22 facts about Hawaii

  1. Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states (August 21, 1959), and is the only state made up entirely of islands.
  2. Total Area: 47th among states, 16,729 sq km (6,459 sq mi).
  3. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu.
  4. Hawaii occupies most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia.
  5. During the late 1800s, Hawaii developed an export economy based on sugar and pineapple cultivation, drawing thousands of Asian immigrant workers to the farms.
  6. Hawaii’s natural beauty, warm tropical climate, inviting waters and waves, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, surfers, biologists, and volcanologists alike.
  7. Hawaii's `Iolani Palace is the only royal residence in the United States of America.
  8. The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which comprises hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km).
  9. In 1893, Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani attempted to impose a new constitution claiming more authority for native Hawaiians, but white leaders occupied the government office in Honolulu and overthrew the monarchy.
  10. In standard American English, Hawaii is generally pronounced /həˈwaɪ.iː/. In the Hawaiian language, it is generally pronounced [həˈwɐiʔi] or [həˈvɐiʔi].
  11. King Kalakaua was the first reigning monarch to circumnavigate the globe and the first foreign head of state to speak before a joint session of Congress.
  12. Recently, Hawaii has garnered additional attention as the location where U.S. President Barack Obama was born and spent much of his youth.
  13. Under-sea volcanoes that erupted thousands of years ago formed the islands of Hawaii.
  14. The Hawaiian language word Hawaiʻi derives from Proto-Polynesian *Sawaiki, with the reconstructed meaning "homeland".
  15. During the Hawaiian Monarchy, Hawaii's population was among the most literate in the world.
  16. Hawaii is one of four states that were independent prior to becoming part of the United States, along with the Vermont Republic (1791), the Republic of Texas (1845), and the California Republic (1846), and one of two (Texas was the other) with formal diplomatic recognition internationally.
  17. Hawaii is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth. Hawaii is 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines. 
  18. The Kingdom of Hawaii was sovereign from 1810 until 1893 when the monarchy was overthrown by resident American (and some European) businessmen.
  19. Hawaii is considered the nation's (USA) endangered species capitol.
  20. Hawaii was the target of a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Imperial Japan on December 7, 1941.
  21. More than one-third of the world's commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawaii.
  22. Hawaii is considered the nation's (USA) endangered species capitol.
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