Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost ...

. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Hawaii 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 ...

. The island of O’ahu and the

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or Leeward Hawaiian Islands are a series of islands and atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest (in some cases, far to the northwest) of the islands of Kauai and Niihau. Politically, they are all ...

constitute the

City and County of Honolulu Honolulu County (officially known as the City and County of Honolulu, formerly Oahu County) is a consolidated city–county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The city–county includes both the Honolulu, city of Honolulu (the state's List of capital ...

. The state capital,

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the islan ...

, is on Oʻahu's southeast coast. Oʻahu had a population of 1,016,508 according to the 2020 U.S. Census, up from 953,207 people in 2010 (approximately 70% of the total 1,455,271 population of the State of

, with approximately 81% of those living in or near the Honolulu urban area).

Name

The Island of O{{okinaahu in

is often nicknamed (or translated as) ''"The Gathering Place"''. It appears that O{{okinaahu grew into this nickname; it is currently the most populated Hawaiian Island, however, in ancient times, O{{okinaahu was not populous and was outranked by the status of other islands. The translation of ''"gathering place"'' was suggested as recently as 1922 by Hawaiian Almanac author

Thomas Thrum Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

. It has been speculated{{By whom, date=November 2019 that Thrum ignored or misplaced the {{okinaokina because the Hawaiian phrase "''{{okinao ahu''" could be translated as ''"gathering of objects"'' (''{{okinao'' is a subject marker and ''ahu'' means ''"to gather"''). The term {{lang, haw, Oʻahu has no confirmed meaning in Hawaiian, other than that of the place itself. The city of

—largest city, state capital, and main deepwater marine

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...

for the State of {{lang, haw, Hawaiʻi, italic=no—is located here. As a jurisdictional unit, the entire island of Oʻahu is in Honolulu County, although as a place name, Honolulu occupies only a portion of the southeast end of the island. Well-known features found on Oʻahu include

Waikiki Waikiki (; haw, Waikīkī; ; also known as Waikiki Beach) is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the south shore of the island of Oahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Waikiki is most famous for Waikiki Beach, which is one of six beaches in the district ...

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...

, Diamond Head, {{lang, haw, Hanauma, italic=no, nocat=yes,

Kāneʻohe Bay Kāneohe Bay, at , is the largest sheltered body of water in the main Hawaiian Islands. This reef-dominated embayment constitutes a significant scenic and recreational feature along the northeast coast of the Island of Oahu. The largest populatio ...

, Kailua Bay,

North Shore North Shore or Northshore may refer to: Geographic features Australia *North Shore (Sydney), a suburban region of Sydney **Electoral district of North Shore **North Shore railway line, Sydney *Noosa North Shore, Queensland * North Shore, New So ...

, and the resort destination,

Ko Olina Ko Olina Resort is a master-planned vacation and residential community on the leeward coast of Oahu, west of Honolulu. Ko Olina has of coastal frontage and includes three natural and four man-made lagoons with white-sand beaches. The master ...

. While the island is designated the

, excluding the minor

, residents identify settlements using town names (generally those of the

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, su ...

s), and consider the island to be divided into various areas which may overlap. The most commonly accepted areas are the "City", "Town" or "Town side", which is the urbanized area from {{lang, haw, Halawa, italic=no to the area below Diamond Head (residents of the island north of the {{lang, haw, Koʻolau, italic=no, nocat=yes Mountains consider the Town Side to be the entire southern half), "West Oʻahu", which goes from Pearl Harbor to Kapolei, {{lang, haw, ʻEwa, italic=no and may include the {{lang, haw, Waiʻanae, italic=no and {{lang, haw, Mākaha, italic=no areas; the "

" (northwestern coast); the " Windward Side" (northeastern coast from {{lang, haw, Kahuku, italic=no to {{lang, haw, Kāneʻohe, italic=no); the "East Side" or "East Coast" (the eastern portion of the island, from {{lang, haw, Kāneʻohe, italic=no on the northeast, around the tip of the island to include much of the area east of Diamond Head); and "The Valley" or "Central Oʻahu" which runs northwest from Pearl Harbor toward {{lang, haw, Haleʻiwa, italic=no. These terms are somewhat flexible, depending on the area in which the user lives, and are used in a mostly general way, but residents of each area identify strongly with their part of the island, especially those outside of widely-known towns. For instance, if locals are asked where they live, they would usually reply "Windward Side" rather than "

Kailua Kailua () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. It lies in the Koolaupoko District of the island of Oahu on the windward coast at Kailua Bay. It is in the judicial district and the ahupua'a named Ko'ol ...

