The first recorded eruption of Mauna Loa was in 1832; since then there have been eruptions in 1851, 1852, 1855, 1859, 1868, 1880-1881, 1887, 1896,1899 and 1907.
The surface of the upper slopes of Mauna Loa is almost wholly of two widely different kinds of barren lava-flows, called by the Hawaiians the pahoehoe and the aa.
It includes Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world as well as Mauna Loa and Mauna Ulu.
The area is home to a number of black sand beaches, the famous orchid farms, and the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut factory.
