Coordinates: 21°18′41″N, 157°47′47″W

State of Hawaii MokuʻÄ�ina o Hawaiʻi
Flag of Hawaii Seal of Hawaii Nickname(s): The Aloha State Motto(s): Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻÄ€ina i ka Pono (English translation: The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness)
Official language(s)	English, Hawaiian
Capital	Honolulu
Largest city	Honolulu
Area	Ranked 43rd in the US
- Total	10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)
- Width	n/a miles (n/a km)
- Length	1,522 miles (2,450 km)
- % water	41.2
- Latitude	18° 55′ N to 28° 27′ N
- Longitude	154° 48′ W to 178° 22′ W
Population	Ranked 42nd in the US
- Total	1,211,537
- Density	188.6/sq mi  72.83/km² (13th in the US)
- Median income	$53,123 (8th)
Elevation
- Highest point	Mauna KeaElevations and Distances in the United States. U.S Geological Survey (29 April 2005). Retrieved on November 3, 2006. 13,796 ft  (4,205 m)
- Mean	3,035 ft  (925 m)
- Lowest point	Pacific Ocean 0 ft  (0 m)
Admission to Union	August 21, 1959 (50th)
Governor	Linda Lingle (R)
Lieutenant Governor	James Aiona (R)
U.S. Senators	Daniel Inouye (D) Daniel Akaka (D)
Congressional Delegation	List
Time zone	Hawaii: UTC-10 (no daylight saving time)
Abbreviations	HI US-HI
Website	www.hawaii.gov

The State of Hawaii (pronounced /həˈwaɪiË�/ or /həˈwaɪʔiË�/; Hawaiian: MokuʻÄ�ina o Hawaiʻi) is one of the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, making it the 50th state. Its capital is located in its major city, Honolulu on the island of Oahu. The most recent census puts the state\'s population at 1,211,537.

This state encompasses nearly the entirety of the volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which is made up of hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km). At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, LÄ�naʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and Hawaiʻi. The last is by far the largest, and is often called the "Big Island" or "Big Isle" to avoid confusion with the state as a whole. This archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania.

In standard American English, Hawaii is generally pronounced /həˈwaɪi�/. In the Hawaiian language, it is generally pronounced [həˈwəiʔi] or [həˈvəiʔi]. Most residents of Hawaii use the Hawaiian pronunciation (with the glottal stop) in their English.

Geography

Main article: Hawaiian Islands

Location, topography, and geology

An archipelago situated some 3,200 km (1,988 mi) southwest of the North American mainland,What constitutes the United States, what are the official definitions?. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2007-07-03. Hawaii is the southernmost state of the United States and the second westernmost state after Alaska. Only Hawaii and Alaska are outside the contiguous United States and do not share a border with any other U.S. state.

Hawaii is the only state of the United States that

• is not located in North America
• is completely surrounded by water
• has a royal palace
• does not have a straight line in its state boundary
• continuously grows in area (due to currently active lava flows, most notably from Kilauea (KÄ«lauea).)

Map of Hawaii

Na Pali coast, Kauai

Hawaii\'s tallest mountain, Mauna Kea stands at 13,796 ft (4,205 m)Mauna Kea Volcano, Hawai`i and is taller than Mount Everest if followed to the base of the mountain—on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.Unke, Beata (2001). Height of the Tallest Mountain on Earth. The Physics Factbook.

All of the Hawaiian islands were formed by volcanos erupting 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 (LÅ�ʻihi) 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 Haleakala (Haleakal�) on Maui in the late 18th century (though recent research suggests that Haleakala\'s most recent eruptive activity could be hundreds of years older).Youngest lava flows on East Maui probably older than A.D. 1790. United States Geological Survey (September 9 1999). Retrieved on 1999-10-04.

The volcanic activity and subsequent erosion created impressive geological features. The Big Island is notable as the world’s fifth highest island.

A NASA satellite composition of the Hawaiian Islands.