History

{{unreferenced section, date=September 2011 Aerial view of Pearl Harbor on 1 June 1986 (6422248)

The island has been inhabited since at least the 3rd century A.D. The 304-year-old Kingdom of Oʻahu was once ruled by the most ancient

aliʻi The aliʻi were the traditional nobility of the Hawaiian islands. They were part of a hereditary line of rulers, the ''noho aliʻi''. The word ''aliʻi'' has a similar meaning in the Samoan language and other Polynesian languages, and in Māori ...

in all of the Hawaiian Islands. The first great king of Oʻahu was Maʻilikūkahi, the lawmaker, who was followed by many generation of monarchs. Kualiʻi was the first of the warlike kings and so were his sons. In 1773, the throne fell upon Kahahana, the son of Elani of Ewa. In 1783,

Kahekili II Kahekili II, full name Kahekilinuiʻahumanu, (c. 1737–1794) was an ali'i (''Moʻi'') of Maui. His name was short for Kāne-Hekili after the Hawaiian god of thunder. Because Kāne-Hekili was believed to be black on one side, Kahekili tattooed on ...

, King of Maui, conquered Oʻahu and deposed the reigning family and then made his son,

Kalanikūpule Kalanikūpule (1760–1795) was the Mōī of Maui and King of Oahu. He was the last king to physically fight with Kamehameha I over the Hawaiian Islands. Kalanikūpule was the last of the longest line of ''aliʻi nui'' in the Hawaiian Islands. I ...

, king of O'ahu, turning O'ahu into a

puppet state A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government, is a state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside power and subject to its orders.Compare: Puppet states have nominal sover ...

. Kamehameha the Great would conquer in the mountain Kalanikūpule's force in the Battle of Nuʻuanu. Kamehameha founded the

Kingdom of Hawaiʻi The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the ...

with the conquest of Oʻahu in 1795. Hawaiʻi would not be unified until the islands of

Kauaʻi Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

and

Niʻihau Niihau ( Hawaiian: ), anglicized as Niihau ( ), is the westernmost main and seventh largest inhabited island in Hawaii. It is southwest of Kauaʻi across the Kaulakahi Channel. Its area is . Several intermittent playa lakes provide wetland hab ...

surrendered under King Kaumualiʻi in 1810.

Kamehameha III Kamehameha III (born Kauikeaouli) (March 17, 1814 – December 15, 1854) was the third king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name is Keaweaweula Kīwalaō Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula Kī ...

moved his capital from Lāhainā, Maui to

, Oʻahu in 1845.

ʻIolani Palace The Iolani Palace ( haw, Hale Aliʻi ʻIolani) was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii beginning with Kamehameha III under the Kamehameha Dynasty (1845) and ending with Queen Liliʻuokalani (1893) under the Kalākaua Dyn ...

, built later by other members of the royal family, is still standing, and is the only royal palace on American soil. Oʻahu was apparently the first of the Hawaiian Islands sighted by the crew of HMS ''Resolution'' on January 19, 1778, during Captain James Cook's third Pacific expedition. Escorted by HMS ''Discovery'', the expedition was surprised to find high islands this far north in the central Pacific. Oʻahu was not actually visited by Europeans until February 28, 1779, when Captain

Charles Clerke Captain Charles Clerke (22 August 1741 – 22 August 1779) was an officer in the Royal Navy who sailed on four voyages of exploration, three with Captain James Cook. When Cook was killed during his 3rd expedition to the Pacific, Clerke took co ...

aboard HMS ''Resolution'' stepped ashore at

Waimea Bay Waimea Bay is located in Haleiwa on the North Shore of O'ahu in the Hawaiian Islands at the mouth of the Waimea River. Waimea Valley extends behind Waimea Bay. ''Waimea'' means "reddish water" in Hawaiian. History Captain Charles Clerke a ...

