Here's a helpful factsheet about the island of Niihau in Hawaii to help you plan and enjoy your trip to Hawaii. If you'd like to add something to this list, e-mail us.

Niihau is called "The Forbidden Island."

The official color of Ni'ihau is white. Niihau's flower is the White Pupu Shell.

So what's so forbidden about Niihau? It's privately owned and home to less than 300 people, no one can stay on the island without an express invitation from one of the Forbidden Island's residents.

Niihau was originally purchased from King Kamehameha V by Elizabeth Sinclair in 1864 for the pricey sum of $10,000. She settled there and since then, the descendents of Elizabeth, now known as the Robinson family, have owned the island, using most of the land for a cattle ranch. Many of Niihau's residents are employed by the Robinson family and work on this ranch.

Niihau is the only Hawaiian island where Hawaiian is still spoken as the dominant language.

Western science has shown the 73 square mile island to be the oldest of the eight major Hawaiian islands. Islands in the Northwest chain, including Midway and Kure are actually older.

During the course of World War II, a curious event occured on the Forbidden Island: Immediately after the raid on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese pilot, crash landed his plane on Niihau and took the whole Puuwai village hostage. Eventually, the heroics of Hawila Kaleohano and Beni Kanahele paid off, and the Japanese pilot was killed. Kanahele was shot three times and won the Purple Heart for his role in the affair.

Most of the island's small population take residence in the village of Puuwai.