Hawaii << huh WY ee or huh WAH ee >> is the only state in the United States that does not lie on the mainland of North America. The state, which is spelled Hawai‘i in the Hawaiian language, is made up of islands near the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. Honolulu, the capital and largest city, is about 2,400 miles (3,860 kilometers) southwest of the U.S. mainland. Hawaii is also the southernmost state. Oahu, the island on which Honolulu is located, is as far south as central Mexico. Hawaii, the youngest state, joined the Union on Aug. 21, 1959.
Hawaii is world famous for its beauty and pleasant climate. It has deep-blue seas, brilliantly colored flowers, graceful palm trees, and magnificent waterfalls. These attractions provide some of the most thrilling scenery in the United States. Cool Pacific winds keep Hawaii pleasantly mild all year around.
Hawaii has many colorful ways of life. Some of these customs come from Pacific Islanders called Polynesians, who were the original settlers of Hawaii. Many of the people of Hawaii are of Polynesian descent. The people’s great friendliness toward tourists gives Hawaii its nickname of the Aloha State. Aloha means love in the Hawaiian language.
When visitors are greeted in Hawaii, they often receive leis (wreaths of flowers strung together). They enjoy luaus (feasts), hula dancing, parades, and many special events. The hula has become a symbol of Hawaii. Hula dancers sway their hips and move their arms and hands to the music of Hawaiian guitars and other instruments.
The state has many nationality and ethnic groups. In addition to the people of Polynesian descent and white, Black, and Hispanic people from the mainland, Hawaii’s population includes many citizens of Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian ancestry.
Hawaii consists of a chain of 132 islands. The chain extends for 1,523 miles (2,451 kilometers). The eight main islands at the southeastern end of the chain extend about 350 miles (565 kilometers). Almost all the people of Hawaii live on seven of these eight islands. About 70 of every 100 people live on Oahu.
The state’s location in the Pacific Ocean gives it a major role in U.S. military planning. The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps units in the Pacific area are under a single command located in Hawaii. The salaries of military personnel and civilian employees at these bases provide an important source of income in Hawaii. Food processing is Hawaii’s leading manufacturing activity.
Most of the world did not know of the Hawaiian islands until 1778. Captain James Cook of the British Navy reached them that year. Local chiefs ruled the islands until about 1800, when the area was united under a Hawaiian king. The islands became a republic in 1894. Hawaii became a U.S. possession in 1898, and a U.S. territory in 1900. It is the only state that was once an independent monarchy.
Hawaii was the first part of U.S. territory to be attacked in World War II. On Dec. 7, 1941, planes of the Japanese navy bombed the naval base at Pearl Harbor and other military installations.
For the relationship of Hawaii to other Pacific Island groups, see the article on the Pacific Islands.
People
Population.
The 2020 United States census reported that Hawaii had 1,455,271 people. The population had increased about 7 percent over the 2010 figure of 1,360,301. According to the 2020 census, Hawaii ranks 40th in population among the 50 states.
About 70 percent of the people of Hawaii live in the Honolulu metropolitan area (see Metropolitan area). This area, which consists of the entire island of Oahu, has a population of 1,016,508. Officially, Honolulu covers all of Oahu. But only the large urban area on the island’s southeastern coast is commonly called Honolulu. This urban area has a population of 401,886. Hilo, on the island of Hawaii, is another large urban area. It is also the largest urban area outside the Honolulu metropolitan area. Hilo has a population of 44,186. Sixteen other urban areas in Hawaii have populations of more than 15,000. Most of these areas are on the island of Oahu.
Honolulu resembles large seaport cities in other parts of the United States. The other urban areas of Hawaii serve as trade centers and as ports for shipping farm products.
The state of Hawaii is a community of people with many different backgrounds. Many people are mixtures of several nationalities and ethnic groups.
The descendants of the Polynesians who first settled in the Hawaiian Islands are called Hawaiians. Only about 10 percent of the people are of chiefly Hawaiian ancestry. About 25 percent are of mainly European ancestry, and 15 percent are of mainly Japanese descent. Other population groups include Chinese, Filipinos, Koreans, and Samoans. About 25 percent of the people of Hawaii belong to two or more ethnic groups.
People of almost every religious group live in Hawaii. Roman Catholics form the state’s largest religious group. The next largest religious groups include Shintoist and Buddhist denominations and Mormons. The early Hawaiians practiced a religion that included numerous gods and centered around the worship of various aspects of nature. American and French missionaries converted most of the Hawaiian people to Christianity during the 1820’s and 1830’s. 
Language.
