Get to know Hawaii! Get the facts about its land, products and culture.

Official name: Hawaii

Statehood: August 21, 1959

Size: Land area is 6,423 square miles; eight main islands form an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean

Capital: Honolulu

Population: 1,257,608 as of 2003

Population Under Age 14: 24% as of 2000

Population Breakdown: Hawaii has the largest multiracial population of any U.S. state. In the 2000 census, 21.4% of Hawaiians selected two or more races to identify themselves.

Official Languages: English, Hawaiian

Climate: Subtropical; generally warmer at the coasts and cooler in the mountain regions. Rainfall varies from place to place, but Mount Waialeale, on Kauai, is one of the wettest places in the world. It gets an average of 460 inches of rain every year.

Agricultural Products: Sugarcane, macadamia nuts, fruits, vegetables, flowers, pineapples, and coffee. Hawaii produces more than one-third of the world's commercial supply of pineapples and is the only U.S. state that can grow coffee.

Time Zone: Hawaii has its own time zone, Hawaiian Standard Time (HST). There is no daylight savings in Hawaii.

Industries: Tourism, sugar processing, pineapple canning, fishing clothing, food, printing and publishing

Foods: Poi is a Hawaiian staple. It is made from ground up taro root and then cooked into a thick paste.

Special Traditions: Hula dancing, luau feasts, surfing and making lei necklaces

 

Hawaii Native Lingo

Most people in Hawaii speak English, but they often use Hawaiian words in their speech. Hawaiian is made up of an alphabet with only has 12 letters: the vowels a, e, i, o and u and the consonants h, k, l, m, n, p and w. Read on to learn a few words in Hawaiian.
Hello, goodbye
Aloha (ah-loh-hah)
     

Family
Ohana (oh-hah-nah)   

Teacher
Kumu (koo-moo)    

Child, children
Keiki (kay-kee)    

Man
Kane (kah-nay)    

Woman
Wahine (vah-hee-nay)    

House
Hale (hah-lay)    

Thank you.
Mahalo. (mah-hah-loh)  

 

 

Hawaii History Timeline

Travel through our timeline of major events in Hawaii's history.

200-500:

Polynesians, probably from the Marquesas Islands, arrive in Hawaii.

800-1200:
Another wave of settlers, this time from Tahiti, invades the islands.

1778:
British explorer Captain James Cook anchors in Waimea Bay near Kauai. He names the islands the Sandwich Islands after Britain's Earl of Sandwich.

1795:
The fierce warrior Kamehameha I conquers many of the islands and establishes the Hawaiian monarchy. In 1819, he dies and his son becomes Kamehameha II.

1816:
King Kamehameha I commissions the Hawaiian Flag. The design, which is now Hawaii's state flag, has eight red, white, and blue stripes to represent Hawaii's eight major islands. It also includes a small version of Great Britain's flag, known as The Union Jack, to symbolize Hawaii's longstanding friendship with Britain.

1820:
American traders searching for sandalwood and whales begin to arrive in Hawaii. They are followed by American missionaries who settle on the islands to spread the teachings of Christianity.

1839-48:
Kamehameha III signs a series of measures that form the foundation of a constitutional government.

1850:
Kamehameha III proclaims Honolulu as the capital of Hawaii. The city remains the capital to this day.

1885:
The first Japanese immigrants arrive in Hawaii on February 9. Asian laborers continue to move to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations.

1898:
The U.S. Congress passes a resolution to annex Hawaii.

1900:
Hawaii becomes a U.S. territory on February 22nd.

1922:
Jim Dole buys the island of Lanai and turns it into the world's biggest pineapple plantation.

1941:
On December 7, the Japanese military attacks U.S. forces in Pearl Harbor. The U.S. enters World War II.

1959:
On March 18, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill acknowledging Hawaii's statehood. On August 21, Hawaii becomes the 50th, and last, state to join the union.

1970s and 1980s:
Two popular television shows draw attention to the beautiful scenery in Oahu. Both Hawaii Five-O and Magnum P.I. take place on the beaches of the tropical island.

1980:
Hawaii becomes home to the NFL Pro Bowl, as the first ever AFC-NFC all star-game lands in Oahu's Aloha Stadium. The Pro Bowl has brought football legends and their fans to Hawaii every February for the past 26 years.

1993:
President Bill Clinton signs a resolution apologizing for the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, which took place when Queen Liliuokalani surrendered. Hawaiians continue to debate whether they want to remain a U.S. state. Some groups want to restore the monarchy, while others want to maintain their current status.