Molokai or Molokai ( or ;
Molokaʻi dialect: Morotaʻi ) is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the
Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length and width with a usable land area of , making it the fifth-largest in size of the main Hawaiian Islands and the
27th largest island in the United States.
It lies southeast of
Oʻahu across the wide
Kaʻiwi Channel and north of
Lānaʻi
Lānai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain. It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The island's o ...
, separated from it by the
Kalohi Channel.
The island's agrarian economy has been driven primarily by cattle ranching,
pineapple
The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae.
The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...
production,
sugarcane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
production and small-scale farming. Tourism comprises a small fraction of the island's economy, and much of the infrastructure related to tourism was closed and barricaded in the early 2000s when the primary landowner, Molokai Ranch, ceased operations due to substantial revenue losses. In
Kalawao County, on the
Kalaupapa Peninsula on the north coast, settlements were established in 1866 for quarantined treatment of persons with
leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...
; these operated until 1969. The
Kalaupapa National Historical Park now preserves this entire county and area. Several other islands are visible from the shores of Molokai, including Oahu from the west shores; Lānai from the south shores, and
Maui
Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
from the south and east shores.
Name
The island is known under several names by the local population: Molokaʻi ʻĀina Momona (land of abundance), Molokaʻi Pule Oʻo (powerful prayer), and Molokaʻi Nui A Hina (of the goddess Hina).
Both the form ''Molokai'' (without an
okina) and ''Molokai'' (with) have long been used by native speakers of Hawaiian, and there is debate as to which is the original form, with conflicting claims as to which the elders used. The
USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...
and the Hawaiʻi Board on Geographic Names use the form with the ʻokina.
Geography

Molokai developed from two distinct
shield volcanoes known as
East Molokai and the much smaller
West Molokai. The highest point is ''
Kamakou''
on East Molokai, at . Today, East Molokai volcano, like the
Koʻolau Range on
Oʻahu, is what remains of the southern half of the original mountain. The northern half suffered a catastrophic collapse about 1.5 million years ago and now lies as a debris field scattered northward across the bottom of the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
. What remains of the volcano on the island include the highest
sea cliffs in the world. The south shore of Molokai boasts the longest
fringing reef in the U.S. and its holdings—nearly long.
Molokai is part of the state of
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
and located in
Maui County, Hawaii, except for the Kalaupapa Peninsula, which is separately administered as
Kalawao County. Maui County encompasses Maui,
Lanai, and
Kahoolawe in addition to Molokai. The largest town on the island is
Kaunakakai, which is one of two small ports on the island.
Molokai Airport is located on the central plains of Molokai.
The
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
divides the island into three
census tracts, Census Tract 317 and Census Tract 318 of Maui County and Census Tract 319 of Kalawao County. The total
2010 census population of these was 7,345, living on a land area of . Molokai is separated from Oahu to the northwest by the
Molokai Channel, from Maui to the southeast by the
Pailolo Channel and from Lanai to the south by the
Kalohi Channel.
The Kauhako Crater Lake is a
soda lake.
Ecology

Molokai is split into two main geographical areas. The low western half is very dry and the soil is heavily denuded due to poor land management practices, which allowed over-grazing by deer and goats. It lacks significant ground cover and virtually the entire section is covered in non-native ''kiawe'' (''
Prosopis pallida'') trees. One of the few natural areas remaining almost intact are the coastal
dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...
s of
Moʻomomi, which are part of a
Nature Conservancy preserve.
The eastern half of the island is a high
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...
rising up to an elevation of on Kamakou peak and includes the Molokai Forest Reserve. The eastern half is covered with lush
wet forests that get more than of rain per year. The high-elevation forests are populated by native ''ʻōhiʻa lehua'' (''
Metrosideros polymorpha'') trees and an extremely diverse endemic flora and fauna in the
understory. Much of the summit area is protected by the Nature Conservancy's Kamakou and Pelekunu valley preserves.
Below , the vegetation is dominated by introduced and invasive flora, including
strawberry guava (''Psidium littorale''), eucalyptus (''
Eucalyptus
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...
'' spp.), and cypress (''
Cupressus'' spp.). Introduced
axis deer (''Axis axis'') and
feral pigs (''Sus scrofa'') roam native forests, destroying native plants, expanding spreading invasive plants through disturbance and distribution of their seeds, and threatening endemic
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
s. Near the summit of Kamakou is the unique
Pēpēʻōpae bog, where dwarf ''ʻōhiʻa'' and other plants cover the soggy ground.