Almost all the people of Hawaii speak English. But they frequently use some words of the Hawaiian language in their speech. For example, they may refer to a tourist as a malihini (newcomer). The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters: A E H I K L M N O P U W. Every Hawaiian word and syllable ends with a vowel. Two consonants never occur without a vowel between them. The accent of most words falls on the next to last syllable.
Clothing.
The people of Hawaii wear a great deal of loose, brightly colored clothing. Some of their garments are based on the clothing worn by early Hawaiians. Many Hawaiian fashions spread throughout the United States. For example, the Hawaiian muumuu became fashionable during the 1950’s. A muumuu is a loose, floor-length dress that was introduced in Hawaii by early missionaries. The missionaries objected to the short skirts that were the only clothing worn by Hawaiian women. On formal occasions, women in Hawaii sometimes wear the holoku, a fitted muumuu with a train. Another Hawaiian fashion that became widespread is the aloha shirt, a sport shirt with brightly colored tropical designs.
The islanders often wear leis on festive occasions. A lei is a wreath, usually made of flowers strung or woven together. People usually wear leis as necklaces, but they sometimes wrap them around their heads or wear them as hatbands. Favorite flowers for leis include carnations, jasmine, orchids, plumeria (frangipani), tuberoses, and white and yellow ginger. Some leis are made by stringing together coral, feathers, nuts, seeds, shells, or ivory from the teeth of sperm whales.
Food.
Rice and such fresh fruits as bananas and papayas are basic parts of the islanders’ diet. The people enjoy foods from many parts of the world. Restaurants and supermarkets offer many foods eaten by people of various countries. In addition to typical American food, Asian and European foods are popular.
Some people in Hawaii eat poi, a starchy food made by pounding the cooked underground stem of the taro plant until it becomes a paste. Islanders also enjoy laulau, a package of spinachlike chopped taro leaf, fish, pork, and sometimes chicken, wrapped in ti plant leaves and steamed. 
A luau (feast) is a popular tourist attraction. It features kalua pig—a whole young pig wrapped in leaves and roasted in a pit called an imu. Luaus also feature dancing and singing.
Dancing and music.
Dancing is the most famous art of the islands. Hula means dance in Hawaiian. Hula dancers sway their hips and wave their arms gracefully to the rhythm of the music. The dances tell stories and describe the beautiful scenery of the islands. Hawaiians perform other traditional dances accompanied by chants and drums. Loading the player...
Hawaiian traditional song
Hawaiian music features the ukulele and the Hawaiian steel guitar. The ukulele was developed from a small guitar brought to the islands by Portuguese laborers in the late 1800’s. The word ukulele means leaping flea. The Hawaiian steel guitar was invented by Joseph Kekuku, a Hawaiian musician, about 1895.
Schools.
American missionaries set up Hawaii’s educational system in the 1820’s. In 1840, King Kamehameha III established the public school system of Hawaii.
Today, the governor appoints a Board of Education that sets the policies for the state’s public school and library systems. One nonvoting student member and one nonvoting military representative also serve on the board. The board appoints a superintendent who administers the system through a Department of Education and seven administrative districts. Hawaii has the nation’s only statewide, unified public school system.
The children of Hawaii must attend school from the ages of 5 through 17. About 15 percent of the state’s grade school and high school students attend private schools.
Libraries.
The Library of Hawaii (now the Hawaii State Library) in Honolulu was the first free public library on the islands. It opened in 1913. Today, a statewide public library system serves the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu.
The Hamilton Library of the University of Hawaii, also spelled University of Hawai‘i, has fine collections of books on the Pacific area and Asia. Important collections of books and other materials about Hawaii are also in the Hawaiian Historical Society Library and the Hawaii State Library.
Museums.
The Bishop Museum in Honolulu, established in 1889, is the oldest museum in Hawaii. Scholars there do research on the Pacific Islands, mainly in anthropology, archaeology, botany, entomology, and zoology. Displays include animals, archaeological discoveries, fish, plants, and shells from many islands.
The Honolulu Museum of Art has exhibits of Western and Asian art. The Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives includes the oldest house in Hawaii, built in 1821. Other museums include the Kauai Museum in Lihue, the Lyman Museum in Hilo, the Baldwin House in Lahaina, Hawaii’s Plantation Village in Waipahu, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor.
Visitor’s guide
Hawaii’s mild climate and beautiful scenery make the state one of the favorite year-round playgrounds of the world. Several million vacationers visit the islands each year. Many visitors remain in Honolulu to enjoy Waikiki Beach and other attractions on Oahu. Others prefer the less populated islands. Tourists find excellent hotels on Hawaii, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu. Wherever they go, vacationers are likely to attend a luau, featuring delicious Hawaiian food and the hula.
