Maui
Maui is an island that is part of the Hawaiian Islands. Administratively it is part of Maui County in the State of Hawaii, along with the islands of Lanai, Kahoolawe and Molokai. With a total area of 1,880 km ² it is the second largest island in the archipelago, with a population of 117,644 inhabitants (2000) is the third most populated island. Maui is also known by the nickname of Valley Isle by the fertile isthmus between the two volcanoes.
According to legend, the island is named after the demigod Maui. This hero, known in different parts of Polynesia, the islands created pescándolas the seabed.
Geography
Maui is an island formed by two volcanoes that join at an isthmus. The oldest volcano is Mauna Kahalawai is very eroded and is also called West Maui Mountain. To the east is the Haleakala, a volcano younger and bigger with a boiler at 3050 meters altitude. The last eruption was in 1790.
As the topography is dominated by the two volcanic mountains, the climate is very variable depending on the orientation with respect to the trade winds and altitude. The annual rainfall can vary between 250 and 10,000 mm depending on the location. The temperature at sea level is stable can variations between 20 ° C and 29 ° C.
The population is diverse, with different ethnic groups of immigrants who came to work in the plantations of sugar cane and pineapple. The main cities are Kahului, Wailuku, Lahaina and Kihei.
The main economic activities are agriculture and tourism. The Maui central valley, the isthmus between the two mountains, is dominated by the largest sugar cane plantations left in the Hawaiian Islands. The tourist offer includes many luxury hotels and whale watching in Alaska migrate autumn warmer waters of Maui. Most tourists come from the United States and Canada. This has led, in recent years, rapid population growth by tourists who have become residents. In turn, this has led to traffic congestion on major highways as well as housing, since the middle-income families find it very difficult to rent or buy a home. Also, in recent years has raised concerns about access to clean water, all combined with a severe drought. On the positive side, note that Maui has a healthy economy, as well as an unemployment rate in 2005 stood at only 2.6%, compared with 2.8 in the other islands or 5.1% country.
History
The Polynesians of Tahiti and the Marquesas were the first inhabitants of the island. English Captain James Cook discovered Maui November 26, 1778, but did not land at not finding a good harbor. He wrote down the name of the island as Mowe or Mow'ee. The first European to visit Maui, in 1786, was the French La Perouse who landed in the bay that now bears his name.
In 1790, King Kamehameha I conquered Maui Hawaii and established residence in Lahaina, then capital of the kingdom. Shortly after traders started to arrive, whalers and missionaries. As Lāhainā was then the capital, there was founded the first mission and the first school (which continues today, the Lahainaluna Mission School. Missionary school opened in 1831 and was the first secondary school to open west of the Rocky Mountains .'s population missionaries taught reading and writing, created the 12-letter Hawaiian alphabet, established a printing press in Lāhainā and began to write the history of the islands, which until then was transmitted orally only. Ironically, the work performed for these missionaries served both altered as to preserve the native culture. On the one hand, religious work altered the culture while the literacy efforts preserved native history and language for posterity.
During World War II, Maui was a center of residence and training of U.S. troops. It reached more than 100,000 military focus. The main military base was in Haiku.
6 Things to do in Maui (Hawaii)