. Clerke had taken command of the ship after James Cook was killed at

Kealakekua Bay 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 ...

(

island of Hawaiʻi 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 th ...

) on February 14, and was leaving the islands for the North Pacific. With the discovery of the Hawaiian Islands came the introduction of disease, mosquitoes, and aggressive foreign animals. Although indirect, the simple exposure to these foreign species caused permanent damage to the Native Hawaiian people and environment. The

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawa ...

, Oʻahu on the morning of December 7, 1941 brought the United States into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The surprise attack was aimed at destroying the American will to fight and make them sue for peace immediately by attacking the Pacific Fleet of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and its defending

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

and Marine Air Forces. The attack damaged or destroyed twelve American warships, destroyed 188 aircraft, and resulted in the deaths of 2,335 American servicemen and 68 civilians (of those, 1,177 were the result of the destruction of the USS ''Arizona'' alone). Today, Oʻahu has become a tourism and shopping haven. Over five million visitors (mainly from the

contiguous United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawai ...

and Japan) flock there every year to enjoy the island.

Climate

{, , - , {{climate chart , O‘ahu , 18, 27, 14 , 19, 27, 27 , 17, 27, 105 , 19, 30, 2 , 18, 29, 6 , 21, 31, 2 , 22, 30, 8 , 18, 28, 10 , 23, 28, 2 , 21, 28, 95 , 21, 28, 21 , 20, 25, 25 , float=left , clear=left , source = {{Cite web , url= http://neo.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/dataset_index.php, title= NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index, access-date = 30 January 2016 , publisher= NASA Oʻahu is also known for having the longest rain shower in history, which lasted for 200 consecutive days. Kāneʻohe Ranch reported 247 straight days with rain from August 27, 1993 to April 30, 1994. The average temperature in Oʻahu is around {{convert, 70-85, F and the island is the warmest in June through October. The weather during the winter is cooler, but still warm with an average temperature of {{convert, 68-78, F.

Geography

Oʻahu is {{convert, 44, mi, km, 0} long and {{convert, 30, mi, km, 0 across. Its shoreline is {{convert, 227, mi, km, 0} long. Including small associated islands such as

Ford Island Ford Island ( haw, Poka Ailana) is an islet in the center of Pearl Harbor, Oahu, in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It has been known as Rabbit Island, Marín's Island, and Little Goats Island, and its native Hawaiian name is ''Mokuumeume''. The ...

plus those in

and off the eastern (

windward Windward () and leeward () are terms used to describe the direction of the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e. towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point of reference ...

) coast, its area is {{convert, 596.7, sqmi, km2, 1, making it the 20th-largest island in the United States.{{cite web , year=2004 , title=Table 5.08 – Land Area of Islands: 2000 , url=http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/economic/databook/db2004/section05.pdf , access-date=July 23, 2007 , publisher=State of HawaiiThe windward side is known for some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. {{lang, haw, Lanikai, italic=no, nocat=yes Beach on the windward coast of Oʻahu has been consistently ranked among the best beaches in the world. The island is composed of two separate

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more v ...

es: the Waiʻanae and

Koʻolau Range Koolau Range is a name given to the dormant fragmented remnant of the eastern or windward shield volcano of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1972. Geology It is not a mountain range in the normal ...

s, with a broad valley or saddle (the central Oʻahu Plain) between them. The highest point is

Kaʻala Kaala or Mount Kaala (pronounced in Hawaiian) is the highest mountain on the island of Oahu, at . It is a part of the Waianae Range, an eroded shield volcano on the west side of the island. The FAA maintains an active tracking station at the ...

