O‘ahu has for
a long time been known as the "Gathering Place". The term O‘ahu has no confirmed meaning
in Hawaiian, other than that of the place itself.[4] Ancient Hawaiian tradition attributes the name's
origin in the legend of Hawai‘iloa, the Polynesian navigator credited with discovery of the
Hawaiian Islands. The story relates that he named the island after a son.
Residents of O‘ahu refer to themselves as "locals" (as done throughout Hawai‘i), no matter their
ancestry.
The city of Honolulu—largest city, state capital, and main deepwater marine port for the State of
Hawai‘i—is located here. As a jurisdictional unit, the entire island of O‘ahu is in the Honolulu
County, although as a place name, Honolulu occupies only a portion of the southeast end of the
island.
Well-known features found on O‘ahu include Waikīkī, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, Hanauma
Bay, Kāne‘ohe Bay, Kailua Bay, North Shore.
While the entire island is officially the City and County of Honolulu, locals identify settlements
using town names (generally those of the Census Designated Places, and consider the island to
be divided into various areas, which may overlap. The most commonly accepted areas are the
"City", "Town" or "Town side", which is the urbanized area from Halawa to the area below
Diamond Head (residents of the island north of the Ko‘olau Mountains consider the Town Side to
be the entire southern half), "West O‘ahu," which goes from Pearl Harbor to Kapolei, ‘Ewa and
may include the Mākaha and Wai‘anae areas; the "North Shore" (northwestern coast); the
"Windward Side" (northeastern coast from Kahuku to Kāneʻohe); the "East Side" or "East Coast"
(the eastern portion of the island, from Kāne‘ohe on the northeast, around the tip of the island to
include much of the area east of Diamond Head); and "The Valley" or "Central O‘ahu" which runs
northwest from Pearl Harbor toward Hale‘iwa. These terms are somewhat flexible, depending on
the area in which the user lives, and are used in a mostly general way, but residents of each
area identify strongly with their part of the island, especially those outside of widely-known towns.
For instance, if locals are asked where they live, they would usually reply "Windward O‘ahu"
rather than "Lā‘ie".
Being roughly diamond-shaped, surrounded by ocean and divided by mountain ranges,
directions on Oʻahu are not generally described with the compass directions found throughout
the world. Locals instead use directions originally using Honolulu as the central point. To
go ‘ewa means traveling toward the western tip of the island, "Diamond Head" is toward the
eastern tip, mauka is inland (toward the central Koolau Mountain range, north of Honolulu)
and makai toward the sea. When these directions became common, Diamond Head was the
eastern edge of the primary populated area. Today, with a much larger populace and extensive
development, the mountain itself is often not actually to the east when directions are given, and
is not to be used as a literal point of reference—to go "Diamond Head" is to go to the east from
anywhere on the island.
O‘ahu is also known for having the longest rain shower in history, which lasted for 200
consecutive days. Kāne‘ohe Ranch, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i reported 247 straight days with rain from
August 27, 1993 to April 30, 1994. The island has many nicknames one of them being "rainbow
state." This is because rainbows are a common sight in Hawai‘i due to the frequent rain showers.
The average temperature in O‘ahu is around 70–85 °F (21–29 °C) and the island is the warmest
in June through October. The weather during the winter is cooler, but still warm with an average
temperature of 68–78 °F (20–26 °C).
The windward side is known for some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Lanikai
Beach on the windward coast of O‘ahu has been consistently ranked among the best beaches in
the world.[5]

History[edit]
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Pearl Harbor is the home of the largest U.S. Navy fleet in the Pacific. The harbor was attacked
on December 7, 1941, by the Japanese, bringing the United States into World War II.
USS Arizona Memorial (right); USS Missouri (left) in Pearl Harbor
The island has been inhabited since at least 3rd century A.D.[6] The 304-year-old Kingdom of
O‘ahu was once ruled by the most ancient aliʻi in all of the Hawaiian Islands. The first great king
of O‘ahu was Maʻilikākahi, the lawmaker, who was followed by many generation of monarchs.
Kualiʻi was the first of the warlike kings and so were his sons. In 1773, the throne fell upon
Kahahana, the son of Elani of Ewa. In 1783, Kahekili II, King of Maui, conquered O‘ahu and
deposed the reigning family and then made his son, Kalanikūpule, king of Oʻahu. Kamehameha
the Great would conquer in the mountain Kalanikūpule's force in the Battle of Nuʻuanu.
Kamehameha founded the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi with the conquest of Oʻahu in 1795. Hawaiʻi
would not be unified until the islands of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau surrendered under King Kaumualiʻi in
1810. Kamehameha III moved his capital from Lāhainā, Maui to Honolulu, Oʻahu in 1845. ʻIolani
Palace, built later by other members of the royal family, is still standing, and is the only royal
palace on American soil.
Oʻahu was apparently the first of the Hawaiian Islands sighted by the crew of HMS Resolution on
January 19, 1778, during Captain James Cook's third Pacific expedition. Escorted
by HMS Discovery, the expedition was surprised to find high islands this far north in the central
Pacific. Oʻahu was not actually visited by Europeans until February 28, 1779, when
Captain Charles Clerke aboard HMS Resolutionstepped ashore at Waimea Bay. Clerke had
taken command of the ship after James Cook was killed at Kealakekua Bay (island of Hawaiʻi) on
February 14, and was leaving the islands for the North Pacific. With the discovery of the
Hawaiian Islands came the introduction of disease, mosquitoes, and aggressive foreign animals.
Although indirect, the simple exposure to these foreign species caused permanent damage to
the Native Hawaiian people and environment.
The Imperial Japanese Navy's attack on Pearl Harbor, Oʻahu on the morning of December 7,
1941 brought the United States into World War II. The surprise attack was aimed at the Pacific
Fleet of the United States Navy and its defending Army Air Forces and Marine Air Forces. The
attack damaged or destroyed twelve American warships, destroyed 188 aircraft, and resulted in
the deaths of 2,335 American servicemen and 68 civilians (of those, 1,177 were the result of the
destruction of the USS Arizona alone). At the time, Hawaiʻi was not yet a state.
Today, Oʻahu has become a tourism and shopping haven. Over five million visitors (mainly from
the contiguous United States and Japan) flock there every year to enjoy the quintessential island
holiday experience.

