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Largest of the Hawaiian islands

Hawaii (/audio=en us Hawaii. ogg//h//ə/'/w//aɪ//ʔ//i/ həWY'ee; ) is the largest island in the United States, located in the eponymous state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of 4028 square miles (10,432 km2), it has 63% of the Hawaiian archipelago's combined landmass. However, it has only 13% of the archipelago's population. The island of Hawaiʻi is the third largest island in Polynesia, behind the north and south islands of New Zealand. The island is often referred to as the Island of Hawaii or Hawaii Island to distinguish it from the state. It is also referred to as The Big Island, due to its size relative to the other islands. In Hawaiian, the island is sometimes called Moku o Keawe. The word keawe has several meanings. One definition, "southern cross", is said to be the name of an ancient chief. Another definition is "the bearer" (ke a we). Hawaii County is the local administrative unit. As of the 2020 census, the population was 200,629. The county seat and largest town is Hilo. Hawaiʻi County has no incorporated cities.

Hawaii is allegedly named after Hawaiʻiloa, a legendary Polynesian navigator who is said to have discovered the island. Other accounts attribute the name to the legendary realm of Hawaiki, a place from which some Polynesians are said to have originated, the place where they transition to in the afterlife, or the realm of the gods and goddesses. James Cook, the English explorer and navigator who captained the first European expedition to reach the Hawaiian Islands, called it O Why hee (from Hawaiian) and the "Sandwich Islands" after his patron, the Earl of Sandwich. Hawaii was the home island of Paiʻea Kamehameha, later known as Kamehameha the Great. Kamehameha united most of the Hawaiian islands under his rule in 1795, after several years of war, and gave the kingdom and the island chain the name of his native island. In 1822, missionary William Ellis arrived and was one of a party that completed a tour of the island, descriptions of which were later published in his journal.

According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5086 square miles (13,173 km2), of which is land and (20.8%) is water. The county's land area comprises 62.7 percent of the state's land area. It is the highest percentage by any county in the United States. Delaware's Sussex County comes in second at 48.0 percent, while Rhode Island's Providence County is third at 39.6 percent. At its greatest dimension, the island is 93 mile (150 km) across. Measured from its sea floor base to its highest peak, Mauna Kea at is the world's tallest mountain, taller than even Mount Everest, since the base of Mount Everest is above sea level. Ka Lae, the southernmost point in the 50 states of the United States, is on Hawaii. The nearest landfall to the south is the Line Islands. To the northwest of the island of Hawaii is the island of Maui, whose Haleakalā volcano is visible from Hawaii across the Alenuihaha Channel.

The Great Crack is an 8 mile (13 km), 60 feet (18 m) and 60 feet (18 m) fissure in the island, in the district of Ka'u. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Great Crack is the result of crustal dilation from magmatic intrusions into the southwest rift zone of Kilauea. While neither the earthquake of 1868 nor that of 1975 caused a measurable change in the Great Crack, lava welled out of its lower in 1823.

The Hilina Slump is a section of the south slope of Kīlauea that is moving away from the island. Between 1990 and 1993, Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements showed a southward displacement of about per year. Undersea measurements show a "bench" that has formed a buttress and that this buttress may tend to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic detachment.

On 2 April 1868, an earthquake with a magnitude estimated between 7.25 and 7.9 rocked the southeast coast of Hawaii. This was the most destructive earthquake in the Hawaii's recorded history. It triggered a landslide on Mauna Loa, 5 mile (8 km) north of Pahala, killing 31 people. A tsunami claimed 46 more lives. The villages of Punaluʻu, Nīnole, Kawaʻa, Honuʻapo, and Keauhou Landing were severely damaged. The tsunami reportedly rolled over the tops of the coconut trees up to 60 feet (18 m) high, and it reached inland a distance of a quarter of a mile (400 meters) in some places. On 29 November 1975, a 37 mile (60 km) section of the Hilina Slump dropped 11.5 feet (4 m) and slid 26 feet (8 m) toward the ocean. This movement caused a 7.2 magnitude earthquake and a 48 feet (15 m) tsunami. Oceanfront property was washed off its foundations in Punaluu. Two deaths were reported at Halape, and 19 other people were injured. The island suffered damage from a tsunami caused by earthquakes in Alaska on 1 April 1946, and in Chile on 23 May 1960. Downtown Hilo was damaged by both tsunamis, with many lives lost. Just north of Hilo, Laupāhoehoe lost 16 schoolchildren and five teachers in the tsunami of 1946. In March 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the east coast of Japan again created a tsunami that caused minor damage in Hawaii. The estimated damage to public buildings was about US$3 million. In the Kona area this tsunami washed a house into Kealakekua Bay, destroyed a yacht club and tour boat offices in Keauhou Bay, caused extensive damage in Kailua Kona, flooded the ground floor of the King Kamehameha Hotel, and permanently closed the Kona Village Resort. In early May 2018, hundreds of small earthquakes were detected on Kīlauea's East rift zone, leading officials to issue evacuation warnings. On 3 May 2018, the volcano erupted in Puna after a 5.0 earthquake earlier in the day, causing evacuations of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions. A seemingly related 5.3 magnitude quake and a subsequent 6.9 magnitude earthquake occurred on 4 May.

Vog (volcanic fog) can envelop the island of Hawaii when Kilauea is active. Since the termination of volcanic activity in September 2018, vog has largely disappeared on the west side of the island. The gas plumes created a blanket of vog that the trade winds mostly deflect toward the Kona coast. Vog can damage the health of plants, humans, and other animals. Most of the aerosols are acidic and of a size where they can remain in the lungs to damage them. Flu like symptoms and general lethargy are reported, and are especially pronounced in people with respiratory conditions.

Sugarcane was the backbone of the island economy for more than a century. In the mid 20th century, sugarcane plantations began to downsize, and in 1995 the island's last plantation closed. Most of the island's economy depends on tourism, centered primarily in resort areas on the western coast of the island in the North Kona and South Kohala districts. Sustainable tourism is increasing. Diversified agriculture is a growth sector. Major crops include macadamia nuts, papaya, flowers, tropical and temperate vegetables, aquaculture, and coffee beans. The island's orchid production is the state's largest. The island is home to one of the United States' largest cattle ranches: Parker Ranch, on in Waimea. The island is known for astronomy, with numerous telescopes positioned on the summit of Mauna Kea at the Mauna Kea Observatories, where atmospheric clarity is excellent and little light pollution intrudes. Astronomy has become somewhat controversial, given accusations of mismanagement by the observatory manager, the University of Hawaii. The proposed addition of the Thirty Meter Telescope generated protests that stalled the project and led to the transfer of management responsibility to a Governor appointed body. NELHA (Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority), a state developed site, is a green economic development ocean science and technology park on the west side of the island. It provides resources and facilities for energy and ocean related research, education, and commercial activities in an environmentally sound and culturally sensitive manner. Business tenants on this coastal site include microalgae farms, aquaculture, solar technology and marine biotech. Tenants have access to three sets of pipelines delivering deep sea water from a depth of up to 3000 feet (914 m), as well as pristine sea surface water and almost constant sunshine. A 2012 study by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization reported that the total economic impact of activities at NELHA was $87.7 million and created 583 jobs.

The major commercial ports are Hilo on the east side and Kawaihae on the west side. Cruise ships often stop at Kailua Kona (90 times in 2017) and Hilo (108 times in 2017).