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The Hawaii Portal Hawaii (/hə.ˈwaɪ.i/ ⓘhə-WY-ee;Hawaiian:Hawaiʻi[hə.ˈvɐj.ʔi,hə.ˈwɐj.ʔi]) is an islandstate of theUnited States, in thePacific Ocean about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) southwest ofthe U.S. mainland. One of the twonon-contiguous U.S. states (along withAlaska), it is the only state not on theNorth American mainland, the only state that is anarchipelago, the only state in thetropics, and one of the two U.S. states, along withTexas, that were internationally recognized sovereign countries before becoming U.S. states. Hawaii consists of 137volcanic islands that make up almost the entireHawaiian archipelago (the exception isMidway Atoll). Spanning 1,500 miles (2,400 km), the state isphysiographically andethnologically part of thePolynesian subregion ofOceania. Hawaii's ocean coastline is consequently thefourth-longest in the U.S., at about 750 miles (1,210 km). The eight main islands, from northwest to southeast, areNiʻihau,Kauaʻi,Oʻahu,Molokaʻi,Lānaʻi,Kahoʻolawe,Maui, andHawaiʻi, after which the state is named; the last is often called the "Big Island" or "Hawaiʻi Island" to avoid confusion with the state or archipelago. The uninhabitedNorthwestern Hawaiian Islands make up most of thePapahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, thelargest protected area in the U.S. and thefourth-largest in the world. Of the50 U.S. states, Hawaii is theeight-smallest in land area and the11th-least populous; but with 1.4 million residents, it ranks13th in population density. Two-thirds of Hawaii residents live on Oʻahu, home to the state's capital and largest city,Honolulu. Hawaii is one of the most demographically diverse U.S. states, owing to its location in the central Pacific and over two centuries of migration. As one of ninemajority-minority states, it has the only Asian American plurality, the largestBuddhist community, and largest proportion ofmultiracial people in the U.S. Consequently, Hawaii is a uniquemelting pot of North American andEast Asian cultures, in addition to itsindigenous Hawaiian heritage. Settled byPolynesians sometime between 1000 and 1200 CE, Hawaii was home to numerous independent chiefdoms. In 1778, British explorerJames Cook was the first known non-Polynesian to arrive at the archipelago; early British influence is reflected in thestate flag, which bears aUnion Jack. An influx of European and American explorers, traders, and whalers soon arrived, leading to the decimation of the once-isolated indigenous community through the introduction of diseases such as syphilis, tuberculosis, smallpox, and measles; the native Hawaiian population declined from between 300,000 and one million to less than 40,000 by 1890. Hawaii became a unified, internationally recognizedkingdom in 1810, remaining independent until American and European businessmenoverthrew the monarchy in 1893; this led toannexation by the U.S. in 1898. As a strategically valuableU.S. territory, Hawaii wasattacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, which brought it global and historical significance, and contributed to America's entry into World War II. Hawaii is the most recent state tojoin the union, on August 21, 1959. In 1993, the U.S. governmentformally apologized for its role in the overthrow of Hawaii's government, which had spurred theHawaiian sovereignty movement and has led to ongoing efforts to obtain redress for the indigenous population. (Full article...)
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State ofHawaii | ||
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Honolulu (capital) | ||
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