KAUAI

volcanic island, Kauai county, Hawaii, U.S. It lies 72 miles (116 km) northwest of Oahu Island across the Kauai Channel. The northernmost and geologically the oldest of the major Hawaiian Islands, it is also the most verdant and is known as the Garden Isle. The first Polynesians to reach the Hawaiian Islands are said to have landed there a millennium ago and settled at the mouth of the Wailua River. With an area of 552 square miles (1,430 square km), the nearly circular isle, whose place-name is of uncertain meaning, consists mainly of Mount Waialeale (5,243 feet ) and marginal lowlands dissected by fertile valleys and deep fissures. Principal towns are Lihue (the county seat), Kapaa, and Hanapepe. Sugar is the major agricultural product, and there is diversified manufacturing, especially of tourist-oriented goods. Kauai county embraces nearby Niihau Island (73 square miles) and the tiny uninhabited islets of Kaula and Lehua. The county suffered considerable property damage when it was hit by Hurricane Iniki on Sept. 11, 1992. Pop. (1990) Kauai county, 51,177; (1995 est.) Kauai county, 56,131.