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Northernmost populated island of the Hawaiian archipelago
the Childish Gambino EP

Kauai , anglicized as Kauai (/lang/'/k//aʊ//aɪ/ KOWeye or /k//ɑː/'/w//ɑː//.//iː/ kahWAHee), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth largest of the islands and the 21st largest island in the United States. Kauaʻi lies 73 miles (117 km) northwest of Oʻahu, across the Kauaʻi Channel. The island's 2020 population was 73,298. Styling itself the "Garden Isle", Kauaʻi is the site of Waimea Canyon State Park and Na Pali Coast State Park. It forms the bulk of Kauai County, which also includes the small nearby islands of Kaʻula, Lehua, and Niʻihau.

Hawaiian narrative derives the name's origin from the legend of Hawaiʻiloa, the Polynesian navigator credited with discovering the Hawaiian Islands. The story relates that he named the island after a favorite son; a possible translation of Kauaʻi is "place around the neck", describing how a father would carry his child. Another possible translation is "food season". Kauaʻi was known for its distinct dialect of the Hawaiian language, which still survives on Niʻihau. While the dominant dialect is based on that of Hawaiʻi island, which has no sound, the Kauaʻi dialect had this sound. This happened because the Kauaʻi dialect had retained the old Polynesian sound, replaced in the "standard" Hawaiʻi dialect by This difference applies to all words with these sounds, so the Kauaian name for Kauaʻi was pronounced "Tauaʻi", and Kapaʻa was pronounced "Tapaʻa".

Polynesian inhabitants settled on the island centuries before others arrived, as shown by excavations dating from 200 to 600 BCE. These first inhabitants, originally from the Marquesas Islands, lived undisturbed for around five centuries until a second wave arrived by sea canoe from Tahiti. Many Hawaiian traditions and belief structures derive from the culture that arrived with these Tahitians. He named the archipelago the "Sandwich Isles" after his patron, the 6th Earl of Sandwich, George Montagu. During the reign of King Kamehameha, Kauaʻi and Niʻihau joined his Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, the last to do so. Their ruler, Kaumualiʻi, resisted Kamehameha for years. Kamehameha twice prepared a huge armada of ships and canoes to take the islands by force, and twice failed, once because of a storm, and once because of an epidemic. But in the face of the threat of a further invasion, Kaumualiʻi decided to join the kingdom without bloodshed, and became Kamehameha's vassal in 1810. He ceded the island to the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi upon his death in 1824. Kauaʻi's last sugarcane plantation, the 118 year old Gay & Robinson Plantation, stopped planting sugar in 2008.

In 1835, Old Koloa Town opened a sugar mill.

Valdemar Emil Knudsen was a Norwegian who arrived on Kauai in 1857. Knudsen, or "Kanuka", originally managed Grove Farmin Koloa. He later sought a warmer land and purchased the leases to Mana and Kekaha, where he became a successful sugarcane plantation owner. He settled in Waiawa, between Mana and Kekaha, immediately across the channel from Niʻihau Island. His son, Eric Alfred Knudsen, was born in Waiawa. Knudsen was appointed land administrator by King Kamehameha for an area covering 400 km2, and was given the title konohiki as well as a position as a noble under the king. Knudsen, who spoke fluent Hawaiian, later became an elected representative and an influential politician. Knudsen lends his name to the Knudsen Gap, a narrow pass between Hã’upu Ridge and the Kahili Ridge. Its primary function was as a sugar farm.

The five million year old island, the oldest of the main islands (Niʻihau is older), was formed volcanically as the Pacific Plate passed over the Hawaii hotspot. It consists of an eroded shield volcano with a diameter summit caldera and two flanking calderas. Rejuvenation of the volcano 0.6–1.40 million years ago left lava flows and cones over the eastern two thirds of the island. Kauaʻi's highest peak is Kawaikini, at 1598.07 m. The second highest is Mount Waiʻaleʻale, near the center of the island, 1569.11 m above sea level. One of the wettest spots on earth, with an annual average rainfall of , is on the east side of Mount Waiʻaleʻale. The rain has eroded deep valleys in the central mountains, carving out canyons with many scenic waterfalls. On the west side of the island, Waimea town is at the mouth of the Waimea River, whose flow formed Waimea Canyon, one of the world's most scenic canyons, which is part of Waimea Canyon State Park. At 914.40 m deep, Waimea Canyon is often called "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific". Kokeo Point lies on the island's south side. The Na Pali Coast is an isolated center for recreation, including kayaking along the beaches and hiking on the trail along the coastal cliffs. The headlands Kamala Point, Kawai Point, Kawelikoa Point, Kuahonu Point, Paoa Point, and Molehu Point are on the southeast of the island; Makaokahaʻi Point and Weli Point are in the south.

