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Kalawao County

Kalawao is one of the five counties of Hawai'i. It is co-extensive with a national historic park on the north coast of the island of Molokai. Kalawao covers 52.33 sq mi (136 km2), but only 13.21 sq mi (34 km2) of land, making it the smallest county in area in the United States. The 2010 census recorded 90 people, making it the second smallest county in population, behind Loving County, Texas.

The county is comprised of the area used for leper colonies in the 19th and 20th centuries. The special needs of the area, and the extremely rugged terrain surrounding the colony, made it very difficult for Maui County to properly serve the residents. As a result, Kalawao is mostly administered by the state government. There is no county seat per se. The largest community is the village of Kalaupapa.

The current residents of Kalawao are all former patients who preferred to continue living there, and no new residents are allowed.

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