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Hawaii > Big Island
Big Island Hawaii
Its official name is the Island of Hawaii, but you rarely hear this. Commonly it is called the Big Island, because it's nearly twice the size of all the other Hawaiian islands combined.
The Big Island of Hawaii has other unofficial names: some call it the "Orchid Isle" due to the 100,00 plus species of orchids grown there. Sometime it is named "Volcano Island", because at the heart of the Big Island there are two towering volcanic peaks, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
Geographically the Big Island of Hawaii is the most diverse island of the archipelago with eleven of the 14 known climate zones in the world: from desert lavascapes to tropical rain forests, from beaches to snow-capped mountains.
The highest point of Big Island Hawaii is Mauna Kea (that means "White mountain") at 13,796 ft above sea level and home to the world's largest astronomical observatory, with telescopes operated by astronomers from eleven countries of the world.
In the center of the island, south of Mauna Kea, there is another volcano, Mauna Loa. This volcano forms a part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the most unique attraction of the Big Island Hawaii.
The west side of the Big Island of Hawaii is dry and hot, and its east side is wet. As a Hawaiian legend says, it's the result of the battle between the volcano goddess Pele and Kamapuaa, a demi-god who could control the weather. During the battle she covered the land with barren lava, he brought torrents of rain to extinguish her fires.
Built on layers of lava, Kailua-Kona on the west side of the Big Island is the busiest travel destination. Most Big Island hotels lie here along a 70 mile coastline. The Victorian-style town features new shopping malls, boutiques and restaurants.
The main airport of Big Island Hawaii is situated at Kailua-Kona. Another one - at Hilo, the working town and port on the wet tropical east coast. Both are about 55 minutes flight from Oahu with hourly flights (6am to 7pm) and several connecting flights each day via Maui.
Big Island Hawaii top attractions >>