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Nihoa

Nihoa (also known as Bird Island or Moku Manu) is a small island located 280 miles (450 km) northwest of Honolulu in the Hawaiian Islands. Nihoa is composed of 170 acres (0.7 km²)of dry land, surrounded by 140,554 acres (570 km²) of coral reef. The north and west sides rise precipitously from the shore as a sea cliff. Nihoa is the tallest of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands with two peaks: 895 ft (273 m) Miller's Peak and 852 ft (260 m) Tanager Peak.

Covered mostly by coastal scrub vegetation, the Nihoa fan palm , Pritchardia remota, is the only species of tree on the island. There are also two species of endemic birds: the Nihoa millerbird and Nihoa finch .

Nihoa was well known to the early Hawaiians. Archeological expeditions found extensive primitive agricultural terraces and house sites, but Nihoa was apparently uninhabited at the time of European contact.



07-14-2008 23:18:10
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