Temperatures of the air and water seldom differ more than a few degrees in Hawaii. The state’s mild temperatures add to the enjoyment of swimming and boating. Water temperatures at Waikiki Beach average 75 to 77 °F (24 to 25 °C) in March and 77 to 82 °F (25 to 28 °C) in August. Swimmers at Waikiki Beach ride the long, rolling waves on surfboards. Vacationers catch game fish in the deep waters between the islands. In winter, a few skiers race down Mauna Kea on Hawaii Island.
Hawaii’s many celebrations and festivals attract thousands of tourists every year. One of the major events is the Aloha Festivals, held in September on the island of Oahu. The island offers feasts, folk and street dancing, and parades.
Land and climate
Hawaii is made up of 132 islands. The islands extend northwest for 1,523 miles (2,451 kilometers). Geographers divide the islands into three groups: (1) eight main islands in the southeast, (2) islets of rock in the middle, and (3) coral and sand islands in the northwest. All the islands were formed by volcanoes built up from the ocean floor. The volcanoes northwest of the eight main islands are submerged and worn away by waves and ocean currents. Only atolls and pieces of volcanic rock still remain above the water (see Atoll). These 124 minor islands have a combined area of only 3 square miles (8 square kilometers).
The total general coastline of the eight main islands is 750 miles (1,207 kilometers) long. The tidal shoreline, including bays, islets, and river mouths, is 1,052 miles (1,693 kilometers) long. Rough, black rocks of lava jut out of the water along some of the coasts. In many places, tall cliffs rise almost straight up from the water’s edge. Most of the islands have white sand beaches. Black sand, which formed when molten lava flowed into the ocean, covers other beaches.
Thick growths of tropical plants and trees thrive in the areas of rich soil where rainfall is heavy. Many of the native plants are found nowhere else in the world. Many types are rare and in danger of extinction. Most plants commonly seen in Hawaii have been imported, including bougainvillea, oleanders, and orchids.
Hawaii is home to many native birds found nowhere else, including the colorful Hawaiian honeycreepers. Most of these birds are endangered or have become extinct since people arrived on the islands more than a thousand years ago. Hawaiian birds are threatened by deforestation, disease, and invasive species introduced by people. A wide variety of seabirds live along the island shores. Many kinds of fish, including tropical fish, are found in the waters around the islands.
People live on seven of the eight main islands. Kahoolawe has no permanent residents. The 124 minor islands are too infertile and small to support human life. Midway Island, in the far northwestern part of the Hawaiian group of islands, is not a part of the state. It is controlled by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The eight main islands, from east to west, are Hawaii, Maui, Kahoolawe, Molokai, Lanai, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau.
Hawaii,
often called the Big Island, is the largest island in the state. It covers 4,038 square miles (10,458 square kilometers). The island was formed by five volcanoes: Kohala in the north, Hualalai in the west, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa near the center, and Kilauea on the southeastern slope of Mauna Loa. Mauna Kea (13,796 feet, or 4,205 meters) and Mauna Loa (13,677 feet, or 4,169 meters) are the highest points in the state.
Mauna Loa and Kilauea are Hawaii’s only active volcanoes. Mauna Loa erupts at irregular times, and sometimes sends streams of fiery lava flowing down to the ocean. Kilauea erupts more often. Lava from this volcano has swept over farmland and destroyed residences and other property. A highway passes near the crater’s edge, and people often refer to the mountain as a “drive-in volcano.” Visitors can view the erupting volcano from the shoreline at the base of the mountain. The spectacle of the eruption and its flow of lava attracts thousands of visitors each year. Scientists of the U.S. Geological Survey study volcanic activity at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on the rim of Kilauea.
The northeastern and southeastern coasts of the island are rimmed by cliffs. Here and there, silvery waterfalls plunge over the cliffs to the ocean below. On the western side of the island are coffee farms and cattle ranches. Hilo, the largest city on the island, lies in the northeast. It is the island’s chief port and the seat of Hawaii County.
Maui
is often called the Valley Island. Many canyons cut into the two volcanic mountains that form the island. Between the mountains is a broad, low isthmus (narrow strip of land with water on both sides). From the mid-1800’s to the early 2000’s, many sugar plantations operated there. The highest point on Maui << MOW ee >> is 10,023-foot (3,055-meter) Haleakala, which has the largest dormant volcanic crater in the world. The crater measures about 20 miles (32 kilometers) around and is 3,000 feet (914 meters) deep. The largest city on Maui is Kahului. Wailuku is the seat of Maui County.
