On August 21st, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared Hawaii to be the 50th state in the union. Learn more about The ALOHA State. (state's nickname). Glad we didn't get statehood before Alaska. We would be called Hawaii 4 9! Somehow doesn't fit!
Think you know about the Aloha State? Take a short Quiz
The flag was adopted in 1959, the flag has eight stripes of alternation red, white and blue that represent the eight major islands. Nihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island of Hawaii.
The State seal also adopted that year includes the state Motto.
The state coat of arms in in the center, with a figure of King Kamehameha I to the left and the Goddess of Liberty on the right.
Motto: Ua mau ke ea o ka aina I ka pono
Capital City: Honolulu, on the island of Oahu
Bird: Nene Goose
Song: Hawaii Ponoi words by: Kalakaua, music by: Henri Berger
The (unofficial) State Fish: the Hawaiian Trigger fish. The actual name is Humuhumunukunukuapua`a.
Now here's the kicker, State Mammal: Humpback Whale. This may be changing as of from yesterday. We are now one step closer to having the Hawaiian Monk Seal in place to become the State Mammal. check out www.monksealmania blogsite to see how the voting went. Everybody votes to make the Monk Seal the State Mammal. Now I understand that it goes to a vote in the House and then we've won the battle. Now here are some more interesting facts about Hawaii:
Tree: Kukui - Candlenut adopted 5-1-59
Highest Point: Mauna Kea @ 13,796 feet. From the bottom of the ocean it's the highest mountain in the world. Mt. Everest is a bit higher when measured from sea level!
Lowest Point: along the shore lines.
Hawaii's Population: 1,224,398 estimate in 2001, now 7 years later . . . there's more!
The State flower is the Yellow Hibiscus
Island flowers and colors: Niihau - Pupu Shell - White ~ Kauai - Mokihana (Green Berry) - Purple ~ Oahu - Ilima -Yellow ~ Maui - Lokelani (Pink Cottage Rose) - Pink ~ Molokai - White Kukui Blossom - Green ~ Lanai - Kaunaoa (Yellow and Orange Air Plant) - Orange ~ Kahoolawe - Hinahina (Beach Heliotrope) - Grey ~ Big Island of Hawaii - Lehua Ohia - Red
Hawaii's Area Code: 808 Governor: Linda Lingle (R)
Hawaii's Industries include, tourism, canning, clothing and sugar
Hawaii's Fishing Industries: Swordfish, Bigeye tuna, mahi mahi, Ono and variousl bottom fish.
Hawaii's Manufacturing: printed materials, food products, and petroleum products.
Hawaii's Agriculture includes: coffee, flowers, fruits & vegetables and used to have sugar and pineapple.
Here are some interesting facts about Hawaii:
Location: 25.002N, 167.998W
From tip to tip, Hawaii is the widest state in the United States
There are four counties in Hawaii (Kauai; city and county of Honolulu; Maui; and Hawaii). Each city has a mayor and council in charge.
There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet. Vowels: A, E, I, O, U Consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W. Now you know why "Wheel of Fortune" doesn't work in Hawaii!
Hawaii is the only state that is not part of the the mainland of North America.
I believe that Hawaii is the only state that grows coffee
It used to be that One-third of the world's commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawaii
Hawaii is the most isolated population center on earth. Hawaii is 2,390 miles from California; 4,900 miles from China; 3,850 miles from Japan; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines.
Hawaii has its own time zone (Hawaiian Standard Time.) There is no daylight savings time. The time runs 2-3 hours behind Pacific Standard Time and 5-6 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. Remember this when calling to the islands or from the islands.
Hawaii was once an independent monarchy. Polynesian monarchs rules the islands for 99 years, 1795-1894. The islands became republic. No other state has had this form of government.
In Hawaii, there are no racial or ethnic majorities, everyone is a minority. Caucasians (Haoles) constitute about 34%; Japanese-American about 32%; Filipino-American about 16% and Chinese-American about 5%. It is very difficult to determine racial identification as most of the population has some mixture of ethnicities, (Hapa).
The island of OAHU:
Honolulu is the nation's 11th largest metropolitan area and is made of two volcanoes;Waianae and KoOlau. KoOlau is the younger of the two.
As of the time of this writing/research, the world's largest wind generator is on the Northern Shore of Oahu. The windmill has two blades 400 feet long on the top of a tower twenty stories high.
Iolani Palace is the only royal palace in the United States.
