The Islands of the Hawaiian Kingdom

The Polynesian
November 2000
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On March 16, 1854, in Honolulu, His Excellency Robert C. Wyllie, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hawaiian Kingdom, informed: William Miller, Esq., Her British Majesty's Commissioner; M. Louis Emile Perrin, Consul Commissioner and Plenipotentiary of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the French; and Honorable David L. Gregg, United States Commissioner, of the islands constituting the Hawaiian domain:

"I have the honor to make known to you that that the following islands, &c., are within the domain of the Hawaiian Crown, viz: Hawaii, containing about , 4,000 square miles; Maui, 600 square miles; Oahu, 520 square miles; Kauai, 520 square miles; Molokai, 170 square miles; Lanai, 100 square miles; Niihau, 80 square miles; Kahoolawe, 60 square miles; Nihoa, known as Bird Island, Molokini, Lehua, Kaula, being Islets, and all Reefs, Banks and Rocks contiguous to either of the above, or within the compass of the whole."

On May 16, 1854, State Neutrality of the Hawaiian Kingdom was proclaimed by His Majesty King Kamehameha III. The 1854 Proclamation of Hawaiian neutrality, stated:

"...that Our neutrality is to be respected by all Belligerents, to the full extent of Our Jurisdiction, which by Our fundamental laws is to the distance of one marine league (three miles), surrounding each of Our Islands of Hawaii, Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau, commencing at low water mark on each of the respective coasts, of said Islands, and includes all the channels passing between and dividing said Islands, from Island to Island..."

Four additional Islands were annexed to the Hawaiian Kingdom domain under the international doctrine of discovery subsequent to the reign of His Majesty King Kamehameha III. These islands are as follows:

1. Laysan Island, 800 miles northwest of Honolulu, was annexed to the Hawaiian Kingdom by discovery of Captain John Paty on May 1, 1857, during the reign of His Majesty King Kamehameha IV.

2. Lisiansky Island, 920 miles northwest of Honolulu, also was annexed by discovery of Captain John Paty on May 10, 1857.

3. Palmyra Island, a cluster of low islets, 1,100 miles southwest of Honolulu, was taken possession of by Captain Zenas Bent on April 15, 1862, and proclaimed as Hawaiian Territory during the reign of His Majesty King Kamehameha IV, as per "By Authority" notice in the "Polynesian" newspaper of June 21, 1862.

4. Ocean Island, also called Kure atoll, 1,800 miles northwest of Honolulu, was acquired September 20, 1886, as per proclamation of Colonel J.H. Boyd, empowered for such service during the reign of His Majesty King Kalakaua. Pau.

A revised survey of the Hawaiian Islands constituting the Hawaiian Kingdom are as follows:
Island	Location		Square Miles/Acreage
Hawai'i	19 30' N 155 30' W		4,028.2 / 2,578,048
Maui	20 45' N 156 20' W		727.3 / 465,472
O'ahu	21 30' N 158 00' W		597.1 / 382,144
Kaua'i	22 03' N 159 30' W		552.3 / 353,472
Molokai	21 08' N 157 00' W		260.0 / 166,400
Lana'i	20 50' N 156 55' W		140.6 / 89,984
Ni'ihau	21 55' N 160 10' W		69.5 / 44,480
Kaho'olawe	20 33' N 156 35' W		44.6 / 28,544
Nihoa	23 06' N 161 58' W		0.3 / 192
Molokini	20 38' N 156 30' W		0.04 / 25.6
Lehua	22 01' N 160 06' W		0.4 / 256
Ka'ula	21 40' N 160 32' W		0.2 / 128
Laysan	25 50' N 171 50' W		1.6 / 1,024
Lisiansky	26 02' N 174 00' W		0.6 / 384
Palmyra	05 52' N 162 05' W		4.6 / 2,944
Ocean	28 25' N 178 25' W		0.4 / 256
(a.k.a. Kure atoll)
		TOTAL:	6,427.74 square miles /
			4,113,753.6 acres
The Islands comprising the domain of the Hawaiian Kingdom are located in the Pacific Ocean between 5 and 23 north latitude and 154 and 178 west longitude.

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