Kauai Island

The entire population of Kauai is only 62,000, the equivalent of a large town or small city in America. However, prior to the arrival of Westerners, Kauai’s inhabitants numbered in the 200,000; many died of imported diseases. Meanwhile more than 1,200,000 people visit Kauai a year. The Russians made a stab at colonizing Kauai in the early 1800s and a Russian Fort, Fort Elizabeth, remains to demonstrate their presence. If buying local is important to you, utilize the resource www.kauaimade.net, which offers a free brochure called The Official Shopping Guide to Local Products Made with Aloha that lists products made by Kauaians on Kauai using local materials.