Professional Documents
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Molokai
For the 1999 film, see Molokai: The Story of Father Damien.
Molokai
Geography
[1]
Location
2108N 15702W
Area
260sqmi (673.40km2)
Area rank
Highestelevation
4,961 ft (1,512 m)
Highestpoint
Kamakou
Country
United States
Symbols
Flower
Kukui
Color
maomao (green)
Demographics
Population
Density
28/sq mi (11/km)
Molokai
visible from anywhere along the south shore of the island. The shape of Molokai Island can be recalled as that of a
shoe or a fish.
Molokai is distinguished in the Roman Catholic religion as the longtime residence of Father Damien de Veuster, a
Belgian priest and Mother Marianne Cope of the Sisters of St. Francis, both of whom have been canonized Roman
Catholic Saints for their treatment and care given during the 19th century to long term sufferers of Hansen's Disease,
also known as leprosy.
A site of a Roman Catholic Saint is deemed a sacred place and is visited by practising Catholics from around the
world for giving prayers asking for healing and religious guidance. The Kalaupapa Colony is one of the two sites in
the United States where a Roman Catholic Saint resided; it is the only single site where two Saints (Saint Damien
and Saint Marianne) both resided.
Historically, a small north shore colony on Molokai, Kalaupapa, was the place where sufferers of Hansen's Disease
were forced into quarantine by the Hawaiian government, but there are no active cases of Hansen's Disease on
Molokai today. Those who continue to live in the settlement are patients who chose to stay after the segregation
policy was lifted in 1969.[2]
The first European sailor to visit the island was Captain George Dixon in 1786.
Geography
long.[5]
Molokai is part of the state of Hawaii and located in Maui County, except for the Kalaupapa Peninsula, which is
separately administered as Kalawao County. Maui County encompasses Maui, Lnai, and Kahoolawe in addition to
Molokai. The largest town on the island is Kaunakakai, which is one of two small ports on the island. Molokai
Airport is located on West Molokai. The United States Census Bureau divides the island into three census tracts:
Census Tract 317 and Census Tract 318 of Maui County, Hawaii, and Census Tract 319 of Kalawao County, Hawaii.
The total 2000 census population of these was 7,404, living on a land area of 260.02 square miles (673.45km2).[6]
Molokai is separated from Oahu on the west by the Kaiwi Channel, from Maui on the southeast by the Pailolo
Channel, and from Lnai on the south by the Kalohi Channel.
Molokai
Ecology
Molokai is split into two main geographical areas. The low western
half is very dry and the soil is heavily denuded due to grazing by goats
and poor land management practices. It lacks significant ground cover
and virtually the entire section is covered in non-native kiawe
(Prosopis pallida) trees. One of the few natural areas remaining almost
intact are the coastal dunes of Moomomi, which are part of a Nature
Conservancy preserve.
The eastern half of the island is a high plateau rising up to an elevation
of 4,900ft (1,500m) on Kamakou peak and includes the 2,774 acres
Halawa Bay Beach Park, located at the extreme
(11.23km2; 4.334sqmi) Molokai Forest Reserve.[7] The eastern half
east end of Molokai
is covered with lush wet forests that get over 300in (7,600mm) of rain
per year. The high elevation forests are populated by native hia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) trees and an
extremely diverse endemic flora and fauna in the understory. Much of the summit area is protected by the Nature
Conservancy's Kamakou and Pelekunu valley preserves. Below 4,000 feet (1,200m), the vegetation is dominated by
exotic flora, including strawberry guava (Psidium littorale), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.), and cypress (Cupressus
spp.). Introduced axis deer (Axis axis) and feral pigs (Sus scrofa) roam native forests, destroying native plants,
expanding exotic plants through disturbance and distribution of their seeds, and threatening endemic insects. Near
the summit of Kamakou is the unique Pepeopae bog, where dwarf hia and other plants cover the soggy ground. .
Molokai is home to a great number of endemic plant and animal species. However, many of its species, including
the olomao (Myadestes lanaiensis), kkwahie (Paroreomyza flammea), and the Molokai (Moho bishopi) have
become extinct. Molokai is home to a wingless fly among many other endemic insects.
Tourism
For years, residents of Molokai have resisted attempts to dramatically
increase tourism. This island is also the least populated, according to
2012 population test. Community members successfully opposed the
development company Molokai Ranch's attempt to expand through the
"Save La'au Point" movement.[8] As a result, on March 24, 2008 what
was then the island's largest employer decided to shut all operations
including hotels, movie theater, restaurants, and golf course and
dismiss 120 workers.[9] Molokai has Hawaii's highest unemployment
rate.[10]
Sign greeting visitors to Molokai at exit to
Molokai
Hoolehua
Kalaupapa
Kalawao
Kaunakakai
Kualapuu
Maunaloa
Notes
[1] http:/ / tools. wmflabs. org/ geohack/ geohack. php?pagename=Molokai& params=21_08_N_157_02_W_type:isle_scale:500000
[2] " Kalaupapa National Historical Park - Hansen's Disease Patients at Kalawao and Kalaupapa (http:/ / www. nps. gov/ kala/ historyculture/
patients. htm) (U.S. National Park Service)." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. Web. 19 Nov. 2009.