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
• Pu\'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park (Puʻuhonua o HÅ�naunau) in Honaunau
• Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site (PuʻukoholÄ�) in Kawaihae
• USS Arizona Memorial at Honolulu

Major islands

Niihau	Kauai from space oriented.jpg Kauai	O\'ahu	Maui Landsat Photo.jpg Maui
Molokaifromsatellite.jpg Moloka\'i	LanaiLandsat.jpg Lanai	KahoolaweLandsat.jpg Kaho\'olawe	Island of Hawai\'i - Landsat mosaic.jpg Hawai\'i

Climate

A sunset in Hawaii

The climate of Hawaii is typical for a tropical area, although temperatures and humidity tend to be a bit less extreme than other tropical locales due to the constant trade winds blowing from the east. Summer highs are usually in the upper 80s°F, (around 31°C) during the day and mid 70s, (around 24 °C) at night. Winter temperatures during the day are usually in the low to mid 80s, (around 28 °C) and (at low elevation) seldom dipping below the mid 60s (18 °C) at night. Snow, although not usually associated with tropics, falls at the higher elevations of Mauna Kea (13,796 feet/ 4,205 meters) and Mauna Loa on the Big Island in some winter months. Snow only rarely falls on Maui\'s Haleakala. Mount WaiÊ»aleÊ»ale (Waiʻaleʻale), 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). Most of Hawaii has only two seasons. Summer is the first which is from May to October, and Winter is from October to April.http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/pages/climate_summary.php

Local climates vary considerably on each island, grossly divisible into windward (Koʻolau) 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 and sunnier, with less rain and less cloud cover. This fact is utilized by the tourist industry, which concentrates resorts on sunny leeward coasts.

• kona low

Main article: List of Hawaii hurricanes

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 (ʻIniki) in 1992, which showed that Hawaii was indeed vulnerable to a direct hit from a hurricane.

Important 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 Kamehameha III as the capital of his kingdom because of the natural harbor there, the present-day Honolulu Harbor.

Now the state capital, Honolulu is located along the southeast coast of Oahu. The previous capital was Lahaina, Maui. Some major towns are Hilo, KÄ�ne\'ohe (KÄ�neʻohe), Kailua, Pearl City, Waipahu, Kahului, Kailua-Kona, Kihei (KÄ«hei), and Lihue (LÄ«huʻe).

Notable features

The PapahÄ�naumokuÄ�kea Marine 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 (80 km) offshore) in the Pacific Ocean, larger than all of America’s National Parks combined.Joshua Reichert and Theodore Roosevelt IV. Treasure Islands. Retrieved on June 15, 2006.

History

History of Hawaii
Ancient times
Monarchy
Provisional Government
Republic
Territory
State

Main article: History of Hawaii

The earliest habitation supported by archaeological evidence dates to the 4th century, probably by Polynesian settlers from the Marquesas, followed by a second wave of migration from Raiatea and Bora Bora in the 11th century. The first recorded European contact with the islands was in 1778 by British explorer James Cook. Substantial evidence (Stokes 1932) exists, however, of earlier Spanish, and possibly Irish, visits to Hawaii. Hawaii is one of three U.S. States that were independent prior to joining or being annexed by the U.S.——Vermont Republic, 1791;Republic of Texas, 1845; and Hawai`i. Of these, Hawai`i and Texas were the only ones with formal international diplomatic recognition.US CODE: Title 20,7512. Findings The Kingdom of Hawaii existed from 1810 until 1893 when the monarchy was overthrown by native born Hawaiians of American ancestry. It was an independent republic from 1894 until 1898, when it was annexed by the United States. It became a territory in 1900, and has been a state since 1959.Introduction to Hawaii - The United States of America

Hawaiian antiquity

Main articles: Ancient Hawaii, Hawaiian mythology, and Polynesian mythology

Anthropologists believe that Polynesians from the Marquesas and possibly the Society Islands first populated the Hawaiian Islands at some time between 300 and 500 AD.^{[citation needed]} There is a great deal of dispute regarding these dates. Archaeologists and historians also differ as to whether there were one or two waves of colonization. It is believed by some authors that there had been an early settlement from the Marquesas and a later wave of immigrants from Tahiti, circa 1000, who were said to have introduced a new line of high chiefs, the introduction of the Kapu system, the practice of human sacrifice and the onset of building of Hieau\'s. This later immigration is detailed in folk tales about Paao (P�ʻao). Other authors, however, have argued that there is no archaeological or linguistic evidence whatsoever for a later influx of Tahitian settlers and that Paao must be regarded as a myth. Since there are still many supporters of the Paao narrative, this topic is still hotly disputed.

