Wednesday 10 September 2014

Unique Geographic Characteristics Of Honolulu

Diamond Head State Monument and Park sits at the end of Waikiki in Honolulu.


Honolulu is the largest city in Hawaii, the 50th U.S. state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's land area is 599.77 square miles. In 2010, 1,589.3 persons per square mile lived in Honolulu, compared with 211.8 per square mile for the state as a whole. Honolulu's remote location and history of Polynesian influence lend to its unique physical and human geographic characteristics.


Racial Makeup


U.S. Census figures place Honolulu as one of the most racially diverse cities in the United States. Its human geography is unique, in that the Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders make up a significant part of the population. Census figures from 2000 estimated Asians made up 55.9 percent of Honolulu's population, while whites were 19.7 percent of the total. The next largest group, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, made up 6.8 percent. Blacks accounted for 1.6 percent.


Southernmost Capital


Honolulu is located at 158 degrees longitude west and 21.5 degrees latitude north, making it the southernmost state capital in the United States. The city is not connected to any other state by road -- its remote location means you must take a boat or plane to reach it.


Isolated Population Center


In 2006, Honolulu's population was 377,357 --- up from 371,657 in 2000, according to the U.S. Census. U.S. News & World Report says the city "may be the most isolated metropolis on Earth." Honolulu is geographically isolated from the rest of the country, located in the Pacific Ocean about 2,200 miles from the North American continent.


Diamond Head Volcano


Diamond Head Volcano is a unique, defining characteristic of Honolulu's geography. The crater is a state monument and park. It was fortified by the U.S. Army in 1908 due its strategic location on the southeast coast of Oahu, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, according to Oahu.com. Diamond Head has remained dormant since it was formed 150,000 years ago.

Tags: Diamond Head, Census figures, Diamond Head Volcano, from 2000, Head Volcano