Kahoolawe
is the smallest of the main islands.From 1945 to 1990, the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force used it for target practice. In 2003, the Navy gave Hawaii control of the island. No one lives on Kahoolawe << `kah` hoh uh LAH vay >> , but the state is developing it as a cultural reserve.
Molokai
is called the Friendly Island because of the courtesy its people show to guests. The island has three regions. Western Molokai is a broad, dry plateau covered mostly by cattle ranches. The eastern region consists of rugged mountains and deep canyons. The central region is a fertile plain where various crops are grown. Molokai << `moh` loh KAH ee >> is the site of a famous colony for victims of leprosy (Hansen’s disease). Located on Makanalua, or Kalaupapa, Peninsula is the colony where Father Damien worked (see Damien, Father). Kaunakakai is the port on Molokai. Kalaupapa is the seat of Kalawao county.
Lanai
is a resort island. The maker of Dole pineapple products once owned 98 percent of the island and operated a pineapple plantation there. Other owners later developed resort areas on the island. In 2012, billionaire software magnate Larry Ellison purchased 97 percent of the island and promoted his vision to make Lanai << lah NAH ee >> self-sustainable with renewable energy, agricultural, and tourism-based projects. The rest of the island is owned by the state of Hawaii.
Oahu
is the center of life in Hawaii. Known as the Gathering Place, it is the home of about 70 percent of the state’s people. Oahu << oh AH hoo >> consists of two mountain ranges separated by a wide valley. The Koolau Range forms the island’s eastern side, and the Waianae Range forms the western side. The valley between these mountain ranges is a rolling, fertile plain where farmers grow many crops.
Pearl Harbor, one of the largest natural harbors in the Pacific Ocean, is on Oahu’s southern coast. This coral-free harbor has about 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) of navigable water behind a narrow entrance. The United States Pacific Fleet has headquarters there. On Dec. 7, 1941, a surprise attack on the naval base by Japanese warplanes caused the United States to enter World War II. Honolulu, the state capital and largest urban area, lies east of Pearl Harbor. Loading the player...
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Kauai
is called the Garden Island because of its rich greenery and beautiful gardens. Kauai << KOW eye or `kah` oo AH ee >> looks like a circle, with 5,243-foot (1,598-meter) Kawaikini Peak in the center. Nearby is 5,080-foot (1,548-meter) Mount Waialeale, the rainiest spot in the United States. It has an average annual rainfall of 460 inches (1,170 centimeters). Dozens of streams flow from this rainy area to the sea through deep canyons, which have been worn into the volcanic rock that forms the island. One of these canyons, Waimea, has colorful rock walls 2,857 feet (871 meters) high. They look much like the rock formations in the Grand Canyon of Arizona. The rugged Na Pali (cliffs) on the northwestern coast make it impossible to build a road entirely around the island. Kapaa is the largest city on Kauai. Lihue is the seat of Kauai County.
Niihau
is known as the Forbidden Island. No one can visit it without the owners’ permission. Elizabeth Sinclair, a Scottish-born plantation owner from New Zealand, bought most of the island from King Kamehameha V in 1864 for $10,000. She had been returning to New Zealand from British Columbia, but Kamehameha persuaded her to remain in Hawaii. The Robinson family, descendants of Sinclair’s, still owns the island. The family runs a cattle ranch that almost covers the island.
Niihau << NEE ee HAH oo >> is one of the few places where the people still usually speak the Hawaiian language. Low plains at each end of the island rise to a plateau in the center. Puuwai is the largest village.
Climate.
Cool trade winds keep the climate of Hawaii mild all year. There is little difference in temperature between night and day, or between summer and winter. Temperatures in the lowlands average about 77 °F (25 °C) in July and 71 °F (22 °C) in January. 
The highest temperature in Hawaii, 100 °F (38 °C), was recorded at Pahala on April 27, 1931. The lowest recorded temperature was 12 °F (–11 °C), at Mauna Kea on May 17, 1979.
Rainfall varies from over 400 inches (1,020 centimeters) a year on the mountaintops to less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) in the lowlands. The heaviest rains generally fall on the northeastern sides of the islands. Snow sometimes covers the highest points on Hawaii and Maui.
