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Honolulu

Location

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First Mentioned

9/28/2026, 4:28:25 AM

Last Updated

9/28/2026, 4:29:16 AM

Research Retrieved

9/28/2026, 4:29:16 AM

Summary

Honolulu, the capital and most populous city of Hawaii, is situated on the southeastern coast of Oʻahu. As the westernmost and southernmost major U.S. city and state capital, it serves as a vital hub for business, commerce, finance, hospitality, and military defense in Oceania. Honolulu's strategic location and harbor have historically driven its growth and importance in the Pacific region. The city has been Hawaii's capital since 1845, transitioning from the Hawaiian Kingdom to a U.S. territory and finally to the state of Hawaii in 1959. It gained international attention after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, a pivotal event that led to the U.S. entry into World War II, and the harbor remains a significant U.S. Navy base. Honolulu's diverse culture, influenced by Asian, Western, and Pacific traditions, along with its tropical climate and beaches, makes it a popular tourist destination. However, the city faces challenges from climate change, including drought, water shortages, and rising sea levels that cause flooding. These environmental issues, coupled with an aging and declining population, have led to an exodus of residents to the mainland U.S. Despite these challenges, the Urban Honolulu metropolitan area is a significant economic center, and the city continues to be a key location in the Pacific.

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    Honolulu

    Honolulu ( HON-ə-LOO-loo; Hawaiian: [honoˈlulu]) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island of Oʻahu. The population of Honolulu was 350,964 at the 2020 census, dropping to an estimated 341,868 by 2025. The Urban Honolulu metropolitan area had an estimated population of just under 1 million residents in 2024 and is the 56th-largest metropolitan area in the nation. The area's geography and Honolulu Harbor have long made it desirable as a port, accounting for the city's growth and importance in the Hawaiian archipelago and the broader Pacific region. Honolulu has been the capital of Hawaii since 1845, first as seat of the independent Hawaiian Kingdom until the kingdom's overthrow in 1893, then of the U.S. territory established after annexation in 1898, and since 1959 of the state of Hawaii. The city gained worldwide recognition following the Empire of Japan's attack on nearby Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which prompted the entry of the U.S. into World War II; the harbor remains a major U.S. Navy base, hosting the United States Pacific Fleet, the world's largest naval command. Honolulu is the westernmost and southernmost major U.S. city and state capital. It is also a hub for business, commerce, finance, hospitality, and military defense in Oceania. The city is characterized by a mix of various Asian, Western, and Pacific cultures, reflected in its diverse demography, cuisine, and traditions. Honolulu's favorable tropical climate, rich natural scenery, and extensive beaches make it a popular global destination for tourists. With nearly 1.5 million visitors in 2024, Honolulu is among the ten most visited cities in the United States. However, since the beginning of the 21st century, climate change has significantly impacted Honolulu and its tourism economy, contributing to increasing drought and water shortages, and sea level rise as well as beach and hotel flooding in Downtown Honolulu. These factors are compounded by an aging and declining population, with an exodus emigrating to the U.S. mainland.

    Web Search Results
    • Honolulu | Location, Description, Populaion, History, & Facts

      Show less Top Questions What is Honolulu? Honolulu, Hawaii's capital and main port, is a modern city on the southeastern shore of Oahu Island. Extending 10 miles along the shore and 4 miles inland to the Koolau Range foothills, it serves as a hub for trans-Pacific shipping, interisland services, and the state's commerce and industry. Honolulu, meaning "protected bay," was officially declared a city in 1850 by King Kamehameha III, although it had been the de facto capital since 1845. Honolulu is also the educational nucleus of the state and is the site of the University of Hawaii in Manoa Valley. 3 Britannica Sources 1. Honolulu 2. Hawaii: The arts 3. Oahu [...] Honolulu, capital and principal port of Hawaii, U.S., seat of Honolulu county. A modern city, it extends about 10 miles (16 km) along the southeastern shore of Oahu Island and 4 miles (6 km) inland across a plain into the foothills of the Koolau Range. It is the crossroads of trans-Pacific shipping and air routes, the focus of interisland services, and the commercial and industrial centre of the state. The city-county (area 597 square miles [1,545 square km]) comprises all of Oahu and some outlying islets, which have an area aggregate of only 3 square miles (8 square km) but extend for more than 1,300 miles (2,100 km) and constitute the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuge. It is administered as a single entity and has about 80 percent of the state’s population. [...] This answer is created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. Why is Honolulu important to Hawaii? Honolulu is Hawaii's capital and principal port, located along Oahu's southeastern shore. In 1845, Honolulu became the de facto capital, and in 1850, it was officially declared the capital by King Kamehameha III. Honolulu serves as the state's commercial and industrial center and a crossroads for trans-Pacific shipping and air routes. Honolulu Harbor is the center of Hawaiian shipping. Honolulu is also the educational nucleus of Hawaii. The majority of Hawaii's residents live on Oahu, with nearly three-fourths residing in Honolulu and its metropolitan area.