Molokai is home to a great number of
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
plant and animal species. However, many of its species, including the ''
olomaʻo'' (''Myadestes lanaiensis''), ''
kākāwahie'' (''Paroreomyza flammea''), and the
Bishop's ‘ō‘ō (''Moho bishopi'') have become
extinct
Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
. Molokai is home to a wingless fly among many other endemic insects.
History
It used to be thought that Molokai was first settled around AD 650 by
indigenous peoples
There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
most likely from the
Marquesas Islands. However, a 2010 study using revised, high-precision radiocarbon dating based on more reliable samples has established that the period of eastern Polynesian colonization of the Marquesas Islands took place much later, in a shorter time frame of two waves: the "earliest in the Society Islands 1025–1120, four centuries later than previously assumed; then after 70–265 years, dispersal continued in one major pulse to all remaining islands 1190–1290."
Later migrants likely came from
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...
and other south Pacific islands.
Although Captain
James Cook
Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...
recorded sighting Molokai in 1778, the first European sailor to visit the island was
Captain George Dixon of the British Royal Navy in 1786.
The first significant European influence came in 1832 when a Protestant mission was established at Kaluaʻaha on the East End of the island by the
Reverend Harvey Hitchcock. The first farmer on Molokai to grow, produce and mill sugar and coffee commercially was
Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer, an immigrant from Germany who arrived in 1850. He built the first and only
sugar mill on the island in 1878, which is now a museum.
Ranching began on Molokai in the first half of the 19th century when
King Kamehameha V set up a country estate on the island, which was managed by Meyer and became what is now the Molokai Ranch. In the late 1800s, Kamehameha V built a vacation home in
Kaunakakai and ordered the planting of over 1,000 coconut trees in Kapuaiwa Coconut Grove.
Leper colony
Leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...
(also known as Hansen's disease) was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by traders, sailors, workers and others who lived in societies where it was
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
. Sugar planters were worried about the effects on their labor force and pressured the government to take action to control the spread of leprosy.

The legislature passed a control act requiring quarantine of people with leprosy. The government established
Kalawao located on the isolated Kalaupapa peninsula on the northern side of Molokai, followed by
Kalaupapa as the sites of a leper colony that operated from 1866 to 1969. Because Kalaupapa had a better climate and sea access, it developed as the main community. A research hospital was developed at Kalawao. The population of these settlements reached a peak of 1,100 shortly after the beginning of the 20th century.
In total over the decades, more than 8,500 men, women and children living throughout the Hawaiian islands and diagnosed with leprosy were exiled to the colony by the Hawaiian government and legally declared dead. This public health measure was continued after the Kingdom became a U.S. territory. Patients were not allowed to leave the settlement nor have visitors and had to live out their days here.
Arthur Albert St. Mouritz served as a physician to the leper settlement from 1884 to 1887.
[Wade, H. W. (1951)]
Human Inoculation Experiments in Hawaii Including Notes On Those of Arning and Of Fitch
''International Journal of Leprosy''. Volume 19 Number 2. Retrieved April 5, 2020[Amundson, Ron (2010)]
A Wholesome Horror: The Stigmas of Leprosy in 19th Century Hawaii
. ''Disability Studies Quarterly''. Volume 30 Number 3/4. Retrieved April 5, 2020. He explained how leprosy was spread.
[Mouritz, Arthur Albert St. M. (1916). ]
The Path of the Destroyer
' Retrieved April 5, 2020.
Pater Damiaan de Veuster, a
Belgian priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
of the
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary served as a missionary for 16 years in the communities of sufferers of leprosy.
Joseph Dutton, who served in the 13th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
and converted to
Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in 1883, came to Molokai in 1886 to help Pater Damiaan and the rest of the population who suffered from leprosy. Pater Damiaan died at Kalaupapa in 1889 while Joseph Dutton died in Honolulu in 1931 at the age of 87.
Mother Marianne Cope of the
Sisters of Saint Francis of Syracuse, New York, brought six of her Sisters to work in Hawaiʻi with leprosy sufferers in the late 19th century, also serving on Molokai.
