Kalawao County, Hawaii
Kalawao County (Hawaiian: Kalana o Kalawao) is a county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is the smallest county in the 50 states by land area and the second-smallest county by population, after Loving County, Texas. The county encompasses the Kalaupapa or Makanalua Peninsula, on the north coast of the island of Molokaʻi. The small peninsula is isolated from the rest of Molokaʻi by cliffs over a quarter-mile high; the only land access is a mule trail.
Kalawao County | |
|---|---|
Kalaupapa peninsula | |
Location within the U.S. state of Hawaii | |
Hawaii's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 21°11′49″N 156°58′02″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Hawaii |
| Founded | 1905 |
| Named for | Kalawao |
| Seat | none (administered by Hawaii Dept. of Health) |
| Largest community | Kalaupapa |
| Area | |
| • Total | 53 sq mi (140 km2) |
| • Land | 12 sq mi (30 km2) |
| • Water | 41 sq mi (110 km2) 77.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 82 |
| • Density | 1.5/sq mi (0.60/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−10 (Hawaii–Aleutian) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
Because of the small population (82 as of the 2020 United States Census), Kalawao County does not have the same functions as other Hawaii counties. Instead, it is a judicial district of Maui County, which includes the rest of the island of Molokaʻi. The county has no elected government.
It was developed and used from 1866 to 1969 for settlements for treatment of quarantined persons with Hansen's disease (leprosy).