Welcome to Molokai The Most Hawaiian Island. Often called "The Friendly Island" because the aloha spirit flourishes here.

Halawa Valley
The only one of Moloka'i's five epic valleys that's easily accessible. The land speaks of its past as you hike among ancient heiau. Two silver waterfalls cascade hundreds of feet, and there's a blue lagoon and a golden beach - where legends say some of the first Polynesian voyagers landed in their double-hulled canoes - at the mouth of the valley. Unforgettable.

Kaunakakai
Moloka'i's town center is a laid-back gem, a real Hawai'i original. Ala Malama street is just a block long, with a potpourri of eateries and shops. Check out Friendly Market, Mrs. Ko's Lunch Counter, Imamura's Store, Moloka'i Pizza Cafe (yummy), Kanemitsu's Bakery, Outpost Natural Foods (super fresh lunches), and Pascua's General Store. And at Kaunakakai harbor, do not miss the famous Moloka'i Ice House, voted to have the best poke, sashimi and lomi ahi in the whole state. All their marvelous fish concoctions are as fresh as humanly possible, deliciously prepared and seasoned, and very reasonably priced.

Papohaku Beach
A contender for the finest beach in all Hawai'i, at three miles in length and 100 yards wide it is the second largest in the state, and definitely the best on Moloka'i.

Maunaloa
With recently widened and paved streets, and plans for artisans studios and new restaurants, Maunaloa is Moloka'i's "happening" village. It now offers the island's only movie theatre (a triplex!) and fast-food spot - a Kentucky Fried Chicken. Check out the General Store, the Village Grill and the whimsical Big Wind Kite Factory.

Moloka'i Ranch
Also in Maunaloa is this legendary "bonanza" of a ranch. Still a working cattle spread, Moloka'i Ranch today has dedicated itself to providing every sort of thrill-seeking excitement and fun imaginable. So buckle up and get ready - it's a great ride! Shop at the one-of-a-kind Outfitter Center, and stay at the shoreside camps, with their unique bungalows and beach-and-barbeque lifestyle, or at the new, luxurious and spacious Moloka'i Ranch Lodge.

Kalaupapa Take the mule ride, hike or fly down to this picturesque, isolated peninsula, a National Historic Park. Made famous by Father Damien, its pristine splendor is surrounded by the astonishing North Shore pali, sea cliffs which vault straight up for 3,000 feet - the tallest on earth.

Pala'au State Park
Overlooking Kalaupapa, this 34-acre recreation area has more than magnificent views -- the hike among aromatic eucalyptus and whispering ironwood trees and the 1,000 ft. elevation make it a blissful retreat.

Kamakou and Mo'omomi
The Nature Conservancy manages Kamakou Preserve, a spellbindingly lush, 2774-acre rainforest sanctuary filled with over 250 indigenous plants and native birds on the slopes of the isle's highest mountain. Also under the care of The Nature Conservancy, the Mo'omomi Dunes - a scenic, wind-blown preserve that can only be visited by four-wheel-drive jeep. Important to archaeologists, botanists, and marine biologists, the Smithsonian discovered bones of prehistoric birds here that existed nowhere else on earth.

Ili'ili'opae Heiau
One of the largest platform heiau in all Hawai'i, this Hawaiian temple is believed to have been three times its current size of over 3,000 s.f. and up to 22 ft. high. Emanating vibrations of a powerful past, it is a peaceful place to learn about time-honored Hawaiian traditions. Hike or horseback or wagon ride the dirt path to the heiau's lush setting.

Kaloko'eli Fishpond
Ancient Hawaiians practiced a very sophisticated form of aquaculture, and this is one of the finest examples of Moloka'i's fishponds. Most were built 700-800 years ago, and at one time more than sixty were operating on the island's southern shore.

BIOLOGY Molokai has a wide variety of plant, marine and animal life. Many species are rare and endangered including the Pueo (Hawaiian owl) and the Humpback Whale (the official state marine mammal). Vegetation zones include coastal, dryland forest, mixed open forest, and rain forest.

CLIMATE Like most of the Hawaiian Islands, Molokai has only two seasons: "summer" between May and October and "winter" between October and April. The island is divided into an arid western region and a verdant eastern region. Depending upon locale:

• average temperature ranges from 75 (°F) to 85 (°F)
  
• yearly average rainfall is 30 inches
  

CULTURAL HISTORY Molokai, from earliest times, was revered and feared as a center for mysticism and sorcery. Today Molokai is a sanctuary for those who seek the real world.

