Laysan
Native name: Kauō | |
|---|---|
Aerial view of Laysan from the north | |
Map of the Hawaiian Islands showing the location of Laysan, in the middle of the northwestern chain | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 25°46′12″N 171°44′15″W / 25.77000°N 171.73750°W |
| Archipelago | Northwestern Hawaiian Islands |
| Area | 1,016 acres (411 ha) |
| Length | 1.5 mi (2.4 km) |
| Width | 1 mi (2 km) |
| Administration | |
| State | Hawaii |
| County | Honolulu |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Laysan (/ˈlaɪsɑːn/; Hawaiian: Kauō [kɐwˈoː]) is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, located 808 nautical miles (930 mi; 1,496 km) northwest of Honolulu. It has one land mass of 1,016 acres (411 ha), about 1 by 1+1⁄2 miles (1.6 by 2.4 km) in size. It is an atoll of sorts, although the land completely surrounds Laysan Lake, some 2.4 m (7.9 ft) above sea level, that has a salinity approximately three times greater than the ocean. Laysan's Hawaiian name, Kauō, means "egg".
It was mined for guano in the late 19th century and early 1900s, which resulted in the release of rabbits who had been brought in for food. After mining ceased, the rabbits ate up the natural vegetation causing a couple dozen plant and one bird species to go extinct. The rabbits were removed by 1923, and from then on until modern times it has been a nature reserve.
The island is the home of the rarest duck in the world, the Laysan Duck.