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Honolulu

City in Hawaii, United StatesHonolulu lies along the southeast coast of Oʻahu, one of the Hawaiian Islands, far out in the North Pacific Ocean. Pearl Harbor is just to the west of the city.

What it's known for

Honolulu is the capital and largest city of Hawaii and the gateway for the millions of visitors who come to the islands, many of them to the Waikīkī tourist district next to Diamond Head. It has been a capital since 1845, when King Kamehameha III moved the Hawaiian Kingdom's seat there from Lahaina on Maui.

Fun facts

  1. The name Honolulu is Hawaiian for 'sheltered harbour' or 'calm port'.
  2. ʻIolani Palace, built for King Kalākaua and finished in 1882, is the only royal palace on US soil.
  3. Honolulu is the westernmost and southernmost major city in the United States, and one of the most isolated major cities in the world.

Finding it on the globe

Find the Hawaiian chain in the middle of the North Pacific. Skip the Big Island at the southeast end and move northwest to Oʻahu: Honolulu is on its southeast coast.

Easy to mix up

Honolulu is not on the island called Hawaiʻi (the Big Island), the largest one at the southeast end of the chain. It is on the smaller island of Oʻahu.

Sources: Wikipedia: Honolulu, Wikipedia: ʻIolani Palace, Wikipedia: Oʻahu, Wikipedia: Hawaii (island), Wikipedia: Pearl Harbor