Why Ask Why

Kauai

December

What is the name of this "fruitful" Hawaiian island?

Many translate the name of this Hawaiian island as "fruitful season." It is the fourth-largest of the islands, containing 553 square miles, and features the eighth-highest peak, Kawaikini, which rises 5,243 feet above the sea.

Locals call it the "Garden Island." It features a tropical arboretum, seaside park, high-altitude marsh, and desert landscape -- all interspersed with an abundance of colorful flowers. It is also a sanctuary for Hawaii's native bird population, protecting 10 of the state's 27 endangered species.

CHECK It Out

Gocek Islands, Turkey

November

What's the name of these islands off the coast of Turkey?

The Bay of Fethiye off the Turkey coast consists of 12 islands. These islands are a hidden paradise, containing green pine forests and pristine beaches. all surrounded by the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean.

The islands can be reached by private charter boats, simple fishing boats, and larger yachts. There are about 20 sailing and motor yacht charter and brokerage sailing companies along with several technical yacht services, chandlers, and maintenance services.

The Maldives (Again)

A lovely beach, one of many in the Maldives

October

What is the name of this politically unstable island nation?

This island nation, the lowest in the world at just under 5 feet above sea level, was featured earlier this year. With 26 atolls, however, it obviously has plenty of beaches to choose from. This one looks quite inviting, with pristine blue water and soft, velvety sand under a pink-and-blue sky.

The nation gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1965 and became a republic in 1968. Politically unstable ever since, it currently has a democratic form of government with a constitution that was adopted in 2008.

French "Society"

Bora Bora

September

What is the name of this "first-born" island?

Surrounded by a barrier reef and a lagoon, this island -- one of the Society Islands of French Polynesia -- is 12 square miles in size. Its name, in the local Tahitian dialect, means "first born."

Explorer Jakob Roggeveen was the first European to visit the island in 1722. James Cook arrived about a half-century later, and the London Missionary Society first sent missionaries to the island in 1820. An independent kingdom until 1888, it was then annexed as a colony by the French.

Where Ballplayers Are Born and Raised

The Dominican Republic

August

What is the name of this Caribbean jewel?

This Caribbean nation occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles. (The western three-eighths is occupied by Haiti.) It is the second-largest Caribbean nation (after Cuba), with a population of 10.4 million.

Christopher Columbus landed here on Dec. 5, 1492, and it became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas. It is now the most visited destination in the Caribbean, with its temperate climate and year-round golf courses, though baseball is its sport of choice.

Sharks Galore

Republic of Palau

July

What is the name of this shark-loving island nation?

This island country consists of approximately 250 islands that form the western chain of the Caroline Islands in Micronesia. It shares maritime boundaries with nearby Indonesia and the Philippines.

The U.S. captured this country from Japan in 1944 after the devastating Battle of Pelelieu, where more than 2.000 Americans and 10,000 Japanese lost their lives. It became its own republic in 1981, and in 2009 it created the world's first shark sanctuary, banning all commercial shark fishing within its waters.

Adam & Eve's Home Before the Fall?

Praslin Island

June

Name the island of the Seychelles that features the
spectacular Anse Lazio Beach.

Characterized by large granite boulders, Anse Lazio is rated by Lonely Planet as the best beach on this island. Located in the Indian Ocean, this island is the second largest of the Seychelles (an independent African state) with a population around 7,500.

A tourist destination with many hotels and resorts, this island also contains substantial tracts of tropical forests and the Vallee de Mai, a nature preserve established in 1979. Reportedly, a 19th-century Khartoum general by the name of Charles George Gordon considered the Vallee de Mai to be the Garden of Eden.

(My Kind of) Society Island

Bora Bora

May

What is the name of this tropical paradise
in French Polynesia?

This tropical paradise is part of the Society Islands of French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. It has a permanent population of around 8,880. In the center of the island, an extinct volcano rises in two peaks, the highest being 2,385 feet.

The U.S. used this island as a supply base during World War II, though no combat took place here. The base was officially closed on June 2, 1946.

Since then, the island has become a popular tourist destination. Many resorts and over-the-water bungalows have been built to accommodate the tourists. Snorkeling and scuba diving are popular activities in the clear blue water of the lagoon, where sharks and rays abound.

Rhymes with "Leaves"

Maldives

April

What is the name of this lowest country in the world?

This beach is located on one of the 26 atolls making up this island country in the Indian Ocean, southwest of India and Sri Lanka. It gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1965 and became a republic in 1968.

Covering roughly 35,000 square miles, it is the smallest Asian country in both land area and population. Its average ground-level elevation is just under 5 feet above sea level, making it the lowest country in the world.

St. John

Beautiful Trunk Bay in the island of St. John

March

Which Virgin Island contains beautiful Trunk Bay?

This is a spectacular view of Trunk Bay in the Virgin Islands. National Geographic calls it the most beautiful beach in the world. It features a white sand beach and an underwater snorkeling trail.

The Virgin Islands consist of many small minor islands and three main ones: St. Thomas, St. Croix, and this one. It is the smallest of the three. Since 1956, about 60% of it has been protected as part of Virgin Islands National Park.

Pretty Polynesia

Hawaii

February

What island group constitutes our 50th state?

This island group, the northernmost in Polynesia, makes up our 50th state. It was admitted to the union in 1959.

It is the 8th smallest, but the 13th most densely populated, state in the Union. It is the only state with an Asian plurality, and its 750-mile coastline makes it the 4th longest in the U.S., behind California, Florida, and Alaska.

I was there four years ago, and my parents are heading there next month. In 2003, according to government data, more than 6 million people visited these islands.

Gilligan's Isle, Greek Style

Navagio Beach, on the northwest coast of
Zakynthos Island

January

Navagio Beach is located on what Greek island?

We'll be on "island time" during 2016. Each month will feature a different island.

For January, we have Navagio Beach, an isolated -- accessible only by boat -- sandy cove on the northwest shore of one of the Ionian islands of Greece.

Resting on the white sand are the remains of Panagiotis, a ship that ran aground here in 1981. Believed to have been a smugglers' ship, its presence here gives the beach its nicknames: Smugglers Cove and Shipwreck Beach.