Hawaii
is the 50th state of the United States, comprising a group of eight major
islands and numerous islets in the central Pacific Ocean.
Area, 6.450 sq mi (16,706 sq km).
Pop. (2000) 1,211,537 a 9.3% increase since the 1990 census.
Capital And Largest City, Honolulu.
Nickname, Aloha State.
Motto, Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono [The Life of the Land Is
Perpetuated in Righteousness].
State bird, Hawaiian goose.
State Flower, hibiscus.
State Tree, candlenut.
Geologically
the youngest of the Hawaiian group, Hawaii is made up of three volcanic
mountain masses rising from the floor of the Pacific OceanMauna Kea, Mauna Loa,
Hualalai. Lava flows, some of which reach the sea, and volcanic ash cover parts
of the island. The north and northeast coasts are rugged with high cliffs; the
west and south coasts are generally low,with some good bathing beaches. An
Unusual black-sand beach lies on the southeast coast.
The
Hawaiian Islands are of volcanic origin and are edged with coral reefs. Hawaii
is the largest and geologically the youngest of the group, and Oahu, where the
capital, Honolulu,is located, is the most populous andeconomically important.
The other principal islands are Kahoolawe, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and
Niihau. The Northwestern Hawaiian islands, Consisting of uninhabited islets and
excluding Midway, stretch more than 1,100 mi (1,800 km) from Nihoa to Kure.
Most of the islets are encompassed in the Hawaiian Island National Wildlife
Refuge; the surrounding waters and coral reefs are in the vast 84-million-acre
(34-million-hectare) Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Reserve. Palmyra
atoll and Kingman Reef, which were within the boundaries of the Hawaii when it
was a U.S. territory, were excluded when statehood was achieved.
Sugarcane
and Pineapples, grown chiefly on large company-owned plantations, are the major
agricultural products and the basis of the islands' principal industry, food processing.
Macadamia nuts, papayas, greenhouse vegetables, and coffee are also important.
Other products include coffee, cattle, and dairy products. Commercial fishing,
especially tuna, is also significant. Tourism is, however, the leading source
of income, and defense installations, including Pearl Harbor, follow.