in the Waiʻanae Range, rising to {{convert, 4003, ft, m, 0} above sea level.{{cite web , year=2004 , title=Table 5.11 – Elevations of Major Summits , url=http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/economic/databook/db2004/section05.pdf , access-date=July 23, 2007 , publisher=State of Hawaii Being roughly diamond-shaped, surrounded by ocean and divided by mountain ranges, directions on Oʻahu are not generally described with the compass directions found throughout the world. Locals instead use directions originally using Honolulu as the central point. To go {{lang, haw, ʻewa means traveling toward the western tip of the island, ''"Diamond Head"'' is toward the eastern tip, {{lang, haw, mauka is inland (toward the central {{lang, haw, Koʻolau, italic=no Mountain range, north of Honolulu) and {{lang, haw, makai toward the sea. When these directions became common, Diamond Head was the eastern edge of the primary populated area. Today, with a much larger populace and extensive development, the mountain itself is often not actually to the east when directions are given, and is not to be used as a literal point of reference—to go "Diamond Head" is to go to the east from anywhere on the island.

Tourist attractions

Top beaches

Ala Moana Beach Ala Moana (meaning ''path to the sea'' in Hawaiian) is a commercial, retail, and residential district of Honolulu, Hawaii. It is located between Waikiki and Moiliili to the east, and Kakaako and Honolulu Harbor to the west. King Street, to th ...

Hanauma Bay Hanauma (; ) is a marine embayment formed within a tuff ring and located along the southeast coast of the Island of Oahu in the Hawaii Kai neighborhood of East Honolulu, in the Hawaiian Islands. Hanauma is one of the most popular tourist desti ...

* Ko Olina Beach Park *

Lanikai Beach Lanikai Beach or Kaōhao Beach is located in Kaōhao, a community in the town of Kailua and on the windward coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Although there is a widespread belief that the name Lanikai means "heavenly sea", that is a misconception and a gr ...

* Papailoa Beach * Sandy Beach * Sunset Beach * Waikīkī Beach * Waimānalo Beach *

Attractions

Ala Moana Ala Moana (meaning ''path to the sea'' in Hawaiian) is a commercial, retail, and residential district of Honolulu, Hawaii. It is located between Waikiki and Moiliili to the east, and Kakaako and Honolulu Harbor to the west. King Street, to th ...

Aloha Tower The Aloha Tower is a retired lighthouse that is considered one of the landmarks of the state of Hawaii in the United States. Opened on September 11, 1926, at a then astronomical cost of $160,000, the Aloha Tower is located at Pier 9 of Honolulu Ha ...

* Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa * Banzai Pipeline *

Bishop Museum The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1889, it is the lar ...

* Diamond Head * Dole Plantation * Foster Botanical Garden *

Kaʻena Point Kaena or Kaena Point is the westernmost tip of land on the island of Oahu. In Hawaiian, ''kaena'' means 'the heat'. The area was named after a brother or cousin of Pele. The point is designated as a Natural Area Reserve. Some ancient Hawaii ...

Honolulu Museum of Art The Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The museum is the largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. The museum has one of the largest single co ...

* Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden *

* Kualoa Ranch * Lāʻie Hawaii Temple * Nuʻuanu Pali Lookout *

Mauna ʻAla Mauna or Mouna may refer to: * ''Mauna'' (moth), genus of moths in the family Geometridae * Mauna (silence), silence in Hindu philosophy * Mauna, Käbschütztal, village in Käbschütztal, Germany * A Hawaiian word for mountain, used in the follo ...

* Makapuu Lighthouse * National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific or "Punchbowl" *

* Pali Lookout *

Polynesian Cultural Center The Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) is a family-centered cultural tourist attraction and living museum located in Laie, on the northern shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The PCC is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), w ...

Triple Crown of Surfing The Triple Crown of Surfing is a Hawaii a specialty series of professional surfing events that have been held annually since 1983 on the North Shore of Oahu, a coastline whose winter swells can reach in height. The Triple Crown was founded by ...

* USS ''Arizona'' Memorial * USS ''Missouri'' * Valley of the Temples Memorial Park * Waikīkī *

Waikīkī Aquarium The Waikīkī Aquarium is an aquarium in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. It was founded in 1904 and has been an institution of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa since 1919. The aquarium is the second-oldest still-operating public aquarium in th ...

