Pearl Harbor is on which Hawaiian island?

Pearl Harbor is on Oahu, the third-largest Hawaiian island.

The harbor lies west of Honolulu and contains a deep, sheltered naval anchorage. Its position made it valuable to the United States Navy as a Pacific base, especially after the fleet was moved there from San Diego in 1940. Oahu also contained important airfields and military facilities that Japanese forces attacked in December 1941.

Oahu is sometimes called “the gathering place.” It is home to Honolulu, Hawaii’s capital and largest city, as well as major historical sites including the USS Arizona Memorial and the Battleship Missouri Memorial.

The harbor itself is not the same as the entire island or the city of Honolulu. It is a specific inlet on Oahu’s southern coast. The island’s geography, including its surrounding mountains and coastal plains, shaped the location of roads, airfields, and naval installations during the attack.