Hawaii (/həˈ waɪ i/ ( listen) hə-WY-ee; Hawaiian: Hawaiʻ i [həˈ vɐjʔi]) is the

50th and most recent state to have joined the Union, having received
statehood on August 21, 1959.[9] Hawaii is the only U.S. state geographically
located in Oceania, although it is governed as a part of North America,[10] and
the only one composed entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group
in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean.[11]

The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian archipelago, which
comprises hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km). At the
southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight main islands are—in order from
northwest to
southeast: Niʻ ihau, Kauaʻ i, Oʻ ahu, Molokaʻ i, Lānaʻ i, Kahoʻ olawe, Maui,
and Hawaiʻ i. The last is the largest island in the group; it is often called the
"Big Island" or "Hawaiʻ i Island" to avoid confusion with the state or archipelago.
The archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian
subregion of Oceania.

Hawaii's diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate, abundance of public

beaches, oceanic surroundings, and active volcanoes make it a popular
destination for tourists, surfers, biologists, and volcanologists. Because of its
central location in the Pacific and 19th-century labor migration, Hawaii's
culture is strongly influenced by North American and East Asian cultures, in
addition to its indigenous Hawaiian culture. Hawaii has over a million
permanent residents, along with many visitors and U.S. military personnel. Its
capital is Honolulu on the island of Oʻ ahu.

Hawaii is the 8th-smallest and the 11th-least populous, but the 13th-most
densely populated of the 50 U.S. states. It is the only state with
an Asian plurality. The state's oceanic coastline is about 750 miles (1,210 km)
long, the fourth longest in the U.S. after the coastlines of Alaska, Florida,
and California.

Contents

 1Etymology

 1.1Spelling of state name

 2Geography and environment

 2.1Topography

 2.2Geology

 2.3Flora and fauna

 2.4Protected areas

 2.5Climate

 3History

 3.1First human settlement – Ancient Hawaiʻ i (800–1778)

 3.2European arrival

 3.3Kingdom of Hawaiʻ i

 3.4Overthrow of 1893 – Republic of Hawaii (1894–1898)

 3.5Annexation – Territory of Hawaii (1898–1959)

 3.6Political changes of 1954 – State of Hawaii (1959–present)

 4Demographics

 4.1Population

 4.2Ancestry

 4.3Languages

 4.4Religion

 4.5Birth data

 4.6LGBT

 5Economy

 5.1Taxation

 5.2Cost of living

 6Culture

 6.1Cuisine

 6.2Customs and etiquette

 6.3Hawaiian mythology

 6.4Polynesian mythology

 6.5List of state parks

 6.6Literature

 6.7Music
  6.8Sports

 7Tourism

 8Health

 9Education

 9.1Public schools

 9.2Private schools

 9.3Colleges and universities

 9.4Pūnana Leo

 10Transportation

 10.1Rail

 11Governance

 11.1Political subdivisions and local government

 11.2State government

 11.3Federal government

 11.4Politics

 11.5State police

 12Hawaiian sovereignty movement

 13International sister cities

 14See also

 15Notes

 16References

 17Bibliography

 18External links

Etymology
The state of Hawaii derives its name from the name of its largest
island, Hawaiʻ i. A common Hawaiian explanation of the name of Hawaiʻ i is
that it was named for Hawaiʻ iloa, a legendary figure from Hawaiian myth. He
is said to have discovered the islands when they were first settled.[12][13]

The Hawaiian language word Hawaiʻ i is very similar

to Proto-Polynesian *Sawaiki, with the reconstructed meaning
"homeland".[14] Cognates of Hawaiʻ i are found in other Polynesian languages,
including Māori (Hawaiki), Rarotongan (ʻ Avaiki) and Samoan (Savaiʻ i).
According to linguists Pukui and Elbert,[15] "elsewhere in Polynesia, Hawaiʻ i or
a cognate is the name of the underworld or of the ancestral home, but in
Hawaii, the name has no meaning".[16]