* Waimea Valley Audubon Center *

Waimea Valley Waimea Valley is an area of historic cultural significance on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The valley, being an important place in Hawaiian religion, includes several historical structures including stone terraces and walls constructed d ...

{{Panorama , image = File:Hanauma Bay Panoramic View.JPG , height = 220 , alt = Hanauma Bay , caption =

In popular culture

* In the video games ''

Test Drive Unlimited ''Test Drive Unlimited'' is an open world racing video game developed by Eden Games and published by Atari, Inc. (1993–present), Atari for Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. Krome Studios Melbourne, Atari Melbourne House developed the PlayStatio ...

'' and ''

Test Drive Unlimited 2 ''Test Drive Unlimited 2'' is a 2011 open world racing video game developed by Eden Games and published by Atari for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the sequel to the 2006 game ''Test Drive Unlimited'' and the nineteenth ent ...

'' players can drive around O'ahu island's {{convert, 1000, mi, km of road. * '' Microsoft Flight'', released in 2012 as the successor to the ''

Microsoft Flight Simulator ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' is a series of amateur flight simulator programs for Microsoft Windows operating systems, and earlier for MS-DOS and Classic Mac OS. It was an early product in the Microsoft application portfolio and differed s ...

'' series, was set on island of Hawaiʻi. The game had a piece of

downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enabli ...

(DLC) called ''Hawaiian Adventure Pack''. Once purchased, it brought detail to all of the Hawaiian islands to the game, including Oʻahu. The DLC also brought new airports to land and take off from and new missions to complete, among other things. * ''Lost'' was filmed almost entirely on Oʻahu, with many locations on the island (predominantly Honolulu) serving as a stand-in for other locations (including US, Australia, UK and South Korea). Many of the show's stars still call the island home. The island's thick

rainforests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

and picturesque beaches are prominently featured. *

50 First Dates ''50 First Dates'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Peter Segal and starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore with Rob Schneider, Sean Astin and Dan Aykroyd in supporting roles. It follows the story of Henry, a womanizin ...

, a movie that takes place on the island. * ''

MythBusters ''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television program, developed by Peter Rees and produced by Australia's Beyond Television Productions. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast internation ...

'' shot their 2012 Season's "Duct Tape Island" episode on this island * The South Korean

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series ''Father and Me'' was filmed on Oʻahu in 2016 * ''The Reimanns'', a popular German reality TV series, has been filmed on the

at the family's estate in Pūpūkea since December 2015. Beginning with a contract with the US Navy in 2001,

Ocean Power Technologies Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) is a U.S. publicly owned renewable energy company, providing electric power and communications solutions, services and related for remote offshore applications. The company's PowerBuoy wave energy conversion technolo ...

began ocean-testing Azura, its

wave power Wave power is the capture of energy of wind waves to do useful work – for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or pumping water. A machine that exploits wave power is a wave energy converter (WEC). Waves are generated by w ...

generation system at the

Marine Corps Base Hawaii Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), formerly Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay and originally Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, is a U.S. Marine Corps facility and air station located on the Mokapu Peninsula of windward O'ahu in the City & County ...

(MCBH) at

. The Oʻahu system was launched under the company's program with the US Navy for ocean testing and demonstration of such systems, including connection to the Oʻahu grid. The prototype can produce 20 kW, a system with 500 kW to 1 MW is planned to be installed at end of 2017. Oʻahu has 343 MW of rooftop solar power, and potential for 92 MW of

wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historicall ...

.Wind resource
/ref>

Notable people

2009 LPGA Championship - Michelle Wie (2)

{{Category see also, People from Oahu{{div col, colwidth=30em *

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

, 44th President of the United States * Benny Agbayani, professional baseball player * Keiko Agena, actor * Gabe Baltazar, clarinet and saxophone player *

Alexandria Boehm Alexandria Boehm is an American scientist whose field of study is civil and environmental engineering. She studies sources, fate and transport of pathogens outside the human body, and coastal water quality. Boehm is a senior fellow at Stanford ...

