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Introduction:
The State of Hawaii (Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) became the 50th state of the United States of America on August 21 1959. The archipelagic state is situated in the North Pacific Ocean, 2,300 miles (3,700 km) from the mainland, at . In the 19th century, Hawaii was also known as the Sandwich Islands.
In dialects of American English, Hawaii is pronounced at least three different ways: (IPA pronunciation: [2], [3], [4]). In the Hawaiian language, there is also some variation possible, but the most general pronunciation is [5] or [6]. This last Hawaiian pronunciation is often used by native English-speaking Hawaii residents as well.
Capital: Honolulu
Geography:
Location, topography, and geology
An archipelago in the mid-Pacific, and thus commonly included in Oceania, it lies southwest of the North American mainland, and south of Alaska. . Hawaii is the southernmost state of the United States; it would be the westernmost, if not for Alaska. It is one of only two states (Alaska is the other) that are outside the contiguous United States, and do not share a border with another U.S. state.
Hawaii is the only state of the United States that - is without territory on the mainland of any continent
- is completely surrounded by water, and
- continues to grow in area because of active extrusive lava flows, most notably from Kilauea (Kīlauea).
- is entirely in the tropics.
Except for Easter Island, Hawaii is farther away from land than any other landmass on Earth. Hawaii’s tallest mountain, Mauna Kea stands over 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) and is taller than Mount Everest if followed to its base at the floor of the Pacific Ocean.
The Hawaiian Archipelago comprises hundreds of islands and atolls extending across a distance of 1,500 miles (2,400 km). Of these, the eight largest islands are considered the "main islands" and are located at the southeastern end of the archipelago. These islands are, in order from the northwest to southeast, Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lānai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and [[Hawaii (island)|Hawaii]]. The latter is by far the largest, and is very often called the "Big Island" or "Big Isle" to avoid confusion with the state name.
All of the Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanoes arising from the sea floor from a magma source described in geological theory as a hotspot. The theory maintains that 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 Loihi Seamount (Lōihi) deep below the waters off its southern coast, are presently active, with Loihi being the newest volcano to form.
The last volcanic eruption outside the Big Island happened at Haleakalā on Maui in the late 18th century (though recent research suggests that Haleakalā's most recent eruptive activity could be hundreds of years older.
The volcanic activity and subsequent erosion created impressive geological features. The Big Island is notable as the world’s fifth highest island. If Mauna Kea is measured from its base, deep in the ocean, to its snow-clad peak it is the tallest mountain on the Earth [7]
Because of the islands’ volcanic formation, native life before human activity is said to have arrived by the “3 W’s”: wind, waves, and wings. The isolation of the Hawaiian Islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and the wide range of environments to be found on high islands located in and near the tropic, has resulted in a vast array of endemic flora and fauna. Hawaii has more endangered species per square mile and has lost a higher percent of its endemic species than anywhere else on Earth.
Image:Niihausatellite.jpg|NiihauImage:Kauai from space oriented.jpg|KauaiImage:Oahu.jpg|OahuImage:Maui.jpg|MauiImage:Molokaifromsatellite.jpg|MolokaiImage:Lanaisatellite.jpg|LanaiImage:Kahoolawesatellite.jpg|KahoolaweImage:Hawai'i.jpg|Hawaii
Areas under the control and protection of the National Park Service include:- Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail on the Big Island
- Haleakala National Park in Kula
- Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island
- Kalaupapa National Historical Park in Kalaupapa
- Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park in Kailua-Kona
- Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park in Honaunau (Pu
uhonua o Hōnaunau)- Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site in Kawaihae (Pu
ukoholā Heiau)- USS Arizona Memorial at Honolulu
Climate
The climate of Hawaii is typical for a tropical area, and is regarded as more subtropical than the latitude would suggest, because of the moderating effect of the surrounding ocean. Temperatures and humidity tend to be less extreme, with summer high temperatures seldom reaching above the upper 80s °F, (around 27 °C) and winter temperatures (at low elevation) seldom dipping below the mid-60s (16 °C). Snow, although not usually associated with tropics, falls at high elevations on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island in some winter months. Snow only rarely falls on Maui’s Haleakala. Mount Waialeale (Waialeale), on the island of Kauai, is notable for rainfall, as it has the second highest average annual rainfall on Earth, about 460 inches (38 ft. 4 in., or 11.7 m).
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 the Northeast Trades and receive much more rainfall; leeward sides are drier, with less rain and less cloud cover. This fact is utilized by the tourist industry, which concentrates resorts on sunny leeward coasts.
Hurricanes are a rare occurrence in Hawaii, although it is probable that all the islands of Hawaii have been hit by a hurricane in the past. The worst hurricane to hit Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki in 1992, which showed that Hawaii was indeed vulnerable to a direct hit from a hurricane.
Important cities and towns
The movement of the Hawaiian royal family from the island of Hawaii to Maui, and subsequently to Oahu, explains why certain population centers exist where they do today. The largest city, Honolulu, was the one chosen by King Kamehameha III as the capital of his kingdom because of the natural harbor there, the present-day Honolulu Harbor.
The only city is the capital, Honolulu, located along the southeast coast of the island of Oahu. Other populous areas are not cities, but unincorporated areas, including Hilo, Kāneohe, Kailua, Pearl City, Waipahu, Kahului, Kailua-Kona, Kīhei, and [[Lihue, Hawaii|Līhue]]. The previous capital was Lahaina, Maui.
Notable features
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument was proclaimed by President George W. Bush on June 15, 2006, under the 1906 Antiquities Act. The monument covers roughly 140,000 square miles (360,000 km²) of reefs, atolls and shallow and deep sea (out to 50 miles offshore) in the Pacific Ocean, larger than all of America’s National Parks combined.
Economy - overview:
The history of Hawaii can be traced through a succession of dominating industries: sandalwood, whaling, sugarcane, pineapple, military, tourism, and education. Since statehood was achieved in 1959, tourism has been the largest industry in Hawaii, contributing 24.3% of the Gross State Product (GSP) in 1997. New efforts are underway to diversify the economy. The total gross output for the state in 2003 was US$47 billion; per capita income for Hawaii residents was US$30,441.
Industrial exports from Hawaii include food processing and apparel. These industries play a small role in the Hawaii economy, however, due to the considerable shipping distance to the ports and population of the West Coast of the United States. Food exports include coffee, macadamia nuts, pineapple, livestock, and sugar cane. Agricultural sales for 2002, according to the Hawaii Agricultural Statistics Service, were US$370.9 million from diversified agriculture, US$100.6 million from pineapple, and US$64.3 million from sugarcane.
Hawaii is known for its relatively high per capita state tax burden. In the years 2002 and 2003, Hawaii residents had the highest state tax per capita at US$2,757 and US$2,838, respectively. This rate can be explained partly by the fact that services such as education, health care and social services are all rendered at the state level, as opposed to the municipal level in all other states.
Millions of tourists contribute to the collection figure by paying the general excise tax and hotel room tax; thus not all the taxes collected come directly from residents. Business leaders, however, have often considered the state's tax burden as being too high, contributing to both higher prices and the perception of an unfriendly business climate. See the list of businesses in Hawaii for more information on commerce in the state.
Until recently, Hawaii was the only state in the U.S. that attempted to control gasoline prices through a Gas Cap Law. The law was enacted during a period when oil profits in Hawaii in relation to the mainland U.S. were under scrutiny, and sought to tie local gasoline prices to those of the mainland. The law took effect in September 2005 amid price fluctuations caused by Hurricane Katrina. The Hawaii state legislature suspended the law in April 2006.
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