Law enforcement[edit]
Oʻahu boasts of having had the Olympic Gold Medal winner Duke Kahanamoku serve as Sheriff,
perhaps the only such athlete to serve as a law enforcement professional. He held that office for
13 consecutive terms, from 1932 until 1961.
Visitors should be aware that some of the police vehicles on Oʻahu (and on the "Big Island" of
Hawaiʻi) are unmarked except for the blue lights mounted on their roofs.[7] Any officer making a
stop for non-emergency traffic infractions is required to be in uniform. With most of these
unmarked units being personally owned vehicles, they may be of any make, model or color.
Under most circumstances, regulations require these roof lights to have a "cruise" mode, in
which a steady, dim illumination can be seen.

Tourist attractions[edit]
Downtown Honolulu

Waikīkī Beach is one of the most known beaches in the world.

Valley of the Temples Memorial Park near the island's eastern shore

Jellyfish swim in a tank at Waikīkī Aquarium.

Mokoliʻi island, also known as Chinaman's Hat, offshore of Kualoa Valley

Top beaches[edit]
 Ala Moana Beach
 Hanauma Bay
 Kāneʻohe Bay
 Ko Olina Beach Park
 Kailua
 Lanikai Beach
 Papailoa Beach
 Sandy Beach
 Sunset Beach
 Waikīkī Beach
 Waimānalo Beach
 Waimea Bay
Attractions[edit]
 Ala Moana
 Aloha Tower
 Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa
 Banzai Pipeline
 Bishop Museum
 Diamond Head
 Dole Plantation
 Foster Botanical Garden
 Kaʻena Point
 Honolulu
 Honolulu Museum of Art
 Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden
 ʻIolani Palace
 Kualoa Ranch
 Lāʻie Hawaii Temple
 Nuʻuanu Pali Lookout
 Mauna ʻAla
 Makapuu Lighthouse
 National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific or "Punchbowl"
 North Shore
 Pali Lookout
 Pearl Harbor
 Polynesian Cultural Center
 Triple Crown of Surfing
 USS Arizona Memorial
 USS Missouri
 Valley of the Temples Memorial Park
 Waikīkī
 Waikīkī Aquarium
 Waimea Valley Audubon Center
 Waimea Valley

Helicopter view of Oʻahu

Hanauma Bay

In media[edit]
Due to its beauty, easy access from Hollywood, and incentives offered by the state and local
governments, Oʻahu has been featured in many movies and television shows. A sampling of
notable films and shows that have shot scenes on Oʻahu includes, but is not limited to:

Films[edit]
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 50 First Dates
 Aloha
 Battleship (2012) is set and filmed on location on Oʻahu and the other Hawaiian islands
 Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding
 Blue Crush
 Forgetting Sarah Marshall
 From Here to Eternity (1953)
 Godzilla (2014)
 The Disney Channel movie Johnny Tsunami as well as its sequel, Johnny Kapahala, use
Oʻahu as the hometown of the family
 Jaws
 Jurassic Park movies
 Kong: Skull Island
 Mighty Joe Young
 Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
 North Shore (1987)
 Pearl Harbor
 Some scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides were filmed on Oʻahu
 Soul Surfer
 The Descendants
 The Even Stevens Movie, also by Disney, was filmed in various locations on Oʻahu
 The Karate Kid Part II
 Tora! Tora! Tora!
 Windtalkers
 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Many scenes from the arena were filmed on Oʻahu
Games[edit]
 In the video games Test Drive Unlimited and Test Drive Unlimited 2 players can drive around
O'ahu island's 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of road.[8]
 Some aircraft can be flown over Oʻahu as it appeared during the later years of World War II
in the online multiplayer combat flight simulator War Thunder. Most American aircraft can be
flown from the Pearl Harbor airstrip in the game's Test Flight mode.
 Microsoft Flight, released in 2012 as the successor to the Microsoft Flight Simulator series,
was set on island of Hawaiʻi. The game had a piece of downloadable content (DLC)
called Hawaiian Adventure Pack. Once purchased, it brought detail to all of the Hawaiian
islands to the game, including Oʻahu. The DLC also brought new airports to land and take off
from and new missions to complete, among other things.
 In Pokémon Sun and Moon, Melemele Island is based on Oʻahu.
Literature[edit]
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 The novel From Here to Eternity (1951) and the film and television series based on it all end
with the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
 Michael Crichton's posthumous techno-thriller novel, Micro, is set in the island of Oʻahu.
 Boyd Morrison's book The Tsunami Countdown is set on Oʻahu.
 Alan Brennert's book Honolulu tells the fictional tale of Korean girls who came to Oʻahu in the
early part of t