Coordinates: 21°18′41″N 157°47′47″W / 21.31139°N 157.79639°W / 21.31139; -157.79639
Hawaii (
/həˈwaɪ.iː/ (help·info) or /həˈwaɪʔiː/ in English; Hawaiian: Moku ʻ āina o Hawai ʻ i ) is the newest of the 50 U.S. states, and is the only state made up entirely of islands. It is located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oahu. The most recent census estimate puts the state's population at 1,283,388.
The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which comprises hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km). At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii. The last is by far the largest, and is often called the "Big Island" or "Big Isle" to avoid confusion with the state as a whole. This archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania.
In standard American English, Hawaii is generally pronounced /həˈwaɪ.iː/ . In the Hawaiian language, it is generally pronounced or . Hawaii has produced one U.S. President, Barack Obama.
Etymology
The Hawaiian language word Hawai ʻ i derives from Proto-Polynesian * Sawaiki , with the reconstructed meaning "homeland"; cognate words are found in other Polynesian languages, including Māori ( Hawaiki ), Rarotongan ( ʻAvaiki ), and Samoan ( Savai ʻ i ). (See also Hawaiki).
According to Pukui and Elbert, "Elsewhere in Polynesia, Hawai ʻ i or a cognate is the name of the underworld or of the ancestral home, but in Hawai ʻ i the name has no meaning."
Geography and environment
Main article: Hawaiian IslandsThe main Hawaiian Islands are:
Topography
An archipelago situated some 2,000 mi (3,200 km) southwest of the North American mainland, Hawaii is the southernmost state of the United States and the second westernmost state after Alaska. Only Hawaii and Alaska are outside the contiguous United States and do not share a border with any other U.S. state.
Hawaii is the only state of the United States that:
- is not geographically located in North America
- grows coffee
- is completely surrounded by water
- is entirely an archipelago
- has a royal palace
- does not have a straight line in its state boundary
Hawaii's tallest mountain, Mauna Kea stands at 13,796 ft (4,205 m) but is taller than Mount Everest if followed to the base of the mountain—from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, rising about 33,500 ft (10,200 m).
Geology
All of the Hawaiian islands were formed by volcanoes erupting from the sea floor from a magma source described in geological theory as a hotspot. As the tectonic plate beneath much of the Pacific Ocean moves in a northwesterly direction, the hot spot remains stationary, slowly creating new volcanoes. This explains why only volcanoes on the southern half of the Big Island, and the Lō ʻ ihi Seamount deep below the waters off its southern coast, are presently active, with Lō ʻ ihi being the newest volcano to form.
The last volcanic eruption outside the Big Island occurred at Haleakalā on Maui before the late 18th century, though Haleakalā's most recent eruptive activity could be hundreds of years earlier. In 1790, Kīlauea exploded in the deadliest eruption known to have occurred in what is now the United States. As many as 5,405 warriors and their families marching on Kīlauea were killed in an eruption in 1790.
Volcanic activity and subsequent erosion created impressive geological features. The Big Island is the world's second highest island.
Slope instability of the volcanoes has generated damaging earthquakes with related tsunamis, particularly in 1868 and 1975.
Flora and Fauna
Because of the islands' volcanic formation, native life before human activity is said to have arrived by the "3 W's": wind (carried through the air), waves (brought by ocean currents), and wings (birds, insects, and whatever they brought with them). The isolation of the Hawaiian Islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and the wide range of environments on high islands in and near the tropic, has resulted in a vast array of endemic flora and fauna (see Endemism in the Hawaiian Islands). Hawaii has more endangered species and has lost a higher percentage of its endemic species than anywhere in the United States.
Protected areas
There are several areas in Hawaii under the protection of the National Park Service. Two areas are designated as national parks: Haleakala National Park near Kula, Maui, includes Haleakalā, the dormant volcano that formed east Maui; and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in the southeast region of the island of Hawaii, which includes the active volcano Kīlauea and its various rift zones.
There are three national historical parks: Kalaupapa National Historical Park in Kalaupapa, Molokai, the site of a former colony for Hansen's disease patients; Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii; and Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park in Hōnaunau on the island of Hawaii, the site of an ancient Hawaiian place of refuge. Other areas under the control of the National Park Service include Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail on the island of Hawaii and the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor on Oahu.
The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument was proclaimed by President George W. Bush on June 15, 2006. The monument covers roughly 140,000 square miles (360,000 km²) of reefs, atolls and shallow and deep sea (out to 50 miles (80 km) offshore) in the Pacific Ocean, larger than all of America's National Parks combined.
Climate
See also: List of Hawaii tornadoesThe climate of Hawaii is typical for a tropical area, although temperatures and humidity tend to be a bit less extreme due to constant trade winds from the east. Summer highs are usually in the upper 80s °F, (around 31°C) during the day and mid 70s, (around 24 °C) at night. Winter day temperatures are usually in the low to mid 80s, (around 28 °C) and (at low elevation) seldom dipping below the mid 60s (18 °C) at night. Snow, not usually associated with tropics, falls at 4,205 meters (13,796 ft) on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island in some winter months. Snow rarely falls on Maui's Haleakala. Mount Waialeale, on the island of Kauai, has the second highest average annual rainfall on Earth, about 460 inches (11.7 m). Most of Hawaii has only two seasons: the dry season from May to October, and the wet season from October to April.
Local climates vary considerably on each island, grossly divisible into windward ( Koolau ) and leeward ( Kona ) areas based upon location relative to the higher mountains. Windward sides face cloud cover. The tourist industry therefore concentrates resorts on sunny leeward coasts.
See also: Environment of HawaiiHistory
Main article: History of HawaiiHawaii is one of four U.S. states that were independent prior to becoming part of the United States, along with the Vermont Republic (1791), the Republic of Texas (1845), and the California Republic (1846), and one of two (Texas was the other) with formal diplomatic recognition int
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