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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:
- 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.
- Lisiansky Island, 920 miles northwest of Honolulu, also was annexed by discovery of Captain John Paty on May 10, 1857.
- 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.
- 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.
A revised survey of the Hawaiian Islands constituting the Hawaiian Kingdom are as follows:
Island |
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Location |
|
Square Miles/Acreage |
|
Hawai`i |
|
19º 30' N 155º 30' W |
|
4,028.2 / 2,578,048 |
Maui |
|
20º 45' N 156º 20' W |
|
727.3 / 465,472 |
O`ahu |
|
21º 30' N 158º 00' W |
|
597.1 / 382,144 |
Kaua`i |
|
22º 03' N 159º 30' W |
|
552.3 / 353,472 |
Molokai |
|
21º 08' N 157º 00' W |
|
260.0 / 166,400 |
Lana`i |
|
20º 50' N 156º 55' W |
|
140.6 / 89,984 |
Ni`ihau |
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21º 55' N 160º 10' W |
|
69.5 / 44,480 |
Kaho`olawe |
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20º 33' N 156º 35' W |
|
44.6 / 28,544 |
Nihoa |
|
23º 06' N 161º 58' W |
|
0.3 / 192 |
Molokini |
|
20º 38' N 156º 30' W |
|
0.04 / 25.6 |
Lehua |
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22º 01' N 160º 06' W |
|
0.4 / 256 |
Ka`ula |
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21º 40' N 160º 32' W |
|
0.2 / 128 |
Laysan |
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25º 50' N 171º 50' W |
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1.6 / 1,024 |
Lisiansky |
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26º 02' N 174º 00' W |
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0.6 / 384 |
Palmyra |
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05º 52' N 162º 05' W |
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4.6 / 2,944 |
Ocean
(a.k.a. Kure atoll) |
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28º 25' N 178º 25' W |
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0.4 / 256 |
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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 5º and 23º north latitude and 154º and 178º west longitude.
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