Hawaii Facts
The Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands consists of the following eight main islands: Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and the Big Island of Hawaii. Although largely inactive now, under-sea volcanoes formed the islands of Hawaii thousands of years ago. Although each of the islands varies in population, climate, and culture, they all share the Aloha spirit found throughout Hawaii.
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Population & Diversity
One of the unique characteristics of Hawaii is its cultural and ethnic diversity. In an article published by one of Hawaii's newspapers in October 2004, it reported that the U.S. Census Bureau found Hawaii leading the country in terms of diversity, since they found that Hawaii consists of a 77 percent nonwhite population. Furthermore, many people in Hawaii are a mixture of ethnicities or "hapa," which adds to Hawaii's diverse population.
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Fun Facts
- Hawaii is the 50th state
- Hawaii's state bird is the Nene, a type of Hawaiian goose
- Hawaii's state flower is the hibiscus
- Iolani Palace, located on Oahu, is the only royal palace in the United States
- Hawaii runs on Hawaiian Standard Time and has no daylight savings time
- Hawaii is home to some of the most world-renowned beaches like Hanauma Bay, Sunset Beach, and Waikiki
- Hawaii has been featured or used in a number of movies and TV series including Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, Blue Crush and North Shore
- Some well-known people with Hawaiian roots include
- Kelly Hu (actress)
- Jack Johnson (singer and songwriter)
- Barack Obama (Senator)
- Hiram L. Fong (first Chinese-American senator)
- Tia Carrere (singer and actress)
- Bryan Clay (2004 Olympic silver medealist in decathlon)
- Liliuokalani (queen, last Hawaiian monarch)
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Sara & Marie Ayabe: sayabe@wellesley.edu, mayabe@wellesley.edu
Date Created: November 21, 2004
Last Modified: January 27, 2008
Expires: June 2008