, scientist * Darren Brooks, actor, writer, producer * Max Holloway, MMA Fighter, Former UFC Featherweight Champion * Angelique Cabral, actor *

Tia Carrere Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo (born January 2, 1967), known professionally as Tia Carrere (), is an American actress, singer and former model who got her first big break as a regular on the daytime soap opera '' General Hospital''. Carrere played C ...

, actor * Brian Ching,

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

* Dennis Chun, actor ( Hawaii Five-0), son of Kam Fong *

Bryan Clay Bryan Ezra Tsumoru Clay (born January 3, 1980) is an American decathlete who was the 2008 Summer Olympic champion for the decathlon and was also World champion in 2005. Biography Clay was born in Austin, Texas and raised in Hawaii. He is Afro-A ...

, Olympic decathlete 2008 * Scott Crary, film director and producer *

Auliʻi Cravalho Chloe Auliʻi Cravalho (; born November 22, 2000) is an American actress and singer who made her acting debut as the voice of the titular character in the 2016 Disney 3D computer-animated musical feature film '' Moana''. She went on to star in ...

, actor, singer * Mark Dacascos, actor *

Caitlin Doughty Caitlin Marie Doughty (born August 19, 1984) is an American mortician, author, blogger, YouTube personality, and advocate for death acceptance and the reform of Western funeral industry practices. She is the owner of Clarity Funerals and Cre ...

, mortician, author and YouTube personality *

Diana Ewing Diana Ewing (born ) is an American actress. Early years Ewing was born in Honolulu. In her teenage years, she acted in plays at Punahou School and Honolulu Community Theater. She is the daughter of William H. Ewing and Marjorie A. Ewing. Her ...

, actor *

Sid Fernandez Charles Sidney Fernandez (born October 12, 1962) is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, and ...

, baseball * Maile Flanagan, actor * Kam Fong, actor *

Lauren Graham Lauren Graham (born March 16, 1967) is an American actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Lorelai Gilmore on The WB/ CW television series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007), for which she received nominations for Screen Actors Guild ...

, actor *

Erin Gray Erin Gray (born January 7, 1950) is an American model, casting agent, and actress whose roles include Colonel Wilma Deering in the science fiction television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' and Kate Summers-Stratton in the situat ...

, actor *

Brian Grazer Brian Thomas Grazer (born July 12, 1951) is an American film and television producer and writer. He founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986 with Ron Howard. The films they produced have grossed over $15 billion. Grazer was personally nominated fo ...

, Oscar-winning film and television producer *

Coco Ho Coco Malia Camille Hapaikekoa Ho (born April 28, 1991) is a professional Hawaiian surfer born in Honolulu, Hawaii. She began surfing at 7 years old, following in the footsteps of her family. Early years At age 7, Coco Ho began following in t ...

, pro surfer *

Don Ho Donald Tai Loy Ho (August 13, 1930 – April 14, 2007) was a Hawaiian traditional pop musician, singer and entertainer. He is best known for the song "Tiny Bubbles" from the album of the same name. Life and career Ho was a singer of Nativ ...

, singer *

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, NASA astronaut, STS-51-C,

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, ʻukulele player *

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References

Citations

{{Reflist

Sources

* Doyle, David W., 2001. ''Rescue in Paradise: Oahu's Beaches and their Guardians''. Island Heritage. * Macdonald, Gordon A., Agatin T. Abbott, and Frank L. Peterson, 1983. ''Volcanoes in the Sea''. University of Hawaiʻi Press, Honolulu. 517 pp. * Pukui, M. K., S. H. Elbert, and E. T. Mookini, 1976. ''Place names of Hawaiʻi''. University of Hawaiʻi Press. 289 pp.

External links

* {{commons-inline, Oahu * {{Wikivoyage-inline {{Honolulu County, Hawaii {{Hawaii {{Hawaiian volcanism {{Portalbar, Hawaii, Islands {{Authority control Articles containing video clips Geography of Honolulu County, Hawaii Islands of Hawaii

Name

History

Climate

Geography

Tourist attractions

Top beaches

Attractions

In popular culture

Notable people

See also

References

Citations

Sources

External links