Nicknamed “The Garden Isle,” the beautiful island of Kauai is the fourth largest of the eight main Hawaiian Islands, which include Ni’ihau, Kaua’i, O’ahu, Moloka’i, Lana’i, Kaho’olawe, Maui, and the island of Hawai’i. About 64,000 people live on Kauai, which is located across the Kauai Channel, northwest of Oahu.

Although it is unclear as to the exact meaning of Kauai, it is believed that the island gained its name from the legend of Hawaiiloa, the Polynesian navigator who is credited with first discovering the island.

According to Hawaiian tradition, Hawaiiloa named the island after Kauai, a favorite son.Possible meanings of Kauai are “place around the neck” and “food season.”

Like every other island of Hawaii, tourism is the largest industry on Kauai.

Kauai is also home to much farm land, which was used primarily for sugar plantations in the past, but today the land is used mostly for ranching. Nevertheless, agricultural products including guava, coffee, sugarcane, and pineapple are still grown on a small scale on Kauai.The city of Lihu’e, located on the island’s southeast coast, is the county seat of Kauai County and is the second largest city to Kapa’a, which has a population of about 10,000.Waimea, another community located on the southwest coast was once the capital of Kauai.

Some of the popular attractions on Kauai include the Alakai Wilderness Area, Fern Grotto, Hanalei Bay, Ke’e Beach, Koke’e State Park, Na Pali Coast State Park, Wailua River, Waimea Canyon, and Princeville North Shore.