n.
Volcanic island, part of the state of Hawaii, U.S. It lies south of Maui and constitutes Hawaii county, with Hilo (pop., 2000: 40,759) the island's main town.
Known as the Big Island, it is the largest in area at 4,028 sq mi (10,433 sq km) and southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Island group. It is the youngest geologically and was formed by five volcanoes connected by lava ridges. Kilauea , the world's most active volcano, is located there in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park . The island has other volcanic peaks, including Mauna Kea . Sugar, tourism, cattle, orchids, and coffee are the basis of the economy.