Kona is a ''moku'' or district on the

Big Island of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the largest island in the United States, located in the 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 , it has 63% of t ...

in the State of Hawaii, known for its

Kona coffee Kona coffee is the market name for coffee (''Coffea arabica'') cultivated on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. It is one of the most expensive coffees in the world. Only coffe ...

and the location of the Ironman World Championship Triathlon. In the current system of administration of

Hawaii County Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, the ''moku'' of Kona is divided into North Kona District (''Kona ‘Akau'') and South Kona District (''Kona Hema''). The term "Kona" is sometimes used to refer to its largest town, Kailua-Kona. Other towns in Kona include

Kealakekua Kealakekua is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 2,019 at the 2010 census, up from 1,645 at the 2000 census. It was the subject of the 1933 popular song, "My Little Grass Shack in Keala ...

, Keauhou,

Holualoa Holualoa ( haw, Hōlualoa) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 8,538 at the 2010 census, up from 6,107 at the 2000 census. Holualoa's boundaries were altered significantly for the 20 ...

, Hōnaunau and Honalo.

Description

In the Hawaiian language, ''kona'' means leeward or dry side of the island, as opposed to ''ko‘olau'' which means windward or the wet side of the island. In the times of Ancient Hawaiʻi, ''Kona'' was the name of the leeward district on each major island. In Hawai‘i, the Pacific

anticyclone An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined as a large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from abov ...

provides moist prevailing northeasterly winds to the Hawaiian islands, resulting in rain when the winds contact the windward landmass of the islands – the winds subsequently lose their moisture and travel on to the leeward (or ''kona'') side of the island. When this pattern reverses, it can produce a

Kona storm Kona storms (also called Kona lows) are a type of seasonal cyclone in the Hawaiian Islands, usually formed in the winter from winds coming from the westerly "kona" (normally leeward) direction. They are mainly cold core cyclones, which places th ...

from the west. ''Kona'' has

cognates In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical ef ...

with the same meaning in other Polynesian languages. In Tongan, the equivalent cognate would be '' tonga''; for windward, the associated cognate would be '' tokelau''. Kona is the home of the Ironman World Championship Triathlon, which is held each year in October in Kailua-Kona. The

Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park Kealakekua Bay is located on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii about south of Kailua-Kona. Settled over a thousand years ago, the surrounding area contains many archeological and historical sites such as religious temples (heiaus) and also ...

marks the place where

Captain James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and ...

was killed in 1779. Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park and Honokohau Settlement and Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park are in Kona. The volcanic slopes of Hualālai and Mauna Loa in the Kona district provide an ideal microclimate for growing coffee.

is considered one of the premium specialty coffees of the world. Kona is the home of one of the main bases of the international Christian mission organization YWAM, and the

University of the Nations The University of the Nations (U of N) is an unaccredited Christian university. The University of the Nations operates under the umbrella organization of the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) network. History The institution was founded in 1978 as P ...

, first founded there.

In popular culture

* The region served as the basis of the

Beach Boys A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shells ...

' song "Kona Coast" from their 1978 album ''

M.I.U. Album ''M.I.U. Album'' is the 22nd studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on September 25, 1978. Characterized for its easy-listening sound, the album was produced by Al Jardine and touring member Ron Altbach during one of the m ...

''. * Asteroid 284891 Kona, discovered by astronomers at the

ESA Optical Ground Station The ESA Optical Ground Station (''OGS Telescope'' or ''ESA Space Debris Telescope'') is the European Space Agency's ground based observatory at the Teide Observatory on Tenerife, Spain, built for the observation of space debris. OGS is part of the ...

in 2009, was named after the Hawaiian district. The official was published by the Minor Planet Center on 16 January 2014 ().

Gallery

File:KealakekuaBay.JPG, Kealakekua Bay File:Sunset in Kona or a real sunset over sea.jpg, Sunset in Kona File:HonaunauBoatHouse.JPG, Canoe Hale at Honaunau Bay File:Plymouth Rock Kailua Kona Big island, Hawaii (45553296344).jpg, Plymouth Rock, Kailua Kona, Big island, Hawaii File:Kona Dog Beach Big island Hawaii (45553363314).jpg, Kona Dog Beach, Big island, Hawaii

References

External links

Kona Historical Society web site

Kona Kohala Chamber of Commerce web site

North Kona shoreline access map at Hawaii County web site

South Kona shoreline access map at Hawaii County web site
{{Hawaii County, Hawaii Districts of Hawaii County, Hawaii Kona District

Description

In popular culture

Gallery

Further reading

References

External links