🌺Hawaii

The Aloha State

Hawaii is the only U.S. state composed entirely of islands, the only state in the tropics, and the most recent state admitted to the Union. A chain of 137 volcanic islands sits in the central Pacific Ocean, about 2,400 miles from the California coast, and among its eight main islands are the headquarters of active volcanoes, working sugar plantations, and a dramatically diverse cultural history.

Polynesian Origins

The Hawaiian Islands were settled by Polynesian voyagers — most likely from the Marquesas Islands — sometime between 1000 and 1200 CE, in one of the most remarkable feats of open-ocean navigation in human history. For centuries, Hawaiian society developed independently, organized around chiefdoms and a complex system of kapu (sacred restrictions). In 1795, King Kamehameha I unified most of the islands into the Kingdom of Hawaii after years of warfare.

European Contact

British Captain James Cook was the first European to visit the islands in 1778, naming them the Sandwich Islands after his patron. Cook was killed in Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island the following year. Over the next century, American missionaries, whalers, and sugar planters arrived in growing numbers, reshaping the islands' economy, religion, and politics.

Annexation and Pearl Harbor

In 1893, a group of American and European sugar planters with U.S. military support overthrew Queen Liliʻuokalani, the last reigning Hawaiian monarch. The Republic of Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898 and organized as a territory in 1900. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Empire launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, killing more than 2,400 Americans and drawing the United States into World War II. The USS Arizona Memorial on Oahu marks the battleship where nearly half of those killed still rest. Hawaii became the 50th state on August 21, 1959.

Geography of Eight Main Islands

The eight main Hawaiian islands, from northwest to southeast, are Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and Hawaiʻi (the "Big Island"). Each island sits on a volcanic hotspot. The Big Island, the youngest of the chain, is still growing — Kīlauea has been one of the most active volcanoes on Earth and routinely adds acres of new land. Mauna Kea, measured from its base on the seafloor, is the tallest mountain on Earth at over 33,000 feet.

Language and Culture

Hawaii is the only U.S. state with two official languages: English and Hawaiian. Hawaiian nearly died out in the 20th century but has been revived through immersion schools and cultural programs. Everyday Hawaii English also contains many Hawaiian borrowings — aloha (hello/goodbye/love), mahalo (thank you), ʻohana (family), keiki (child), and many place names.

Hawaii Facts

• Hawaii is the southernmost U.S. state — Ka Lae on the Big Island is the southernmost point in the country.
• It is the only U.S. state where coffee is grown commercially, famous for Kona coffee on the Big Island.
• The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters plus the ʻokina (a glottal stop).
• More than one-third of the world's pineapples were once grown on Hawaiian plantations, though most commercial production has now moved overseas.
• Iolani Palace in Honolulu, built in 1882 for King David Kalākaua, is the only royal palace on U.S. soil.

🗺️ Nearby States

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