Economy
Hawaii’s economy once relied chiefly on sugar cane and pineapple. Today, service industries provide the vast majority of Hawaii’s gross domestic product—the total value of goods and services produced in the state in a year. Much of the growth in service industries has resulted from an increase in tourism. Millions of tourists visit Hawaii each year, and tourism accounts for much of the state’s gross domestic product. The islands of Oahu and Maui draw the most visitors. Tourists benefit such service establishments as hotels, restaurants, and shops. 
Military activities also contribute much to the state’s economy. Hawaii’s strategic location between Asia and the Americas has caused the federal government to maintain strong U.S. military bases and satellite tracking facilities in the state.
Natural resources.
Plants thrive in Hawaii’s mild, warm climate. Deep deposits of topsoil lie in the valleys between mountains. Rain seeps into the upland rocks and provides large reserves of underground water. Hawaii has few commercially mined minerals.
Service industries,
as a group, account for about 90 percent of Hawaii’s gross domestic product. Hawaii depends more heavily on the service sector than most other states do.
Most service industries are on Oahu. Honolulu, the state capital, is the center of government activities. The city is the home of Matson Navigation Company, one of the nation’s largest shipping firms. The state’s largest independent banking company, Bank of Hawaii, is also based in Honolulu.
Restaurants and resort hotels are important employers in Hawaii because of the state’s large tourism industry. The growing health services field is also a leading source of employment in Hawaii. The U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps all operate bases on Oahu. These bases employ both military and civilian workers. High technology plays an important part in Hawaii’s business services. High-technology parks, where firms engage in such activities as developing computer software, benefit this industry group.
Manufacturing.
Most manufacturing is concentrated in the Honolulu area. Food processing is Hawaii’s leading manufacturing activity. Bread, candy, dairy products, fruit and vegetable products, and soft drinks are produced in the state.
Other products manufactured in Hawaii include clothing, concrete products, jewelry, printed materials, refined petroleum, and transportation equipment. Refineries on Oahu process petroleum.
Agriculture.
All the main islands of Hawaii except Kahoolawe have some kind of agriculture. Farmland covers about a fourth of Hawaii’s land area. Most of the farmland is occupied by ranches and by plantations owned by large corporations.
Crops provide most of Hawaii’s farm income. Pineapples and sugar cane once dominated the state’s economy. Today, Hawaii is the only state to produce pineapples commercially. The state’s last sugar cane plantation closed in 2016. Hawaii’s farmers now grow a greater variety of agricultural products.
Hawaii is the only state to produce bananas, coffee, ginger root, guavas, macadamia nuts, papayas, and taro. The state exports large amounts of flowers and leis. Hilo is the center of the orchid-growing and flower-packaging industry. Small truck farms raise many vegetables for local use, including beans, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes.
Livestock and livestock products are also important sources of farm income. The island of Hawaii has several large cattle ranches. Farmers raise cattle and hogs in each of Hawaii’s counties. Eggs and milk are also important farm products.
Fishing industry.
The most important commercial fish are the bigeye and the yellowfin, types of tuna. Aquaculture, the commercial raising of animals and plants that live in water, is a growing industry in Hawaii. Algae and shellfish are the most valuable products.
Electric power and utilities.
Power plants that burn petroleum supply most of the electric power used in Hawaii. Renewable sources, including wind, solar, hydroelectric, and geothermal, provide much of the rest.
Transportation
to and from Hawaii is by air and sea. Because the state has little manufacturing, most goods come by ship or air cargo from the United States mainland or from foreign countries. The shipping cost makes some items more expensive than on the mainland.
Hawaiian airports have heavy passenger traffic because Hawaii is a major tourist destination and because flying is the quickest and easiest way of traveling from one island to another, even for local people. The state’s chief airports are Honolulu, Kahului on Maui, Lihue on Kauai, and Kona and Hilo on the island of Hawaii.
Ships bring most of the food, manufactured products, and raw materials used in Hawaii. The chief ports of the islands include Honolulu and Barbers Point on Oahu, Hilo and Kawaihae on Hawaii, Nawiliwili on Kauai, Kahului on Maui, and Kaunakakai on Molokai.
Communication.
Hawaii’s first English-language newspaper, the Sandwich Island Gazette and Journal of Commerce, began publication in Honolulu in 1836. Today, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser has the greatest daily circulation. Most of the newspapers are printed in English, but some are printed in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean.
Government
Constitution.
The Constitution of Hawaii went into effect in 1959, when Hawaii became the 50th state. The Constitution had been approved in 1950, when the islands were still a territory. 
Revisions of or amendments to the Constitution may be proposed by the Legislature or by a constitutional convention and must be approved by the voters. To be approved in a general election, revisions or amendments must receive a majority of votes. To be approved in a special election, revisions or amendments must receive a majority of votes counted. The majority must be at least 30 percent of the total number of registered voters.
