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Kauai (Kaua‘i with Okina) is the oldest and fourth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands. Known also as the "Garden Isle", Kauai lies 105 miles (170 kilometers) across the Kauai Channel, northwest of O‘ahu. Of volcanic origin, the highest point on the mountainous island is Mount Wai‘ale‘ale , near the center of the island, 5148 feet (1570 meters) above sea level. The wettest spot on Earth, with an annual average rainfall of 460 inches (11,648 millimeters), is located on the east side of Mount Wai‘ale‘ale. The high annual rainfall has eroded deep valleys in the central mountain, carving out canyons with many scenic waterfalls.

There is no known meaning behind the name of Kaua‘i. Native Hawaiian tradition indicates the name's origin in the legend of Hawai‘iloa — the Polynesian navigator attributed with discovery of the Hawaiian Islands. The story relates how he named the island of Kaua‘i after a son.

The city of Lih‘ue, on the island's southeast coast, is the seat of Kaua‘i County and the largest city on the island. Waimea, on the island's southwest side and once the capital of Kaua‘i, was the first place visited by explorer Captain James Cook in 1778. Waimea town is located at the mouth of the Waimea River, whose flow formed one of the most scenic canyons in the world: 3000-ft (914-m) deep, Waimea Canyon.

The island of Kaua‘i was featured in Disney's 2002 animated feature film Lilo & Stitch. Waimea Canyon was used in the filming of the 19931993 is a common year starting on Friday and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003 Events January January 1 Czechoslovakia divides. Establishment of independent Slovakia and Czech Republic. filmFor other uses see film (disambiguation Film — also called movies the cinema the silver screen moving pictures motion pictures photoplays picture shows and flicks — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of the entertainment Jurassic ParkJurassic Park is a book written by Michael Crichton and published in 1990, which was later turned into a movie directed by Steven Spielberg. Written as a cautionary tale on unconsidered biological tinkering (in much the same spirit as Mary Shelley's Frank.

Kaua‘i is home to the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range FacilityThe Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) at Barking Sands, Kauai, is the world's largest instrumented, multi-dimensional testing and training range. PMRF is the only range in the world where submarines, surface ships, aircraft and space vehicles can oper.

See also

Islands of Hawai‘i
Hawai‘i | Kaho‘olawe | Kaua‘i | Lna‘i | Maui | Moloka‘i | Ni‘ihau | Northwestern Hawaiian Islands | O‘ahu
Counties
Hawai‘i | Honolulu | Kalawao | Kaua‘i | Maui


Islands of Hawaii Hawaiian volcanoes

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