Niʻihau
Nickname: The Forbidden Isle | |
|---|---|
Aerial view of Niʻihau looking southwestward | |
Niʻihau Niʻihau | |
| Geography | |
| Location | North Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 21°54′N 160°10′W / 21.900°N 160.167°W |
| Area | 69.5 sq mi (180 km2) |
| Area rank | 7th largest Hawaiian Island |
| Highest elevation | 1,250 ft (381 m) |
| Highest point | Mount Pānīʻau |
| Administration | |
United States | |
| State | Hawaiʻi |
| County | Kauaʻi |
| Owner(s) | Bruce Robinson Keith Robinson |
| Symbols | |
| Flower | Pūpū keʻokeʻo (white shell) |
| Color | Keʻokeʻo (white) |
| Largest settlement | Puʻuwai |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 84 (2020) |
| Pop. density | 1.9/sq mi (0.73/km2) |
| Ethnic groups | Hawaiian |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
Niʻihau, sometimes written Niihau, is the seventh largest island in Hawaii and the westernmost of the main islands. It is 17.5 miles (28.2 km) southwest of Kauaʻi across the Kaulakahi Channel. Its area is 69.5 square miles (180 km2). Several intermittent playa lakes provide wetland habitats for the Hawaiian coot, the Hawaiian stilt, and the Hawaiian duck. The island is designated as critical habitat for Brighamia insignis, an endemic and endangered species of Hawaiian lobelioid. The United States Census Bureau defines Niihau and the neighboring island and State Seabird Sanctuary of Lehua as Census Tract 410 of Kauaʻi County, Hawaii. Its 2010 census population was 170, most of them native Hawaiians. As of the 2020 census, the population had fallen to 84. The people of Niʻihau are noted for their gemlike lei pūpū (shell lei) craftsmanship. They speak Hawaiian as a primary language, being the only place where Hawaiian has not been in any way displaced by English.
The Scottish plantation owner Elizabeth Sinclair purchased Niʻihau from the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi in 1864 for US$10,000 (equivalent to $206,000 in 2025). Ownership of the island passed to her descendants, the Robinson family. The island is currently managed by brothers Bruce and Keith Robinson. The island has attracted some controversy for the strict rules the Robinson family imposes on the island and its inhabitants. Known as "the Forbidden Isle", it is off-limits to all outsiders except the Robinson family and their relatives, U.S. Navy personnel, government officials, and invited guests. From 1987 onward, a limited number of supervised activity tours and hunting safaris have opened to tourists.
During World War II, the island was the site of the Niʻihau incident, in which, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese navy fighter pilot crashed on the island and received help from the island's residents of Japanese descent.