KoOlau Golf Course is suppose to be the Nations most challenging course.
Honolulu is the largest city in the world -- it has the longest borders. Honolulu is about 1,500 miles long or more distance than halfway across the 48 contiguous states. According to the state constitution any island (or islet) not named as belonging to a county belongs to Honolulu. This makes all islands within the Hawaiian Archipelago, that stretch to Midway Island (1,500 miles northwest of Hawaii) part of Honolulu. Kind of a geotechno cheating way to place in this category.
The Royal Hawaiian Hotel is the second oldest hotel. It's well spotted for it's color, Pink.
At one time the Aloha Tower was the tallest building in Hawaii. It stands 14 stories tall. Cruise ships still visit the islands at the Tower.
The island of HAWAII
Kilauea Iki is the world's largest and most active volcano.
The Big Island is Hawaii's largest (single island) at 4,038 square miles. It is twice the size of all other Hawaiian Islands combined.
The southernmost point in the United States is located at 18:54:49 N 155:41:00 W. It is located on the Island of Hawaii, it's name is Ka Lae. There is a constant 27 knots per hour wind blowing east to west, 24 hours per day and 365 days per year. A Green Beach is about a 3 mile hike from this location.
Hawaii is the worldwide leader in harvesting macadamia nuts and orchids
Parker Ranch near Kamuela on the island of Hawaii is the largest ranch in the United States . It has about 480,000 acres of land.
Hawaii has 10 different climate zones.
The world's biggest telescope and more scientific observatories in one place than anywhere else in the world.
Other islands:
Hulope Bay off of Lanai is a marine preserve and considered one of the best diving spots in the world.
The Island of Kahoolawae was once used as a target by the U.S. Navy and Air Force the services are cleaning up unexploded shells. The island consists of an uninhabited area of 45 square miles. You must get permission to go ashore.
Maui: Haleakala Crater, found here and claims the world's largest dormant volcano.
Kauai: Waialeale Mountain, found on the Garden isle of Kauai, averages 488 inches of rain per year and is considered the wettest spot on earth.
Molokai has the world's highest sea cliffs, Hawaii's longest waterfall, and the largest white sand beach in the state.
Niihau is privately owned by the Robinson family. There is a population of 230 and it's 69 square miles. It is mostly used for cattle ranching.
For other interesting facts about Hawaii E me and I will send you to the links of your choice. All these facts were current as of a couple of years ago. My how things change.
Aloha
KC at Alii's 4-6-19
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Today I met a young girl named Cassidy who volunteers for Marine Animal
Response or http://H-Mar.org She was watching this site at Alii's. It was
KC who wa...
5 years ago
2 comments:
The humpback whale is the State MARINE-MAMMAL....not to be confused with the State MAMMAL... I know it seems the same but they are 2 seperate designations....
We do not want to upset the supporters of the humpbacks.... please could you make the correction. This was an extremely sensitve issue... mahalo
The Islands of Hawai'i
They are known the world over as the "Islands of Aloha," for their custom of welcoming visitors to their sunny, tropical shores. Most island residents (population: 1,186,000) take pride in the "Aloha Spirit"--an attitude of openness and friendliness, especially to visitors. Hawai'i's multi-cultural community has been able to evolve, develop and grow over the generations because of the embracing "Aloha Spirit." It has allowed them to overcome differences with dignity and respect and enabled its cosmopolitan community to live together harmoniously. That
spirit will remain with you long after you return home. Hawai'i is an archipelago of incredible natural beauty and sharp contrasts. Mountains, volcanoes mostly, some jagged peaks, some gracefully sloping, reach through puffy layers of clouds into the Pacific blue sky. Where land meets sea, there is an explosion of bright blues and greens from water, reef and sky, mixed with the white, golden, black and even green sands of the beaches, and with the black lava rock and sheer cliffs that plunge into the sea.
There are lush tropical valleys, high cascading waterfalls tumbling into jungle pools, upland rain forests dense with tropical vegetation and a high tree canopy. There are arid lava deserts nearly devoid of plantlife, volcanic craters still steaming, lava flows exploding in steam and pumice as they roll into the sea, remote tranquil beaches where only the sound of breaking surf on the shore disturbs the quiet. Underwater marine reserves and coral reefs teem with tropical marinelife, while coastal or mountain hiking trails lead to views that are unsurpassed. These are the things that make for adventure in Hawai'i.