A Word about Kalaupapa: Starting in 1866, Hawaii's victims of Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) were dumped on Molokai's Kalaupapa Peninsula to die. The isolated settlement was literally hell on earth until the arrival of Father Damien in 1873. A catholic priest from Belgium, he treated the exiles with dignity and gave them a sense of hope. Today, Hansen's Disease is treatable and is one of the least contagious of all communicable diseases. With the arrest of the disease, the remaining small community of resident patients on Kalaupapa choose to live in the only home they've ever known.

As part of Maui County, Molokai is a multi-cultural society with major immigration from:

• Polynesia - 700 A.D.
  
• United States - 1820
  
• China - 1852
  
• Japan - 1868
  
• Portugal - 1878
  
• Puerto Rico - 1900
  
• Korea - 1903
  
• Philippines - 1906
  

ECONOMY Hawaii's cost of living is one of America's highest, its per capita personal income below average. In fact, Hawaii's cost of living for a family of four is estimated to be approximately 27% higher than the U.S. average for a comparable standard of living. In 1999, Hawaii's average per capita personal income of $27,544 was 3.5% below the U.S. average - the price of living in Paradise!

The State of Hawaii's major sources of annual income include:

• Tourism - $10.3 billion (1999)*
  
• Federal Defense Spending - $4.2 billion(1999)
  
• Sugar - $133.1 million (1998)
  
• Pineapple - $145.1 million (1998)
  

* Tourism annual income figures are deceptive, since a percentage of tourism dollars do not remain in the Islands, but are returned to overseas investors.

The 1990's has been the worst decade in Hawaii's economic history since World War II due, in large measure, to the decline in tourism from the East and the demise of the sugar and pineapple industries. To meet the challenges of the 21st Century, Hawaii is working to diversify its economy with a focus on industries such as science and technology, health and wellness tourism, diversified agriculture, ocean research and development, and film and television production.

On Molokai there are attempts at diversified aquaculture/agriculture to offset the collapse of pineapple cultivation. Tourism is minimal - approximately 69,657 visitors in 1999.

In ancient times Molokai was an affluent community boasting the most fishponds in the Islands and a prosperous adze quarry industry. Today's Molokians are the last survivors of a lost race holding on desperately to what little they have left - struggling to keep their island as it once was and wants to be.

EDUCATION Molokai :

• K-12 students (1995): 1907
  
• Public schools (1995): 5
  
• Private schools (1993): 2
  
• Molokai Education Center - part of Maui Community College
  

GEOGRAPHY Molokai has 260.9 square miles of geographic diversity. Perpetually green valleys, tumbling waterfalls, scented pine forests, tangled bamboo thickets, trackless beaches, drifting sand dunes, sheer cliffs that hang from clouds to earth (the tallest in the world dropping 3,000 feet to the sea). The island is approximately 38 miles long and 10 miles wide, with just over 88 miles of unspoiled coastline.

Molokai is:

• located in Polynesia
  
• near the center of the Pacific Ocean
  
• just below the Tropic of Cancer
  
• one of the most remote spots on Earth
  
• 2,340 miles west of California
  
• the fifth largest of the 8 main Hawaiian islands
  

GEOLOGY Molokai (the third oldest island in the Hawaiian chain) rose from the sea roughly 2 million years ago.

Scientists say the Hawaiian Islands were born according to laws of nature, that volcanic forces pushed these underwater mountains above the surface of the ocean. The myths say the Hawaiian Islands were born of the spirit world. Maui, demi-god of old, stuck his giant fishhook into the ocean and pulled the islands from the sea.

Whichever you believe - it's a world unto itself.

GOVERNMENT The Island of Molokai is part of Maui County. In Maui County, as throughout the State, there are no separate municipal governments. Maui County has an elected mayor with a four-year term (two-term limit) and a nine-member council with two-year terms. Attempts at creating an autonomous government for Molokai have to date been unsuccessful - its political voice goes largely unheard.

OFFICIAL COLOR AND FLOWER The official color is green and the official flower is the kukui blossom.

POPULATION Molokai:

• had a resident population of 6,838 in 1995
  
• it is estimated that over 2,500 of the island's 6,000+ inhabitants have more than 50% Hawaiian blood
  
• except for Niihau (a small private island near Kauai), it is the only island where Hawaiians are the majority.
  

TOURISM Molokai had 69,657 visitors in 1999. Neglect from the outside world sheltered Molokai and kept it unspoiled and made it "the Friendly Isle". While its sister islands have been developed, Molokai has stood still - its clock ticks more slowly than elsewhere.

If you need to be where nothing is happening - happiness is discovering Molokai. Time spent here is a good way to get acquainted with the old Hawaiian-style of life which involves family, fishing, and feasting with friends.

Data Source: DBEDT