Executive.
The governor and lieutenant governor of Hawaii are the only elected top state officials. They are elected to four-year terms.
The governor appoints the heads of state departments, including the attorney general, comptroller, and the director of finance. The governor also appoints judges of high courts and other officials. The state Senate must approve these selections. The governor can also veto legislation, but the Legislature can reject the veto by a two-thirds majority vote in both houses.
Legislature
consists of a 25-member Senate and a 51-member House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 25 senatorial districts, and serve four-year terms. Representatives are elected from 51 districts, and serve two-year terms. 
Hawaii’s Constitution specifies the number of senators and representatives. It also provides for a commission to reapportion (redivide) legislative districts if necessary. The commission meets every 10 years to determine if the state’s legislative districts, and also its congressional districts, must be changed.
In 1965, a federal court ordered Hawaii to redraw its senatorial districts to provide equal representation. The Legislature set up senatorial districts based on the number of registered voters. But in 1982, a federal court ordered Hawaii to redraw the senatorial districts based on resident population.
The Hawaii Legislature meets every year on the third Wednesday in January. Legislative sessions last 60 working days. Special sessions are limited to 30 days.
Courts.
The Supreme Court is the highest appeals court in Hawaii. It has a chief justice and four associate justices. Hawaii also has an Intermediate Court of Appeals, which has a chief judge and five associate judges. The governor appoints members of the Supreme Court, the Intermediate Court of Appeals, and the circuit courts to 10-year terms. The appointed judges are selected from lists of names provided by a Judicial Selection Commission. Other courts include four district courts, four circuit courts, family courts, and land and tax appeal courts.
Local government.
All of Hawaii’s populated places are governed as part of the county in which they stand. There are no self-governing, incorporated cities, towns, or villages in the state. For example, Honolulu is officially known as the City and County of Honolulu. It is one governmental unit, and it consists of Oahu and all other islands in the state that are not in any other county.
Hawaii has four counties—Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, and Maui—that are governed by mayors and elected county councils. Kalawao, which consists of the part of Molokai Island occupied by a settlement of former leprosy patients, is managed by the state Department of Health.
Revenue.
Taxation provides about half of the state government’s general revenue (income). Most of the rest comes from federal grants and from charges for government services. The largest single source of state government revenue is a general excise tax. The state imposes the tax on nearly all businesses. Unlike most states, Hawaii does not require retail businesses to collect the tax from customers. However, most businesses in Hawaii include the tax in their prices. A personal income tax is the second largest source of revenue. Other sources include taxes on public utilities and on fuel.
Politics.
Until the mid-1950’s, Republican candidates, enjoying the support of wealthy landowners, usually won office in Hawaii elections. After Hawaii became a state in 1959, the voters elected Governor William F. Quinn, a Republican. Republicans controlled the Senate, and Democrats the House. In 1962, Democrat John A. Burns became governor with the support of labor unions and Asian Americans. His party won control of both houses of the Legislature. Through the rest of the 1900’s and for much of the early decades of the 2000’s, Democrats held the governorship and controlled Hawaii’s Legislature. From 2002 to 2010, however, a Republican, Linda Lingle, served as governor.
History
Early days.
The Polynesians were the first people to live in what is now Hawaii. The seafaring Polynesians, who sailed the Pacific Ocean in giant canoes, arrived in the Hawaiian chain from other Pacific islands about 1,500 years ago. Another Polynesian people moved to the Hawaiian islands from Tahiti about A.D. 1200. This group won control over the earlier settlers.
According to one legend, Polynesian settlers named the group of islands Hawaii in honor of a chief named Hawaii-loa. This chief supposedly led the Polynesians to the islands. But the name Hawaii is also a form of Hawaiki, the legendary name of the Polynesian homeland to the west.
European exploration.
Spanish, Dutch, or Japanese explorers may have stopped at the Hawaiian Islands as early as the 1500’s. But the rest of the world did not know about the islands until after Captain James Cook of the British Navy landed there on Jan. 18, 1778. Cook traded with the Hawaiians, who treated him well. They considered him a great chief with divine powers. Cook named the islands the Sandwich Islands in honor of the Earl of Sandwich, first lord of the British Admiralty. Cook left after two weeks. He returned in November 1778 and was killed the next year in a quarrel between his men and the Hawaiians. See Cook, James . 
Many other traders and explorers sailed to the islands after Cook’s landing. They brought livestock, manufactured goods, and plants of other countries.
