Oahu has an area of 607.7 square miles with 112 miles of coastline (44 miles long by 30 miles wide). Located in the center of the Pacific Ocean just south of the Tropic of Cancer, it is one of the most isolated land masts of the earth. Oahu is located 2,390 miles southwest of San Francisco and is the third largest of the eight main Hawaiian Islands. Geographic coordinates of Honolulu, the state capital, is 21:18:25 North Latitude, 157:51:30 West Longitude.
Oahu (the second oldest island in the Hawaiian chain) consists of two mountain ranges. The Waianae Range is located on the Leeward or western shore and the Koolau Mountains are located along the northeastern shore. There are two major dormant volcanoes on the island. Koko Head located on the eastern shore of Oahu and world famous Diamond Head which overlooks the southern shore and Waikiki Beach.
Oahu is home of the islands' only natural harbors. Pearl Harbor, which is home to the U.S. Pacific Command. It is also the location of the USS Arizona Memorial and now, the USS Missouri. Closer to downtown Honolulu is Honolulu Harbor, which is the center of all shipping for the islands and the location of the famous Aloha Tower.
Honolulu is also located on the island of Oahu. Honolulu is not only the capital of Hawaii; it is also the financial and business center of the islands. Located between the Honolulu Airport and the Waikiki Beach resort area, Honolulu has a wonderful city center where you can find Iolani Palace (the only Royal Palace in the USA), The Kamehameha Statue which honor's Hawaii first monarch, Washington Place (the Governor's mansion) and Kawaiha'o Church and cemetery.
Oahu's weather is typical of that found in other locations throughout the state. Moderate and sub-tropical with only two definable seasons. During November through April, the winter season is cooler and wetter. An increase of clouds and periodic rain showers, particularly to particularly the north shore area of the island. The winter showers do not normally disrupt vacationer's plans because there are relatively few periods of prolonged rain. From May to October, the summer is sunnier, drier tending to be mostly sunny to partly cloudy throughout the island.
The key to enjoying Oahu, as with most of the islands, is mobility. Oahu has no fixed rail mass transit, so consequently, Hawaii has as many vehicles registered as residents, which results in crowded roads and congestion at times. However, Oahu is the only island in the state that has any large-scale mass transit in place. Oahu Transit Services or "TheBus" as it is called by locals, was named "America's Best Transit System" 1994-1995 by the American Public Transit Association. TheBus carries about 260,000 passengers daily or over 80 million yearly and the service fleet collectively travels over 60,000 miles each day on Oahu which is about 608 square miles. That's two 1/2 times around the earth!
Go To Page: 1 2