First time and returning visitors will find a Hawai'i that has a wide ranging selection of soft to hard adventure activities. From Hilo to Hanalei, there are any number of exciting, educational and adrenalin-pumping activities. You can ride a bike down a volcano, scuba or snorkel a reef or underwater cave, follow a trail through the rain forest, ride a mule down a 3,000-foot switchback trail, picnic at an isolated beach, troll for a Pacific blue marlin and with luck get a "hook up," take a sunset cocktail cruise off fabled Waikiki Beach, visit an ancient Hawaiian heiau and touch history, ride a kayak down an old sugar plantation irrigation flume, explore the summit of Hawai'i's tallest mountain, and the list goes on.
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Hawai'i is no longer just a beach resort. It all depends how active or inactive you want to be. If you're looking for adventure and excitement, you'll find it on all of the Hawaiian Islands. If you're into more sedentary adventure activities, like laying about on a beautiful beach sipping a maitai, well, you won't have to go far in Hawai'i to do that either.
There are eight islands that make up the main Hawaiian chain: Kaua'i, O'ahu, Moloka'i, Lana'i, Maui, Hawai'i, Kaho'olawe and Ni'ihau. This main group of islands is traditionally known as the Windward Islands. There is also a cluster of small islands and atolls known as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands, which lie far to the northwest of the main group. This group has no permanent human inhabitants but is a refuge for seabirds and animals like Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles and other marinelife species.
Kaua'i is the "Garden Island" and has some of the grandest and most magnificent scenery in the islands. Its rugged mountainous interior and forests have lush vegetation, beautiful waterfalls, and quiet rain forest streams. There are also attractions like the spectacular Waimea Canyon, the hidden valley of Kalalau, Hanalei Bay, Wailua River, the Na Pali Coast, Poipu Beach and much more.
O'ahu is the "Gathering Place," the most populated island and the location of the state's capital, Honolulu. Honolulu is the principal shipping port, site of the major international airport, the business, financial and government center, and the educational heart of the state. O'ahu is also the US military command center for the Pacific region. The Waikiki Beach area is the prime visitor center with its many hotels, restaurants, activities and more. Attractions abound on O'ahu, with places like Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, Nu'uanu Pali Lookout, Punchbowl National Cemetery, the Ko'olau Mountains, the North Shore, surfing beaches, and much more.
Moloka'i is the "Friendly Isle," which is perhaps the most endearing trait of this small Hawaiian country community. Moloka'i has cattle ranching, small family farms, coffee orchards and a very rural laid-back atmosphere. It's a place to unwind and escape life's hectic pace. On the North Shore are some of the world's highest seacliffs, towering to 3,000 feet. Below the cliffs, on the Makanalua Peninsula, is the famed Hansen's disease settlement at Kalaupapa where leprosy victims were banished in the 1800s.
Lana'i is a privately owned island, formerly a pineapple plantation until the industry closed in the 1980s. Since then, Castle&Cooke, Inc. has built two world-class hotels on the island and has transformed it into a luxury resort destination for those who want to see something of a small, remote island while indulging in first-class accommodations, dining, championship golf, and more. And for those who are so inclined, Lana'i can provide an adventurous experience exploring remote beaches, a cross-island mountain backcountry road and more.
Maui is the "Valley Isle," with sugar and pineapple plantations and upcountry mountain cattle ranches. The 10,023-foot Mt. Haleakala is the world's largest dormant volcano and dominates Maui's landscape. Its last eruption was about 1790. Lahaina in West Maui was Hawai'i's capital until 1845. It was a rowdy whaling port in the mid-1800s and still retains something of its whaling town atmosphere, which visitors find appealing. Maui's world-class resorts at Ka'anapali, Kapalua, Kihei, Wailea and Makena attract visitors from around the globe. And Haleakala National Park, the Hana Coast, Iao Valley and other sites on Maui provide visitors with much to experience.
Hawai'i is the "Big Island" because it is, in fact, bigger than all the other Hawaiian Islands combined. But it is also known as the "Orchid Isle" and the "Volcano Isle" for obvious reasons. The island's dominant features are the twin towering peaks of Mauna Kea (13,796 feet) and Mauna Loa (13,677 feet). But those aren't the island's only volcano mountains. The others are Kohala (5,480 feet), Hualalai (8,271 feet) and Kilauea (4,093 feet). The island has a large tropical flower industry which produces millions of orchids, anthuriums and other tropical blooms annually. The island also produces coffee, macadamia nuts, papaya, ginger, cattle and much more. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is a much visited attraction, along with Akaka Falls, Parker Ranch, Waipio Valley, Kealakekua Bay, Pu'uhonuaOHonaunau National Historical Park in Kona and others.
