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 som… See more

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,086 square miles (13,170 km ), of which 4,028 sq mi (10,430 km ) is land and 1,058 sq mi (2,740 km ) (20.8%) is water. The county's land area compr… See more

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 th… See more

Three routes connect the two major towns, Hilo on the east coast and Kailua-Kona on the west coast:
• State highways 19 & 190, the northern route via Waimea
• State highway 11, the southern ro… See more

• Akaka Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls on the island.
• Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden houses many endangered endemic plants.
• East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center… See more