    • Honolulu

      Honolulu has been the capital of Hawaii since 1845, first as seat of the independent Hawaiian Kingdom until the kingdom's overthrow in 1893, then of the U.S.

    • About Honolulu | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

      Skip to content Home A-Z Index Directory Students Faculty and Staff Parents Alumni MyUH Support UH Twitter Facebook Instagram Flickr YouTube University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa # About Honolulu Honolulu is the largest city in the state of Hawaiʻi and also home to the State Capitol. Honolulu, which means sheltered harbor or protected bay, is believed to have been founded as early as 2,000 years ago. The city was firmly established as the major center for the Hawaiian Islands by the mid-1800s. Hawaiʻi became the Aloha State in 1959 when it was formally admitted to the Union as the 50th state. [...] Today, Honolulu is one of America’s safest cities with many unique features and characteristics. It’s home to America’s only royal palace and is known for its tropical climate, lush green landscape, diverse population, and community spirit known as aloha. We invite you to learn more about the Honolulu community by exploring the links below. ## Local Information Campus Map GoHawaiʻi Honolulu Star-Advertiser Ka Leo (student newspaper) KTUH (student radio) State of Hawaiʻi website ## Recreation Aloha Stadium Hawaiʻi State Parks Honolulu Botanical Gardens Honolulu Parks and Recreation Honolulu Zoo Nā Ala Hele Trail & Access Program Waikīkī Aquarium ## Events and Festivals

    • A city guide to Honolulu, Hawaii | National Geographic

      Honolulu is huge by Hawaiian standards, but a mere speck compared to other US cities. Its coastal setting on the island of Oahu, dramatised by a cinematic ring of mountains, feels at once like a remote outpost and a bustling Pacific crossroads. It’s a city of traffic snarls and growing pains, but also a place where surfboards lean against office walls and everyone wears slippahs (flip-flops). [...] Walking in Ala Moana Regional Park, between Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. Photograph by Ben Ono, Hawaii Tourism Authority HTA # A city guide to Honolulu, Hawaii Hawaii’s capital city is as much Pacific idyll as it is cosmopolitan cool, offering indie shops, fusion food and sunset hulas under banyan trees. Dive in for a microcosm of the islands’ warm aloha spirit. ByPól Ó Conghaile Last updated April 20, 2023 •14 min read This article was adapted from National Geographic Traveller (UK). [...] “When a Hawaiian says ‘aloha’, you must respond with energy,” says the guitarist leading a hula group on Kuhio Beach. It’s a word imbued with love, compassion and respect — a catch-all for laid-back island life. It also captures the spirit of Honolulu: a city of shave ice and tropical print shirts, of shady lanais(verandahs), fragrant leis (garlands) and buff beach boys surfing as sunshine smacks off cool, blue water. The skies are bright year-round and the ocean infuses everything, from fresh poke bowls to stories of early voyagers arriving by canoe.

    • Honolulu County, Hawaii - Wikipedia

      Honolulu County (Hawaiian: Kalana ʻo Honolulu), officially known as the City and County of Honolulu and formerly as Oʻahu County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Hawaii, one of five counties in the state. The city-county includes both Urban Honolulu (the state's capital and largest community) and the rest of the neighborhoods on the island of Oʻahu, as well as several minor outlying islands, including all of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (islands beyond Niʻihau) except Midway Atoll. [...] Edit links Article Talk Read Edit View history Tools Actions Read Edit View history General What links here Related changes Upload file Permanent link Page information Cite this page Get shortened URL Switch to legacy parser Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item Appearance Coordinates: 21°28′N 157°58′W / 21.467°N 157.967°W / 21.467; -157.967 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia County in Hawaii, United States This article is about the consolidated city-county government entity. For the Honolulu census-designated place, see Honolulu. For other uses, see Honolulu (disambiguation) "Honolulu (disambiguation)"). [...] | Consolidated city-county | | City and County of Honolulu Kūlanakauhale a me ke Kalana o Honolulu (Hawaiian) | | Downtown Honolulu, the city and county urban center.jpg "Downtown Honolulu, the city and county urban center") Downtown Honolulu, the city and county urban center | | Flag of Honolulu County Flag Official seal of Honolulu County Seal | | Motto(s): Haʻaheo No ʻO Honolulu (The Pride of Honolulu) | | Location in the state of Hawaii (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands not shown)") Location in the state of Hawaii (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands not shown) | | Country | United States | | State | Hawaii | | Incorporated | April 30, 1907 | | Seat | Honolulu | | Government | | • Type | Mayor–council | | • Mayor | Rick Blangiardi (I "Independent Party (United States)")) |

    Location Data

    Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States

    city

    Coordinates: 21.3045470, -157.8556760

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