Hawaii is an island state in the United States of America. Due to its isolated nature, its natural bodies of water play an important part in the lives of the people who live there. Hawaii is composed of a chain of islands, and each island has its own rivers and lakes. It is easier to look at the important bodies of water in Hawaii if they are split up by category.

Rivers and Lakes

Hawaii boasts two major rivers. The first, the Wailuku, is located on the island of Hawaii just south of the city of Hilo. The second major river, the Anahulu, is found on the island of Oahu to the northeast of Honolulu. In addition to these major rivers, Hawaii has several small lakes. The largest lake in the state of Hawaii is Halalii Lake on the island of Niihau. It is worth noting that the majority of lakes in Hawaii are small reservoirs of freshwater that are far smaller than mainland lakes.

Channels

Because Hawaii is composed of a series of islands, some of the most important bodies of water in the state are the channels that run in between each land mass. These channels must be traversed to get from one island to the next. The Kaulakahi Channel runs between the two small Kauai islands, the Kauai Channel separates Kauai and Oahu, and the Kaiwi Channel is found between Oahu and Kalawo. Other important channels include the Alenujhaha between Hawaii and Maui and the Pailolo Channel between Maui and Kalawo.

Bays and Harbors

Hawaii is an island state that is completely surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. This means that the majority of inbound and outbound trade goods and supplies come through ports, harbors and bays. Kawaihae and Hilo bay are the main bays in Hawaii. Maui has the Kahului Bay, while Oahu has the Kaneohe Bay as well as the famous Pearl Harbor, where United States Navy warships were attacked by the Japanese in 1941.

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