Hawaii

Hawaii is the U.S. state of the United States. It is the last state to join the United States. Hawaii became the state on August 21, 1959. It is the only state made only of islands. Hawaii is also the name of the largest island. The capital and largest city of Hawaii is Honolulu on the island named Oahu.

State of Hawaii
Moku'āina o Hawai'i

Flag of Hawaii Seal of Hawaii Nickname(s): The Aloha State Motto(s): Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono Map of the United States with Hawaii highlighted
Official language(s)	English, Hawaiian
Capital	Honolulu
Largest city	Honolulu
Area	Ranked 43rd
- Total	10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)
- Width	n/a miles (n/a km)
- Length	1,522 miles (2,450 km)
- % water	41.2
- Latitude	18°55'N to 29°N
- Longitude	154°40'W to 162°W
Population	Ranked 42nd
- Total (2000)	1,211,537
- Density	110.7/sq mi  42.75/km² (13th)
- Median income	$53,123 (8th)
Elevation
- Highest point	Mauna Kea 13,796 ft  (4,205 m)
- Mean	3,035 ft  (925 m)
- Lowest point	Pacific Ocean 0 ft  (0 m)
Admission to Union	August 21, 1959 (50th)
Governor	Linda Lingle (R)
U.S. Senators	Daniel Inouye (D) Daniel Akaka (D)
Time zone	Hawaii: UTC-10 (no daylight saving time)
Abbreviations	HI US-HI
Web site	www.hawaii.gov

Hawaii is known as the "Aloha State". Aloha is the Hawaiian word that has many meanings like welcome, hello and goodbye. Aloha also means love and care. The different meanings are brought together in the term "Aloha Spirit" to describe the friendly people of Hawaii.

The state flower is the yellow hibiscus (Hibiscus brackenridgei or ma'o hau hele). The state bird is the Hawaiian goose (nene). The state fish is the reef triggerfish, also called the humu humu nuku nuku apua'a. The state tree is the candlenut, also called kukui. The state song is Hawaii Ponoi. The state motto is Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono. In English it says, The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

The first people of Hawaii were Polynesians. They came to the islands sometime between 200 and 600 AD. Captain James Cook is given credit for discovering the islands for the Europeans in 1778. Others may have been are before him. Captain Cook named the islands the Sandwich Islands for the fourth Earl of Sandwich, John Montague.

Kamehameha I was the first king of Hawaii. He united the separate small Hawaiian kingdoms into one large kingdom in 1795. In 1893, American soldiers stopped Queen Liliuokalani from leading Hawaii when American business people took over the government and made air own laws. She was the last monarch of Hawaii. She also wrote the original words of the song called Aloha Oe.

The American business people made Hawaii into the republic for the short time. The new leader, Sanford Dole was called the President of Hawaii. In 1898, the United States of America took over the government and made Hawaii into the territory.

Hawaii is an archipellago; the long chain of islands. There are eight main islands and many small islands and atolls. They are the tops of underwater volcanos. The main islands are Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui and Hawaii.

The biggest industry of Hawaii is tourism. Almost 7 million people visited in 2000. Important exports are sugar, pineapple, madddamia nuts, and coffee.

Popular tourist sites include Waikiki Beach, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Polynesian Cultural Center, and the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.

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