Both Father Damiaan and Mother Marianne have been
canonized as Saints by the Roman Catholic Church for their charitable work and devotion to sufferers of leprosy. In December 2015, the cause of Joseph Dutton was formally opened, obtaining him the title
Servant of God
Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint.
Terminology
The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...
.
In the 1920s, people confined in the leper colony were treated with a new method devised by
Alice Ball and involving
chaulmoogra oil.
In the 1940s,
sulfonamide drugs were developed and provided a more effective treatment. Antibiotic
Dapsone has been used for leprosy since 1945.
Modern Multidrug therapy (MDT) remains highly effective, and people are no longer infectious after the first monthly dose.
In 1969, the century-old laws of forced quarantine were abolished. Former patients living in Kalaupapa today have chosen to remain here, most for the rest of their lives. In the 21st century, there are no persons on the island with active cases of leprosy, which has been controlled through medication, but some former patients chose to continue to live in the settlement after its official closure.
Economy
Over the years
Molokai Ranch has also acted as a developer, establishing hotels and related amenities for resort tourists on their property. The local indigenous community fought for many decades to inhibit the development by Molokai Ranch in order to preserve their community and unique way of life. In some cases, protests have become violent, such as fence cutting, poisoning of the Ranch's exotic African Safari animals in 1994, an arson attack in Kaupoa in 1995, and the destruction of of Ranch water pipes in 1996.
In 2007, community residents organized the "Save Laʻau Point" movement to oppose Molokai Ranch's attempt to expand its resort operation. As a result, on March 24, 2008, Molokai Ranch, then the island's largest employer, decided to shut down all resort operations, including hotels, movie theater, restaurants, and golf course, and dismiss 120 workers. In September 2017 the company that owns Molokai Ranch,
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
-based Guoco Leisure Ltd, put this property, encompassing 35% of the island of Molokai, on the market for $260 million.
Due to the fight against development and tourism, Molokai has Hawaii's highest unemployment rate. The residents have fought hard to maintain a lifestyle based on indigenous subsistence practices. This lifestyle is not without challenges, however, and many live below the federal poverty line. One third of its residents use
food stamps.
, the largest industry on the island is seed production for
Monsanto and
Mycogen Seeds, including
GMO seeds.
Tourism

The tourism industry on Molokai is relatively small, compared to the other islands in Hawaiʻi. Only 64,767 tourists visited Molokai in 2015. For decades, residents of Molokai have resisted private developers' attempts to increase tourism because of the irreparable changes to community and culture that are associated with a tourism industry. Accommodations are limited; as of 2014, only one hotel was open on the island. Most tourists find lodgings at rental condos and houses.
''
National Geographic Traveler'' magazine and the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations conduct annual Destination Scorecard surveys, aided by
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
. In 2007, a panel of 522 experts in
sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism is a concept that covers the complete tourism experience, including concern for Impacts of tourism, economic, social, and environmental issues as well as attention to improving tourists' experiences and addressing the needs o ...
and destination stewardship reviewed 111 selected human-inhabited
island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
s and
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...
s around the world. Molokai ranked 10th among the 111 destination locales. The survey cited Molokai's undeveloped tropical landscape, environmental stewardship, and rich, deep Hawaiian traditions (the island's ''
mana''). The neighbor islands of
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
,
Kauai,
Maui
Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
and
Oahu, ranked 50, 61, 81 and 104, respectively.
Molokai is believed to be the birthplace of the
hula
Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form expressing chant (''oli'') or song (Mele (Hawaiian language), ''mele''). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli ...
. The annual
Molokaʻi Ka Hula Piko festival is held on this island.
Molokai can be reached by plane. Planes fly into Molokaʻi daily from other Hawaiian islands including Oʻahu (Honolulu and Kalaeloa), Maui (Kahului) and Hawaii (Kona), operated by
Mokulele Airlines, Paragon Air and
Hawaiian Airlines.
A ferry that formerly sailed between Molokai and
Lāhainā Harbor, Maui closed operations on October 27, 2016. Sea Link President and Senior Capt. Dave Jung attributed the closure to competition from federally subsidized commuter air travel and declining ridership.
Infrastructure
Health care
The island of Molokai is served by Molokaʻi General Hospital, which operates all day, every day. It is also serviced by Molokai Community Health Center and Molokai Family Health Center.
Education
The island public school system includes four elementary schools, one charter school, one middle school, and one
high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
. There is also a community college. The island has one private middle/high school.