Leaving aside the question of Paao and the history of the Royal Hawaiian lineage, historians agree that the history of the islands was marked by a slow but steady growth in population and the size of chiefdoms, which grew to encompass whole islands. Local chiefs, called aliis (aliʻi), ruled their settlements and fought to extend their sway and defend their communities from predatory rivals. This was conducted in a system of aliis of various ranks somewhat similar to Feudalism.

European contact

The 1778 arrival of British explorer James Cook is usually taken to be Hawaii’s first contact with European explorers. Cook plotted and published the geographical coordinates of the Hawaiian Islands, so that they could be found again. Cook named his discovery the Sandwich Islands in honor of one of his sponsors, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, and reported the native name as Owyhee.

Cook visited the Hawaiian islands twice. During his second visit—in 1779—he attempted to abduct a Hawaiian chief and hold him as ransom for return of a ship’s boat that was stolen by a different minor chief;Kuykendall, "The Hawaiian Kingdom Volume I: Foundation and Transformation", p18 "Cook\'s plan was to get the king on board the Resolution and keep him there until the stolen boat was returned—a plan that had been effective under similar circumstances in the south Pacific" the chief’s supporters fought back, and Cook was killed.

After Cook’s visit and the publication of several books relating his voyages, the Hawaiian islands received many European visitors: explorers, traders, and eventually whalers who found the islands a convenient harbor and source of fresh food. Early British influence can still be seen from the design of the local Flag of Hawaii which has the British Union Flag in the corner. Visitors introduced diseases to the formerly isolated islands, and the Hawaiian population plunged precipitously. American missionaries arrived in 1820 and eventually converted the chiefs and the remaining population to Protestant Christianity.

Kamehameha I defeats the Oahuans at the Battle of Nu\'uanu, solidifying his control of the major islands of the archipelago.

Hawaiian kingdom

Main article: Kingdom of Hawaii

During the 1780s and 1790s the chiefs were constantly fighting for power.Kamehameha I of Hawaii Biography After a series of battles that ended in 1795 and forced cession of the island of Kauai in 1810, all of the inhabited islands were subjugated under a single ruler who would become known as King Kamehameha the Great. He established the House of Kamehameha, a dynasty that ruled over the kingdom until 1872.

The death of the bachelor King Kamehameha V—who did not name an heir—resulted in the popular election of Lunalilo over Kalakaua (KalÄ�kaua). After Lunalilo’s death, in a hotly contested and allegedly fraudulent election by the legislature in 1874 between Kalakaua and Emma (which led to riots and the landing of U.S. and British troops to keep the peace), governance was passed on to the House of KalÄ�kaua.

In 1887, under the influence of Walter M. Gibson, a group of primarily American and European businessmen, including kingdom subjects and members of the Hawaiian government forced KalÄ�kaua to sign the derisively nicknamed "Bayonet Constitution" which stripped the king of administrative authority, eliminated voting rights for Asians and set minimum income and property requirements for American, European and native Hawaiian voters, essentially limiting the electorate to wealthy elite Americans, Europeans and native Hawaiians. King Kalakaua reigned until his death in 1891. His sister, Liliuokalani (Liliʻuokalani), succeeded him to the throne and ruled until her overthrow in 1893.

Overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy

Ship\'s landing force on duty at the Arlington Hotel, Honolulu, at the time of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, January 1893. Lieutenant Lucien Young, USN, commanded the detachment, and is presumably the officer at right.U.S. Navy History site

Main article: Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom

In 1893, Queen Liliuokalani announced plans to establish a new constitution that would have replaced the so-called "Bayonet Constitution" that was established during the reign of King Kalakaua by American and European residents under threat of violence. The new constitution would have restored much power to the monarchy, but this was opposed by (mainly foreign) business elites. On January 14, 1893, a group of American and Europeans formed a Committee of Safety in opposition to the Queen, and seized control of government. United States Government Minister John L. Stevens, responding to a request from the Committee of Safety expressing concern about possible violence directed against American citizens, summoned a company of uniformed U.S. Marines to come ashore to enforce neutrality. As one historian noted, the presence of these troops effectively made it impossible for the monarchy to protect itself.Russ, William Adam (1992). The Hawaiian Revolution (1893-94). Associated University Presses, 350. ISBN 0945636431. 

The overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani was successful and the monarchy ended in January 1893. It was replaced by a Provisional Government composed of members of the Committee of Safety. There was much controversy in the following years as the queen tried to regain her throne. The administration of President Grover Cleveland commissioned the Blount Report, which concluded that the overthrow of Liliʻuokalani was illegal. The U.S. Government first demanded that Queen Liliʻuokalani be reinstated, but the Provisional Government refused. Congress responded to Cleveland\'s referral with another investigation, and submitted the Morgan Report by the U.S. Senate on February 26, 1894, which found all parties (including Minister Stevens) with the exception of the queen "not guilty" from any responsibility for the overthrow.Kuykendall, R.S. (1967) The Hawaiian Kingdom, 1874-1893. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 648. The accuracy and impartiality of both the Blount and Morgan reports has been questioned by partisans on both sides of the historical debate over the events of 1893.Russ, William Adam (1992). The Hawaiian Revolution (1893-94). Associated University Presses. ISBN 0945636431.  Kinzer, Stephen (2006). Overthrow: America\'s Century of Regime Change From Hawaii to Iraq. Times Books. ISBN 0805078614. [1] Media Matters: "Limbaugh repeated false claim that U.S. was "strictly neutral" in overthrow of Hawaiian queen"Hawaii Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand by Bruce Fein

In 1993, a joint Apology Resolution regarding the overthrow was passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton, apologizing for the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.Hawaii Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand by Bruce Fein

Republic of Hawaii

Main article: Republic of Hawaii

ʻIolani Palace in Honolulu, formerly the residence of the Hawaiian monarch, was the capitol of the Republic of Hawaii.

The Republic of Hawaii was the formal name of Hawaii from 1894 to 1898 when it was run as a republic. The republic period occurred between the administration of the Provisional Government of Hawaii which ended on July 4, 1894 and the adoption of the Newlands Resolution in Congress in which the Republic was annexed to the United States and became the Territory of Hawaii on July 7, 1898.

U.S. Territory

Main article: Territory of Hawaii

When William McKinley won the presidential election in November of 1896, the question of Hawaii’s annexation to the U.S. was again opened. The previous president, Grover Cleveland, was a friend of Queen Liliuokalani. He had remained opposed to annexation until the end of his term, but McKinley was open to persuasion by U.S. expansionists and by annexationists from Hawaii. He agreed to meet with a committee of annexationists from Hawaii, Lorrin Thurston, Francis Hatch and William Kinney. After negotiations, in June of 1897, McKinley agreed to a treaty of annexation with these representatives of the Republic of Hawaii.1897 Hawaii Annexation Treaty The president then submitted the treaty to the U.S. Senate for approval.

Despite some opposition in the islands, the Newlands Resolution was passed by the House June 15, 1898, by a vote of 209 to 91, and by the Senate on July 6, 1898, by a vote of 42 to 21, annexing Hawaii as a U.S. territory. Its legality continues to be questioned because it was a United States Government resolution, not a treaty of cession or conquest as is required by international law. Both houses of the American Congress carried the measure with two-thirds majorities.

In 1900, Hawaii was granted self-governance and retained ʻIolani Palace as the territorial capitol building. Though several attempts were made to achieve statehood, Hawaii remained a territory for sixty years. Plantation owners, such as the Big Five, found territorial status convenient, enabling them to continue importing cheap foreign labor; such immigration was prohibited in various states of the U.S.