Kauaʻi's climate is tropical, with generally humid and stable conditions year round, although infrequent storms cause severe flooding. At the lower elevations, the annual precipitation varies from an average of about on the windward (northeastern) shore to less than on the (southwestern) leeward side of the island. The average temperature in Lihu'e, the county seat, ranges from in February to in August and September. Kauaʻi's mountainous regions offer cooler temperatures in contrast to the warm coastal areas. At Kōkeʻe State Park, ASL, day temperatures vary from an average of in January to in July. In the winter, temperatures have been known to drop down to the 30s and 40s at the park, which holds an unofficial record low of , recorded in February 1986 at Kanaloahuluhulu Meadow. Precipitation in Kauaʻi's mountainous regions averages annually. About southeast of Kōkeʻe state park, at an elevation of , is the Mt. Waiʻaleʻale rain gauge. Mt. Waiʻaleʻale is often cited as the wettest spot on earth, although this has been disputed. Based on data for the period from 1931 through 1960, the average yearly precipitation was (U. S. Environmental Science Services Administration, 1968). Between 1949 and 2004, the average yearly precipitation at Mt. Waiʻaleʻale was
Kauaʻi also holds a record in hourly precipitation. During a storm on January 24–25, 1956, a rain gauge at Kauaʻi's former Kilauea Sugar Plantation recorded a record of precipitation in just 60 minutes. The value for one hour is an underestimate, since the rain gauge overflowed, which may have resulted in an error by as much as An accurate measurement may have exceeded Holt, Missouri's world record rainfall of in 42 minutes on June 22, 1947.

Hawaii Standard Time (UTC−10:00) is observed on Kauaʻi year round. When mainland states are on daylight saving time, for example, the time on Kauaʻi is three hours behind the West Coast of the United States and six hours behind the East Coast.

Tourism is Kauaʻi's largest industry. In 2007, 1,271,000 people visited. The two largest groups were from the continental United States (84% of all visitors) and Japan (3%). As of 2003, approximately 27,000 jobs existed on Kauaʻi. The largest sector was accommodation/food services (26%, 6,800 jobs), followed by government (15%) and retail (14.5%), with agriculture accounting for 2.9% (780 jobs) and educational services providing 0.7% (183 jobs). The visitors' industry accounted for one third of Kauaʻi's income. In the 1970s, Kauaʻi burned sugarcane waste to supply most of its electricity. By 2011, 92% of KIUC's power came from diesel. By 2017, KIUC's fuel mix was 56% fossil fuels, 9% hydroelectric, 12% biomass and 23% solar. KIUC integrated large scale solar into its grid so that, during sunny daylight hours, 97% or more of its generation came from renewable sources. KIUC offers $1,000 rebates to residential customers who have solar water heating systems installed on their homes. In 2017, KIUC opened a Tesla Energy 13 MW / 52 MWh battery next to the 12 MW Kapaia solar plant for 13.9¢/kWh.

Located on the southeastern side of the island, Lihue Airport is the island's only commercial airport. It has direct routes to Honolulu, Kahului/Maui, Kona/Hawaii, the U. S. mainland, and Vancouver, Canada. General aviation airports on the island are Port Allen Airport and Princeville Airport. The Pacific Missile Range Facility has a 6,006 foot runway that is closed to general aviation traffic, but could be used for an emergency landing.

Holo Holo Koloa Scenic Byway, this state designated scenic byway runs over and connects many of Kauaʻi's most historical and cultural sights such as the Maluhia Road (Tree Tunnel), Puhi (Spouting Horn), The National Tropical Botanical Gardens, and the Salt Beds.

The Kauaʻi Bus is the public transportation service of the County of Kauaʻi.

Kauaʻi has been featured in more than 70 Hollywood movies and TV shows, including the musical South Pacific and Disney's 2002 animated feature film Lilo & Stitch along with its franchise's three sequel films (2003's Stitch! The Movie, 2005's Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, and 2006's Leroy & Stitch) and first television series (Lilo & Stitch: The Series). Scenes from South Pacific were filmed in the vicinity of Hanalei. Waimea Canyon was used in the filming of the 1993 film Jurassic Park and its 2015 sequel Jurassic World was shot in Kauai. Scenes by a waterfall in Mighty Joe Young were shot in Kauai. The 2016 film Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates was also filmed there. Parts of the island were used for the opening scenes of the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Other movies filmed here include Six Days Seven Nights, the 1976 King Kong, and John Ford's 1963 film Donovan's Reef. Recent films include Tropic Thunder and a biopic of Bethany Hamilton, Soul Surfer. A scene in the opening credits of popular TV show M*A*S*H was filmed in Kauaʻi (helicopter flying over mountain top). Some scenes from Just Go with It, George of the Jungle, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides were also filmed in Kauaʻi. A Perfect Getaway is set in Kauaʻi. Parts of the 2002 film Dragonfly were filmed there, although the people and the land were presented as South American. Major acts of two Elvis Presley films, 1961's Blue Hawaii and 1966's Paradise, Hawaiian Style, were filmed on Kauaʻi. Both have scenes shot at the Coco Palms resort. The Descendants, a 2011 film, has major parts shot in Kauaʻi, where the main character and his cousins own ancestral lands they are considering selling. The film is based on the 2007 novel by Hawaiian writer Kaui Hart Hemmings.