About 300,000 Hawaiians may have lived on the islands when the first Europeans arrived. The first trading ships known to have stopped at Hawaii arrived in 1786. They were bringing furs from Oregon to China. During the 1800’s, many Hawaiians died of diseases brought from other parts of the world.
The kingdom of Hawaii.
Local chiefs ruled the islands during the period of Cook’s visits. One chief, Kamehameha, gained control of Hawaii Island in a bloody 10-year war that began in 1782. With the aid of firearms obtained from white traders, he captured and united the other main islands in 1795, except for Kauai and Niihau. The local chiefs served as governors of their islands under King Kamehameha I of the Kingdom of Hawaii. In 1810, Kaumualii, ruler of Kauai and Niihau, accepted Kamehameha’s rule. 
Between 1811 and 1830, Hawaii shipped great quantities of sandalwood to China. Money from the sandalwood trade provided a major source of income for Kamehameha I and two later kings. The kings used the money to buy arms, clothing, ships, and other goods.
In 1813, Francisco de Paula Marin, a Spanish settler, wrote of planting pineapples. But commercial development of the pineapple did not begin until the 1880’s. The first permanent sugar cane plantation in Hawaii began operating in 1835, at Koloa on Kauai. It was owned by Ladd & Company, an American firm. During the 1800’s, hundreds of whaling ships, mostly from the United States, visited Hawaii each year. The sale of fresh water and other supplies to these ships provided the largest income for Hawaiians until the 1860’s.
Kamehameha’s son Liholiho became Kamehameha II after his father died in 1819. As one of his first acts, Kamehameha II abolished the religion of the Hawaiian kingdom. This religion included many orders of priests, the belief in many gods and goddesses, and strict taboos. But the king allowed the practice of personal religious beliefs. In 1820, The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions sent a group of Protestant missionaries and teachers to Hawaii aboard the brig Thaddeus. The missionaries converted most of the Hawaiians to Christianity. They created a written form for the oral Hawaiian language, and they established mission schools throughout the islands.
The first Roman Catholic missionaries arrived in 1827. But the Hawaiian chiefs considered Protestantism the official religion. The Hawaiians forced the Roman Catholic priests to leave in 1831. They tried to prevent more priests from arriving and imprisoned many Hawaiians who had become Catholics. In July 1839, the French frigate L’Artemise blockaded Honolulu. The captain, C. P. T. Laplace, threatened to destroy the town if all the imprisoned Catholics were not freed. He also demanded that religious freedom be granted to Roman Catholics. The Hawaiians gave in to the captain’s demands.
Growth of constitutional government.
Hawaii adopted its first constitution in 1840. The constitution provided for an executive, a legislature, and a supreme court. The legislature consisted of a council of chiefs and an elected house of representatives. In 1842, the United States recognized the Kingdom of Hawaii as an independent government.
The Hawaiian population declined from about 108,000 in 1836 to about 73,000 in 1853. The decrease was caused by disease and other factors.
Until 1848, the king owned all the islands. He granted or leased various areas to chiefs or people of other countries. A system of private property went into effect in 1848. A law called the Great Mahele (division) divided the land among King Kamehameha III and the chiefs. Each of these men gave most of his land to the government. Then the Hawaiian people claimed land or were allowed to buy homesteads (small farms). But many Hawaiians, unfamiliar with Western law, neglected to make claims to lands their families had worked for generations. Others sold their land to residents from other countries. A result of the new system was that many Hawaiians ended up landless and poor.
From 1854 to 1872, during the reigns of Kamehameha IV and Kamehameha V, the islands started to become a melting pot of people from various countries. There were not enough Hawaiian workers for the plantations, so owners of the great sugar cane fields brought in laborers from other countries. Many Chinese came to work in Hawaii during the 1850’s. Polynesians from the South Pacific first arrived in 1859, and Japanese in 1868. Other immigrants included the Portuguese during the 1870’s, and Filipinos, Koreans, and Puerto Ricans in the early 1900’s.
King Kalakaua, called the Merry Monarch, came to the throne in 1874. During his reign, Hawaiian music, the hula, and many other old Hawaiian customs became popular again. These customs had been prohibited by earlier rulers at the demand of Christian missionaries. The custom of wearing grass skirts began during this period. The first grass skirts were brought then to Hawaii from the Samoa Islands.
