Sand Island, formerly known as Quarantine Island, is a small island within the city of

Honolulu, Hawaii 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 island o ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The island lies at the entrance to Honolulu Harbor.

History

The island was known as Quarantine Island during the 19th century, when it was used to quarantine ships believed to carry contagious passengers. During

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Sand Island was used as an

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

internment camp to house Japanese Americans as well as expatriates from Germany, Italy, and other

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

countries living in Hawaii. The camp opened in December 1941, soon after the Japanese

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 Hawaii ...

and the subsequent mass arrests of civilians accused—often without evidence—of espionage or other fifth column activity. Over 600 Hawaiian residents, many of them U.S. citizens, would pass through Sand Island before it was closed in March 1943. Most of the internees had been transferred to Army and

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

internment camps on the mainland beginning in February 1942; the remaining 149 were moved to the newly constructed

Honouliuli Internment Camp Honouliuli National Historic Site is near Waipahu on the island of Oahu, in the U.S. state of Hawaii. This is the site of the Honouliuli Internment Camp which was Hawaiʻi's largest and longest-operating internment camp, opened in 1943 and closed ...

. During the 1970s, over 100 homeless native Hawaiians cleaned up the garbage that filled the island, built homes and took up residence. In the early 1980s, of the island was reclaimed by the State of Hawaii for industrial and recreational development. Those who had taken up residence were evicted without compensation. Today Sand Island is home to a state recreation area, a U.S. Coast Guard base, a wastewater treatment facility, and an assortment of industrial facilities.

Geography and population

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

the island has a land area of 203.78 ha (0.7868 sq mi, or 503.55

acres The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

) and a population of 184 persons as of the 2000 census. Current social issues Sand Island is experiencing an issue with homelessness. Residents and city leaders have proposed the creation of a homeless camp. This has been an ongoing issue for several years. Even though there is much opposition, the city has disclosed plans on how it hopes to handle controversial public behaviors by some of the homeless population on the island. Their next step is to approach the full council for consideration.

Climate

Sand Island's climate is mild year-round, with very little seasonal difference in temperatures; however, there is a very distinct difference between the wet and dry season. Summer high temperatures range from 87 to 91 °F (31 to 33 °C), with winter highs ranging from 77 to 85 °F (25 to 29 °C). Precipitation is light year round, especially in the summer. There are approximately 3,100 hours of sunshine annually.

Notes

References

* * *Keith, Victoria and Rochford, Jerry, "The Sand Island Story", Honolulu, HI. 1981. (video) *
Chronology of World War II Hawaiʻi Internees
" Accessed March 29, 2015. *
Community Reacts to Sand Island Homeless Shelter Proposal
" - Hawaii News Now. August 29, 2014. Accessed March 29, 2015. * Daysog, Rick.
City Unveils Sand Island Homeless Plan
" - Hawaii News Now. August 29, 2014. Accessed March 29, 2015. * Dean, Aloha.

" Accessed March 29, 2015. *
Internment Camps in Hawai'i
" Accessed March 29, 2015. *
Sand Island Beach Park
" Hawaii Travel Guide. Accessed March 29, 2015. *
Sand Island (detention Facility)
" Accessed March 29, 2015.

External links