- Due to its volcanic activity, the Island of Hawaii is still growing!
- Although Hawaii only comprises 1 percent of the U.S.’s land area, it is home to 44 percent of the country’s endangered species and a total of over 4,000 different plant and animal species.
- The Big Island’s terrain is incredibly diverse, boasting everything from beaches to tropical rain forests, desert, meadows, lava fields and even snow-capped mountains.
- Mauna Kea, one of the Big Island’s most iconic features, is the tallest volcano in the world with its summit at 13,796 feet above sea level.
- The slopes of Mauna Kea are perfect for growing coffee and have made Kona coffee some of the finest in the world.
- The island is also home to the world’s most active volcano, Kilauea, which has been erupting continuously since 1983.
- Surfing was born here, known to ancient Hawaiians as he’e nalu.
- Papakolea Green Sand Beach on the Big Island is one of only four green sand beaches in the world.
- Puako Petroglyph Archaeological Preserve along the Kohala coast boasts more than 3,000 petroglyphs etched into lava rock as far back as 1200 AD.
- The southernmost point of the United States is located on the Big Island, near Ka Lae.
Source: Google Search Results, May 2024.