Molokai [key], island (1990 pop. 6,587), 261 sq mi (676 sq km), Maui co., Hawaii, between Oahu and Maui islands. Molokai is generally mountainous, with Mt. Kamakou (4,970 ft/1,515 m) the highest peak. On the north coast, separated by a rocky mountain wall from the rest of the island and accessible only over a 2,000-ft (610-m) pass, is the Kalaupapa peninsula, on which a government leper colony exists (est. 1860). The large Molokai Ranch occupies roughly one third of the island. The chief port is Kaunakakai (1990 pop. 2,658).
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