For most purposes, the City and County of Honolulu is the Island of O‘ahu. Known as the "Gathering Place", O‘ahu has a land area of 596.7 square miles.

It is the center of business and government for the State of Hawai‘i. Downtown Honolulu is Hawai‘i's financial center while Waikiki, the world famous tourist destination, is only a few miles away.

Smallest of the four counties in geographical size, it has three-fourths of the State's population.

Legally it includes most Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to Kure Atoll which is 1,367 miles from Honolulu.

O‘ahu's flower is the ‘ilima which may have yellow or orange blossoms.

Average temperatures range from 70° to 84° F.

Rainfall at the coast averages 22 inches per year and the humidity 68%.

POPULATION
Resident population (2003): 902,704

By age (2002): Under 18 (23.1%); 18-64 (63.2); 65 and over (13.7)

By ethnic groups (2002): Japanese (17.7%); Hawaiian/Part Hawaiian (18.5); Caucasian (22); Filipino (14.4)

Urban areas (2000): Honolulu, 371,657; Kailua, 36,513; Kane‘ohe, 34,970

TOURISM
O‘ahu is the main destination for most visitors to Hawai‘i.

Besides Waikiki, where most visitors stay, O‘ahu has wonderful beaches, scenic drives and panoramic vistas. Popular attractions are the Arizona Memorial, U.S.S. Missouri, Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Polynesian Cultural Center, Bishop Museum and Hanauma Bay.

Visitor arrivals (2003p): 4,066,258

AGRICULTURE
Despite its urban nature, many crops are grown on O‘ahu. Vegetables and fruits, including pineapple, are cultivated. Sugarcane production ended in 1996.

Aquaculture (2002): 30 operations with a production value of $4.2 million

MILITARY
The majority of military personnel and dependents reside on O‘ahu. Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard is probably the most widely known military installation. The unified military command for the Pacific (CINCPAC) is also located on O‘ahu.

HEALTH
Licenses (2003): 2,652 doctors, 802 dentists, 8,187 nurses and 702 pharmacists

EDUCATION
Higher education facilities include the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, Brigham Young University-Hawai‘i, Chaminade University and Hawai‘i Pacific University. There are four community colleges.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
(2002) 6 banks with 127 branches. Other financial services include savings and loan associations and credit unions.

PRINT AND BROADCAST MEDIA
Honolulu has two daily English language newspapers, the Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, as well as several non-English papers. In 1997, there were 17 AM and 14 FM commercial radio stations, 9 commercial TV stations and 1 public TV station. In 1999, there were 2 cable TV companies with 253,981 subscribers.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
University of Hawai‘i at Manoa research facilities include the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, Institute for Astronomy, Hawai‘i Institute for Geophysics, the Pacific Biomedical Research Center and the Marine Bioproducts Engineering Center.

GOVERNMENT
Mayor: Jeremy Harris; nine-member city council (www.co.honolulu.hi.us)