Kalawao County, Hawaii
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 / 21.196944444444°N 156.96722222222°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Hawaii |
| Founded | 1905 |
| Named after | 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 |
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 peninsula on the north coast of the island of Molokaʻi. The peninsula was developed and used from 1866 to 1969 for settlements for treatment of quarantined persons with Hansen's disease (leprosy), chosen because it is isolated from the rest of Molokaʻi by cliffs over a quarter-mile high; the only land access is a mule trail.
Due to 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 operates as a judicial district of Maui County, which includes the rest of the island of Molokaʻi. The county has no elected government.