Parks

The island contains many parks and other protected areas, but most parks do not have service staff, potable water, or restroom facilities. Parks within the Maui County parks jurisdiction include Palaʻau State Park, Kiowea Beach Park, Kakahaiʻa National Wildlife Refuge, Molokaʻi Forest Reserve, Pelekunu Preserve, George Murphy Beach Park, Hālawa Beach Park, and Papohaku Beach Park (with a beach) in the portion within Maui County. Today Kalawao County is preserved by the
Kalaupapa National Historical Park (accessible by guided
mule or hiking tour).
Transportation
Highways
The island can be traversed by a two-lane highway running east to west (highways 450 and 460). Highway 470 is a spur up to the barrier mountains of Kalawao County and the Kalaupapa peninsula. By land this area (Kalaupapa) can only be reached by a hiking trail. Mule rides on the trail were suspended in 2018 when the trail temporarily closed due to a landslide and bridge damage. Most access to the Kalaupapa peninsula is by sea.
Bus
Maui Economic Opportunity operates public transportation on Molokai.
Notable people
*
Mother Marianne Cope, 19th-century nun and saint
*
Father Damien de Veuster, 19th-century Catholic priest and saint
*
Joseph Dutton, Catholic missionary who worked with Father Damien
*
Peter Johnson Gulick, Protestant missionary
*
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Protestant missionary
*
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Jr.,
1913 College Football All-America Team
*
John S. K. Kauwe III – Biologist and president of
Brigham Young University–Hawaii
*
Melveen Leed, singer
*
Linda Lingle, 6th Governor of Hawaiʻi
*
Keith Luuloa, professional baseball player (
Anaheim Angels)
*
Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer, politician and agricultural businessman in Hawaiʻi
*
William Ragsdale, popular Hawaiian attorney and politician, who served as superintendent at Kalaupapa for four years (1874–1878)
*
Arthur Albert St. Mouritz, physician to the leper settlement in Molokai from 1884 to 1887. He explained how leprosy was spread.
*
Kirby Wright, poet and writer
*
Lois-Ann Yamanaka, poet and novelist
Royalty
*
Nuʻakea, High Chieftess of Molokaʻi
*
Hualani
Hualani (''hua lani'' = "heavenly fruit") was a High Chiefess of Molokai in ancient Hawaii.
Hualani‘s parents were Chiefess Kamauliwahine and Laniaiku.
When Hualani discovered that a man named Kanipahu was a chief, she married him. Kanipahu a ...
, High Chieftess of Molokaʻi
*
Keʻoloʻewa, High Chief of Molokaʻi
*
Kapau-a-Nuʻakea, Chieftess of Molokaʻi
*
Kamauliwahine, Lady of Molokaʻi
*
Kanipahu
Kanipahu was an ancient Hawaiian chief. He was of the Pili line.
Kanipahu was a son of ''Aliʻi'' Kaniuhu and Hiliamakani.
After Kanipahu lived on Molokai, Molokaʻi and it was discovered that he was a chief, he was taken (as husband) by Hualani, ...
, High Chief of Molokaʻi
*
Kamauaua, High Chief of Molokaʻi
*
Kaupeepeenuikauila, Prince of Molokaʻi
*
Kahokuohua, High Chief of Molokaʻi
*
Kalanipehu, High Chief of Molokaʻi
*
Kanealai, High Chieftess and Queen Regnant of Molokaʻi in the 18th century
Towns and villages
*
Hoolehua
*
Kalaupapa
*
Kalawao
*
Kaunakakai
*
Kualapuu
*
Maunaloa
*
Ualapue
*
Hālawa
See also
*
Alii Aimoku of Molokai
*
Father Damien of Molokai
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Hawaii#Molokai
*
Koolau the Leper, a short story by
Jack London
Notes
References
*
* Article about traditional ''
hula
Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form expressing chant (''oli'') or song (Mele (Hawaiian language), ''mele''). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli ...
halau'' on Molokaʻi
*
*
* Article about Hawaiian
limpets, a traditional delicacy known locally as ''opihi''.
*
Further reading
*
External links
*
Official Molokaʻi Visitors Association website''The Molokaʻi Dispatch'' weekly print community newspaper
{{Authority control
Molokai
Islands of Hawaii
Kalawao County, Hawaii
Maui County, Hawaii