Kalaupapa, Hawaii
Kalaupapa (Hawaiian pronunciation: [kəlɐwˈpɐpə]) is a small unincorporated community and Hawaiian home land on the island of Molokaʻi, within Kalawao County in the U.S. state of Hawaii. In 1866, during the reign of Kamehameha V, the Hawaii legislature passed a law that resulted in the designation of Molokaʻi as the site for a leper colony, where patients who were seriously affected by leprosy (also known as Hansen's disease) could be quarantined, to prevent them from infecting others. At the time, the disease was little understood: it was believed to be highly contagious and was incurable until the advent of antibiotics. The communities where people with leprosy lived were under the administration of the Board of Health, which appointed superintendents on the island.
Kalaupapa | |
|---|---|
Unincorporated community | |
Most of the village of Kalaupapa as seen from an airplane. This photo also includes a section of the sea cliffs that form a natural barrier between the Kalaupapa Peninsula and "Topside" Molokaʻi. | |
Kalaupapa | |
| Coordinates: 21°11′22″N 156°58′54″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Hawaii |
| County | Kalawao |
| Elevation | 66 ft (20 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 82 |
| Time zone | UTC-10 (Hawaii-Aleutian) |
| ZIP codes | 96742 |
| GNIS feature ID | 360096 |
Kalaupapa is located on the Kalaupapa Peninsula at the base of some of the highest sea cliffs in the world, rising 2,000 feet (610 m) above the Pacific Ocean. In the 1870s a community to support the leper colony was established here. The legislature required people with severe cases to be quarantined on the island in the hope of preventing contagion. The area has been preserved as the Kalaupapa National Historical Park, which takes in the entire county.
Despite the declining population, the post office is still active, having a zip code of 96742.