The power of the plantation owners was finally broken by activist descendants of original immigrant laborers. Because they were born in a U.S. territory, they were legal U.S. citizens. Expecting to gain full voting rights, they actively campaigned for statehood for the Hawaiian Islands.

U.S. Statehood

All representative districts voted at least 93% in favor of Admission acts. Ballot (inset) and referendum results for the Admission Act of 1959.

In March 1959, both houses of Congress passed the Hawaii Admission Act and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into law. (The act excluded Palmyra Atoll, part of the Kingdom and Territory of Hawaii, from the new state.) On June 27 of that year, a referendum was held asking residents of Hawaii to vote on accepting the statehood bill. Hawaii voted at a ratio of 17 to 1 to accept. There has been criticism, however, of the Statehood plebiscite, because the only choices were to accept the Act or to remain a territory, without addressing the issues of legality surrounding the overthrow.Human Rights differs from Equal RightsSupport For The Hawaiian Sovereignty Elections CouncilHawaii Reporter: Hawaii Reporter Despite the criticism, the United Nations decolonization committee later removed Hawaii from the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

After statehood, Hawaii quickly became a modern state with a construction boom and rapidly growing economy. The Hawaii Republican Party, which was strongly supported by the plantation owners, was voted out of office. In its place, the Democratic Party of Hawaii dominated state politics for forty years.

In recent decades, the state government has implemented programs to promote Hawaiian culture. The Hawaii State Constitutional Convention of 1978 incorporated as state constitutional law specific programs such as the creation of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to promote the indigenous Hawaiian language and culture.

Demographics

As of 2005, Hawaii has an estimated population of 1,275,194, which is an increase of 13,070, or 1.0%, from the prior year and an increase of 63,657, or 5.3%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 48,111 people (that is 96,028 births minus 47,917 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 16,956 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 30,068 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 13,112 people. The center of population of Hawaii is located directly between the two islands of Oahu and Molokai.http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt

Hawaii has a de facto population of over 1.3 million due to military presence and tourists. Oahu, which is nicknamed "The Gathering Place", is the most populous island (and the one with the highest population density), with a resident population of just under one million in 597 square miles (1,546 km²), about 1,650 people per square mile (for comparison, New Jersey, which has 8,717,925 people in 7,417 square miles (19,210 km²) is the most-densely populated state with 1,134 people per square mile.)New Jersey Quickfacts Hawaii\'s 1,275,194 people, spread over 6,423 square miles (including many unpopulated islands) results in an average population density of 188.6 persons per square mile,Hawaii Quickfacts which makes Hawaii less densely populated than states like Ohio and Illinois.Top 12 states in population density

The average projected lifespan of those born in Hawaii in the year 2000 is 79.8 years (77.1 years if male, 82.5 if female), longer than the residents of any other state.Average life expectancy at birth by state

U.S. military personnel make up approximately 1.3% of the total population in the islands.

Ethnicities

Further information: Europeans in Oceania

Ethnically, Hawaii is one of only four states in which non-Hispanic whites do not form a majority, and has the largest percentage of Asian Americans. Hawaii was the second majority-minority state in the United States. Both Hawaii and New Mexico have been majority-minority regions since the early 20th century, but New Mexico became a state before Hawaii. Hawaii also has the largest percentage of persons of mixed race, who constitute some 20% of the total population.Hawaii QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. U.S. Census Bureau (31 August 2007). Retrieved on September 15, 2007.

Ancestry groups

The largest ancestry groups in Hawaii are:

Population Of Hawaii

Ancestry	Percentage	Main article:
Japanese	(16.7%) of Total	See Japanese American
Polynesian	(16%)	See Native Hawaiians
Filipino	(14.1%)	See Filipino American
German	(5.8%)	See German American
Chinese	(4.7%)	See Chinese American
Irish	(4.4%)	See Irish American
English	(4.3%)	See English American