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Hawaii (island)
Hawaii-Big-Island-TF

3D computer image of the island

Hawai'i (named after Hawai'iloa, the legendary Polynesian navigator who discovered the islands) is one of the five counties of Hawai'i. It is comprised entirely of the big island of Hawai'i, which has an area of 5,086.70 sq mi (13,174 km2), of which 4,028.02 sq mi (10,433 km2) is land. This land area is approximately 62.7% of the land area of the state, and is the largest percentage of a state's land area by one county in the US.

The population of Hawai'i at the 2010 census was 185,079. The county seat and largest city is Hilo. It is an island, and has no land boundaries. It's closest neighbor is Maui County, 30 miles northwest. The closest county in another state is Mendocino County, California, 2,285 miles to the northeast.

Hawai'i County is unique in another respect: this is the only county in the US that is growing in size. Kilauea volcano has been erupting constantly since 1983, and lava flows reaching the shoreline have added 543 acres (220 ha, 0.85 square miles) since then.

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