[3] Hawaiian landslides have been catastrophic (http:/ / www. mbari. org/ volcanism/ Hawaii/ HR-Landslides. htm), Monterey Bay Aquarium
Research Institute
[4] Culliney, John L. (2006) Islands in a Far Sea: The Fate of Nature in Hawaii. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 17.
[5] http:/ / bulletin. geoscienceworld. org/ cgi/ content/ abstract/ 115/ 11/ 1344 Quantitative morphology of a fringing reef tract from
high-resolution laser bathymetry: Southern Molokai, Hawaii
[6] Census Tracts 317 and 318, Maui County; and Census Tract 319, Kalawao County (http:/ / factfinder. census. gov/ servlet/
DTTable?_bm=y& -show_geoid=Y& -tree_id=4001& -_caller=geoselect& -context=dt& -errMsg=& -all_geo_types=N&
-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_P001& -redoLog=true& -transpose=N& -search_map_config=|b=50|l=en|t=4001|zf=0. 0|ms=sel_00dec|dw=0.
3235256323641746|dh=0. 22787245954044197|dt=gov. census. aff. domain. map. EnglishMapExtent|if=gif|cx=-156.
97355919130274|cy=21.
202197799643404|zl=5|pz=5|bo=318:317:316:314:313:323:319|bl=362:393:358:357:356:355:354|ft=350:349:335:389:388:332:331|fl=381:403:204:380:369:379:3
-PANEL_ID=p_dt_geo_map& -_lang=en& -geo_id=14000US15005031900& -geo_id=14000US15009031700&
-geo_id=14000US15009031800& -CONTEXT=dt& -format=& -search_results=14000US15009031800& -ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U)
United States Census Bureau
[7] Molokai Forest Reserve Department of Land and Natural Resources (http:/ / hawaii. gov/ dlnr/ dofaw/ forestry/ FRS/ reserves/ mauinuifr/
molokai-forest-reserve)
[8] http:/ / archives. starbulletin. com/ 2007/ 01/ 14/ business/ story01. html
[9] http:/ / www. mauinews. com/ page/ content. detail/ id/ 517428. html
[10] http:/ / www. hawaiireporter. com/ hawaii-unemployment-at-two-year-low/ 123
[11] Molokai Ka Hula Piko (http:/ / www. aloha-hawaii. com/ molokai/ things-to-do/ attractions/ molokai-ka-hula-piko/ )
References
Coffman, Tom (2003). The Island Edge of America: A Political History of Hawai'i. University of Hawaii Press.
ISBN0-8248-2662-0.
Engledow, Jill (March 2007). "Where Tradition Holds Sway" (http://www.nokaoimagazine.com/Features/v.
11n.2/Where_Tradition_Holds_Sway.html). Maui N Ka Oi Magazine 11 (2). Article about traditional hula
halau on Molokai
Farber, Joseph M (1997) Ancient Hawaiian fishponds: can restoration succeed on Molokai? (http://books.
google.co.nz/books?id=fvFJAAAAYAAJ&q=Ancient+Hawaiian+Fishponds:+Can+Restoration+Succeed+
on+Moloka'i?&dq=Ancient+Hawaiian+Fishponds:+Can+Restoration+Succeed+on+Moloka'i?&hl=en&
ei=D5aeToyPG_HRmAWHzvGlCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA)
Cornell University. ISBN 978-0-9659782-0-0.
Lee, Pali Jae, and Koko Willis (1987). Tales from the Night Rainbow: The Story of a Woman, a People, and an
Island (http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Night-Rainbow-Koko-Willis/dp/0962803006/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&
ie=UTF8&qid=1298315568&sr=1-1). Night Rainbow Publishing. ISBN0-9628030-0-6.
Lo, Catharine (DecemberJanuary 2007). "On the Rocks" (http://www.hanahou.com/pages/magazine.
asp?Action=DrawArticle&ArticleID=526&MagazineID=33). Hana Hou! 9 (6). Article about Hawaiian limpets,
a traditional delicacy known locally as opihi.
Molokai
Tayman, John (2006). The Colony: The Harrowing True Story of the Exiles of Molokai. Scribners.
ISBN0-7432-3300-X.
External links
Official Molokai Visitors Association website (http://www.gohawaii.com/molokai)
The Molokai Dispatch (http://www.themolokaidispatch.com), weekly print community newspaper
Coordinates: 2108N 15702W (http:/ / tools. wmflabs. org/ geohack/ geohack. php?pagename=Molokai&
params=21_08_N_157_02_W_type:isle_scale:500000)
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
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