Welcome to Kona Sign, Big Island, Hawaii Poster

"Welcome to Kona Sign" by Catherine Sherman. A colourful welcome sign reading "Aloha welcome to KONA" is set against a backdrop of textured, dark shingles. The sign features brightly-coloured hibiscus flowers of yellow and orange and stylized green foliage, evoking a tropical ambiance. Kona is the name of a moku or district on the northwestern side of the Big Island of Hawaiʻi in the State of Hawaii. In the Hawaiian language, kona means leeward or dry side of the island, as opposed to ko olau which means windward or the wet side of the island. In the times of Ancient Hawaiʻi, Kona was the name of the leeward district on each major island. The Big Island is the largest and the southeastern-most of the Hawaiian islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of 4,028 square miles (10,430 km2), it is larger than all of the other islands in the archipelago combined and is the largest island in the United States. The island is often referred to as the "Big Island" to reduce confusion between the island and the state.