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Moloka i or Molokai (c-eniconˈmɒləkaɪ; Hawaiian: -hawˈmoloˈkɐʔi) is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) in size with a land area of 260 sqmi (673.4 km2), making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of O ahu across the 25-mile (40 km) wide Kaiwi Channel and north of Lāna i, separated from it by the Kalohi Channel. The lights of Honolulu are visible at night from the west end of Moloka i, while nearby Lāna i and Maui are clearly visible from anywhere along the south shore of the island. Moloka i is known as the long time residence of Father Damien de Veuster, a Belgian priest and canonized Roman Catholic saint who cared for sufferers of Hansen's Disease, also known as leprosy. Historically, a small north shore colony on Moloka i, Kalaupapa, was a refuge for sufferers of Hansen's Disease, but there are no active cases of Hansen's Disease on Moloka i today. Those who continue to live in the settlement are patients who chose to stay after the segregation policy was lifted in 1969. |