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The "Big Island" of Hawaii. |
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Hawaii is known as "The Big Island" because it is
the largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It has a land mass of 4038 square
miles, making it some 555% larger than that of Maui, the 2nd largest
Hawaiian Island.
The Island of Hawaii is home to several volcanoes, 2
of
which are active today - Mauna Loa and Kīlauea. The
accompanying lava flow reaches all the way to the sea. |
They are major tourist spots, located in and
near the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Due to
these active lava flows, the island of Hawaii is still growing. As a
matter of fact, there is an active undersea volcano just 18 miles off
the SE coast that, according to geologists, will meet the Kilauea lava
flow in some 10,000 years.
That's primo real estate folks ...
... get your
deposits in early ... ; - )
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Keck Observatory at
the Mauna Kea summit |
In addition to active
volcanoes, some of the world's leading astronomy work is being
conducted at the
Mauna Kea Observatory at the summit of Mauna Kea,
the tallest mountain in the world (even taller than Mount
Everest, if you take into account that Mauna Kea starts from
the ocean floor - Everest is only tallest if you consider what's above sea level!).
In all, there are 12 telescopes in the
"Astronomy Precinct". |
There are several cities on the Big
Island. The 2 biggest are Hilo and Kailua-Kona.
Hilo is located on
the Eastern (Windward) side of the Island while Kailua-Kona is on the
Western (Leeward) side. In between these 2 cities lay the
mountains/volcanoes of the Big Island.
Kailua-Kona hosts the annual Ironman
triathlon, widely regarded as the premier event for competitive
triathletes.
Kailua Bay at Kailua-Kona
Ob the Big Island, there are plenty of things to see and do, including hiking and climbing.
The picyure to the left is of a small stream on the Hamakua Coast. |
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Another really cool thing that can be done in Hawaii, is swimming with the Dolphins at Dolphin Learning Center Lagoon.
This happens with a non-profit company called Dolphin Quest at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikoloa, on the Big Island. |
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