Spelling of state name

A somewhat divisive political issue arose in 1978 when the Constitution of the
State of Hawaii added Hawaiian as a second official state language.[17] The
title of the state constitution is The Constitution of the State of Hawaii.
Article XV, Section 1 of the Constitution uses The State of
Hawaii.[18] Diacritics were not used because the document, drafted in
1949,[19] predates the use of the ʻ okina ⟨ ʻ ⟩ and the kahakō in modern
Hawaiian orthography. The exact spelling of the state's name in the Hawaiian
language is Hawaiʻ i.[b] In the Hawaii Admission Act that granted Hawaiian
statehood, the federal government recognized Hawaii as the official state
name. Official government publications, department and office titles, and
the Seal of Hawaii use the traditional spelling with no symbols for glottal stops
or vowel length.[20] In contrast, the National and State Park Services, the
University of Hawaiʻ i and some private enterprises implement these symbols.
No precedent for changes to U.S. state names exists since the adoption of
the United States Constitution in 1789. However, the Constitution of
Massachusetts formally changed the Province of Massachusetts Bay to
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1780, and in 1819, the Territory of
Arkansaw was created but was later admitted to statehood as the State of
Arkansas.

Geography and environment

Popu
latio Hig Ag
Nick n hes Elev e
Isla Densit
nam Area (as t atio (M Location
nd y
e of poi n a)[
201 nt 21]

0)
 Popu
latio Hig Ag
Nick n hes Elev e
Isla Densit
nam Area (as t atio (M Location
nd y
e of poi n a)[
201 nt 21]

0)

4,028.0 45.948/ 13,79

The
Hawai sq mi 185,0 sq mi Maun 6 ft
Big 0.4 19°34′N1
ʻ i[22] (10,432 79 (17.740 a Kea (4,20
Island 55°30′W
.5 km )
2 7/km ) 2 5 m)

727.2 s 198.63 10,02

The
Maui[2 q mi 144,4 0/sq mi Halea 3 ft 1.3–
Valley 20°48′N1
3] (1,883. 44 (76.692 kalā (3,05 0.8
Isle 56°20′W
4 km2) /km2) 5 m)

The 596.7 s 1,597.4 Moun 4,003

Oʻ ahu Gather q mi 953,2 6/sq mi t ft 3.7–

21°28′N1
[24] ing (1,545. 07 (616.78 Kaʻ al (1,22 2.6
57°59′W
Place 4 km2) /km2) a 0 m)

552.3 s 121.16 5,243

The
Kauaʻ i q mi 66,92 8/sq mi Kawai ft
Garde 5.1 22°05′N1
[25] (1,430. 1 (46.783 kini (1,59
n Isle 59°30′W
5 km2) /km2) 8 m)

260.0 s 28.250/ 4,961

The
Molok q mi sq mi Kama ft 1.9–
Friendl 7,345 21°08′N1
aʻ i[26] (673.4 (10.907 kou (1,51 1.8
y Isle 57°02′W
km )2 4/km ) 2 2 m)

The 140.5 s 22.313/ 3,366

Lānaʻ i Lānaʻ
Pineap 3,135 20°50′N1
q mi sq mi ft 1.3
[27] ihale
ple Isle 56°56′W
(363.9 (8.615/ (1,02
 Popu
latio Hig Ag
Nick n hes Elev e
Isla Densit
nam Area (as t atio (M Location
nd y
e of poi n a)[
201 nt 21]

0)

km2) km2) 6 m)

The 69.5 sq 2.45/sq Moun 1,250

Niʻ iha Forbid mi mi t ft
170 4.9 21°54′N1
u[28] den (180.0 (0.944/ Pānīʻ (381
60°10′W
Isle km2) km2) au m)

44.6 sq 1,483
Kahoʻ The Puʻ u
mi 0/sq mi ft
20°33′N1
olawe[ Target 0 Moaul 1.0
(115.5 (0/km2) (452
29] Isle anui 56°36′W
km2) m)

There are eight main Hawaiian islands, seven of which are permanently in