Laysan

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.
Laysan
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	25°46′03″N 171°44′00″W / 25.7675°N 171.7334°W / 25.7675; -171.7334
Archipelago	Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Area	1,016 acres (411 ha)
Length	1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Width	1 mi (2 km)
Administration
United States
State	Hawaii
County	Honolulu

Laysan (/ˈlaɪsɑːn/;^[1] Hawaiian: Kauō [kɐwˈoː]) is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, located 808 nautical miles (930 mi; 1,496 km) northwest of Honolulu. It comprises one land mass of 1,016 acres (4.11 km²), 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 a shallow central 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'.