ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA Hawaii The Aloha State CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO
INTRODUCTION Consisting of a group of islands in the central Pacific Ocean is Hawaii the 50th state in the Union It is unique among the states in that it is the only one made up entirely of islands It is also the only state in which the majority of the population does not trace its heritage back to Europe Hawaii has been nicknamed the Aloha State Aloha is a Hawaiian word with many meanings among them welcome love hello and goodbye The word aloha reveals the warm and welcoming nature of the Hawaiian people Visitors from around the world come to Hawaii to enjoy its tropical paradise Hawaii lies almost entirely in the tropics Separated from the U S mainland by the world’s biggest ocean the Pacific Hawaii is the only state that does not fall within the continent of North America It holds a strategic position in the defense of the United States Pearl Harbor a vast shipyard for the repair and overhaul of U S fleet units is the home port for many U S naval ships It serves as a training base for submarine and antisubmarine-warfare forces Many hotels and resorts line Hawaii’s beaches 4 HAWAI I Hawaiian dancers are one of Hawaii’s tourist attractions QUICK FACTS Hawaii was the last state to enter the Union Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii It is on the island of Oahu The state bird is the nene or Hawaiian goose The nene nearly became extinct but it was rescued by conservationists Hawaii’s state flower is the yellow hibiscus The state tree is the kukui tree It is also known as the candlenut Hawaii’s state song is Hawaii Ponoi Hawaii’s Own
INTRODUCTION 5 QUICK FACTS The state marine mammal is the humpback whale Humpback whales frequently swim in Hawaii’s waters Hawaii’s state flag has eight horizontal stripes representing its eight main islands In the top left corner of the flag is the Union Jack the national flag of Great Britain Many of the advisers of Hawaii’s early kings were British Hawaii is the most isolated population center in the world It is 2,390 miles from California 3,850 miles from Japan 4,900 miles from China and 5,280 miles from the Philippines These distances do not stop millions of visitors from coming to the Aloha State every year Driving to the islands from the mainland is not possible but many airlines offer regular flights to Hawaii Hawaii has nine commercial airports to accommodate the large number of flights You can also take a boat to Hawaii Cruise ships and other boats frequent the waters surrounding the islands Aloha Airlines provides several flights to the neighboring islands every day Hawaii Location Map KAUAI Hanamaulu Kalaheo Kapaa Lihue Kekaha NIIHAU OAHU Waialua Haleiwa Laie Hauula Makaha H2 Kahaluu H3 H1 Ewa Waimanalo Honolulu Waimanalo Beach H1 H A W A Kaunakakai MOLOKAI Napili-Honokowai I I A N LANAI Wailuku Lanai Lahaina Kahului Pukalani Makawao Kihei HALEAKALA NATʼL PARK I S L KAHOOLAWE MAUI Pacific Ocean A N D S HAWAII Hilo Captain Cook HAWAII NATʼL PARK Hawaii has no immediate neighbors It is completely surrounded by the Pacific Ocean Capital Honolulu Interstate highways 0 0 80 129 160 Mi 258 Km Scale Population 1,211,537 Size 6,459 square miles Highest peak Mauna Kea 13,796 feet