Kaho'olawe is uninhabited and until a few years ago was used by the US Navy for target practice. Ships would regularly bombard the island in practice while airplanes would bomb and strafe it. The US Navy finally relinquished control of the island and returned it to the State of Hawai'i. But it will not be used for anything until bomb squads remove all active and potentially dangerous ordnance and the island is declared safe.
Ni'ihau is sometimes called The Forbidden Island, simply because few are ever allowed onto it. The island is privately owned by the reclusive Robinson family, who run a cattle ranch there and strictly guard access to the island. However, in the last couple of years there have been indications that the island may be opening more to the outside, even with a very small tourism program and reports of military installations being considered as a way to bring income to the island. There are about 200 Hawaiians who call Ni'ihau home. They follow a mostly traditional Hawaiian lifestyle on this small, remote island.
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or Leeward Islands lie far to the northwest of the main islands. They extend in a chain over 1,000 miles from Nihoa in the southeast to Kure Atoll in the northwest, almost to the International Dateline in the middle of the Pacific. The group includes the islands of Necker, French Frigate Shoals, Gardner Pinnacles, Maro Reef, Laysan, Lisianski, Pearl and Hermes Atoll, and Midway Atoll. The islands are primarily a national wildlife refuge, home to many thousands of seabirds, plus the endangered Hawaiian green sea turtle, rare Hawaiian monk seal and other land birds and marinelife species, some found nowhere else on earth. The Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge was only recently opened in 1997 for the public to experience the birdlife and refuge eco-system. The National Park Service contracted with a private company to run eco/tours to Midway using the former military airbase and facilities as a tourism center. See the Kaua'i section of this book for details.
The Hawaiian Language
One of the more positive things the early missionaries did for the Hawaiians was to standardize their Polynesian, up to then only a spoken language, into a written language. Hawaiian shares much with the languages of other Pacific islands.
The missionaries organized the Hawaiian language into an alphabet of 12 letters, five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and seven consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p and w). Every letter of a word is sounded. Syllables end in vowels and many syllables contain only vowels. All Hawaiian words end in a vowel. There are no double consonants in Hawaiian. A vowel always separates consonants.
The accent generally falls on the next-to-last syllable, although some words are unaccented. Called an "okina," it is used in some words to indicate the "glottal stop," a sign that a "k" sound found in other Polynesian dialects has disappeared in Hawaiian usage. Where this mark appears, the accent falls on the preceding vowel, as in the following: Ka'u (Kah'oo), Kapa'au (Kahpah'ow), Ho'okena (Ho'okenah).
The consonants are pronounced as they are in English, with "w" being the only exception. When "w" introduces the last syllable of a word, it sometimes is sounded as a "v." Examples are the famous Polynesian ceremonial drink, awa, actually pronounced "ava," and the area on O'ahu called Ewa is pronounced "Ehva." Likewise, the name of the islands, Hawai'i, is actually pronounced "Havai'i"
Pronouncing Hawaiian
The five vowels are pronounced as follows:
a as in father, above
o as in note, own
e as in obey, weigh
u as in rule, true (oo)
i as in marine (ee)
In addition, there are some vowel combinations which resemble diphthongs and are pronounced as follows:
ai and ae (eye) as in mile, line
ao and au (ow) as in cow, how
ei (ay) as in day, say
oe (oy) as in boy, toy
Learning to pronounce and use some Hawaiian words on your visit will certainly prove to be an adventure and add a whole new dimension to your travel experience. Listening for and using some of the local language can also prove useful in interpreting road maps, street signs, and place names.
In addition to Hawaiian, the unofficial language of the islands is "pidgin English." This language evolved over generations as ethnic groups migrated to Hawai'i and ended up living and working together on the sugar and pineapple plantations. Most of these immigrant laborers knew little or no English, nor did they know the languages of the other immigrant groups. A hodge-podge, mixed language of English, Chinese, Hawaiian, Japanese, Filipino, etc., evolved. You'll probably hear bits and pieces of this pidgin English as you travel through the islands. Even though they know standard English, many islanders use pidgin when speaking to each other. It's traditional.
Geography & Geology
The Islands of Hawai'i are among the most isolated inhabited lands in the world, far from any other major land mass with their mid-ocean location. They are located in the North Pacific Ocean...
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