During Kalakaua’s reign, sugar cane planting became a large industry. Planters shipped most of their crop to the United States, especially to San Francisco. The pineapple industry of Hawaii began after a thousand pineapple plants were shipped there from Jamaica about 1885. The plants were imported by Captain John Kidwell, a British horticulturist (an expert in growing flowers or fruits). In 1887, Kalakaua gave the United States exclusive rights to use Pearl Harbor as a naval base in exchange for certain trading privileges.
Despite their prosperity, many sugar planters resented Kalakaua’s national expenditures on a new palace, a navy, and frequent travel. They also criticized his ties to people they considered unstable foreign adventurers. In 1887, they forced Kalakaua to accept a constitution that severely restricted his powers.
The Republic of Hawaii.
King Kalakaua died in 1891, and his sister, Liliuokalani, followed him to the throne. Queen Liliuokalani tried to create a new constitution that would increase her power and change the balance of political power in the kingdom. But in 1893, a revolution by a small force removed her from office. The revolution was led by nine Americans, two Britons, and two Germans. They received the help of American marines and sailors who landed to keep the peace. 
The revolutionaries wanted the United States to annex Hawaii. But an investigator President Grover Cleveland sent to Hawaii found that most Hawaiians had opposed the overthrow. Cleveland urged that the queen be restored to her throne. The Americans and Europeans involved in the overthrow refused. They and their followers formed the Republic of Hawaii in 1894. Sanford B. Dole, a judge, was elected the first and only president of the republic.
The Territory of Hawaii.
American business executives controlled the government of the new republic. The sugar cane planters wanted the islands to become a territory of the United States. Then they would receive a special payment when shipping sugar to the mainland. In 1898, the sugar cane planters succeeded in getting the United States to annex Hawaii as a possession in spite of some Hawaiian opposition. On August 12, the formal ceremony of annexation took place. For the next two years, the laws and government of the republic remained in force, except where they differed from the United States Constitution. The islands became a U.S. territory on June 14, 1900, and all Hawaiian citizens became American citizens. President William McKinley appointed Dole the first governor of Hawaii. Hawaii had a population of about 154,000 at this time. 
As territorial citizens, the people could not vote in presidential elections. They elected one delegate to Congress. The delegate could introduce bills and debate but could not vote. The voters elected a senate and a house of representatives, but Congress could veto any bill passed by the Hawaiian legislature.
Shortly before World War I (1914-1918), the U.S. Navy started to build a great naval base at Pearl Harbor. The U.S. Army also established camps on Oahu. After the United States entered the war in 1917, two regiments of the Hawaii National Guard were called into federal service. These regiments were not sent overseas, but many Hawaiians fought in Europe as volunteers.
After the war, the statehood movement grew rapidly. The territorial government completed such improvements as draining swampland at Waikiki, now a world-famous beach. In 1927, two U.S. Army lieutenants, A. F. Hegenberger and L. J. Maitland, made the first airplane flight from the U.S. mainland to Hawaii. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first U.S. president to visit Hawaii.
World War II.
On Dec. 7, 1941, planes of the Japanese navy attacked Pearl Harbor and airfields on Oahu. The United States suffered heavy losses in lives, ships, and aircraft. The attack plunged the country into World War II. Many damaged or sunken warships were salvaged from Pearl Harbor. The armed forces repaired the damage to the naval base and to the airfields. These bases became the headquarters for the victorious United States campaign against the Japanese. Hawaii was under martial law from 1941 to 1944, though little further fighting took place in the region. See World War II (Japan attacks) 
Some Americans feared that people of Japanese ancestry in Hawaii might try to sabotage the war effort. But investigators found no more than one case of disloyalty among islanders of Japanese descent. Many of these islanders fought bravely in Italy and France as members of the famous 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, in Honolulu, was dedicated in 1949. Thousands of American military personnel killed during World War II and the Korean War (1950-1953) are buried there.
Tsunami.
In 1946, a tsunami struck Hilo Bay, on the northeastern side of the island of Hawaii. The tsunami, triggered by an earthquake in the Aleutian Islands, killed 159 people. Dozens of other tsunamis caused by earthquakes thousands of miles or kilometers away have struck Hawaii since record keeping began in the early 1800’s.
Statehood.
In 1919, Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, Hawaii’s delegate to Congress, introduced the first bill for Hawaiian statehood. Many more statehood bills followed, but most were not even voted on. Several congressional committees wanted the islands to become a state. But many members of Congress feared that the thousands of Asians in Hawaii might not support the United States in a war. The bravery of these Asians in World War II and the Korean War (1950-1953) proved their loyalty.
In 1950, Hawaii adopted a constitution to go into effect when the territory became a state. Finally, in March 1959, Congress approved legislation to admit Hawaii as a state. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill on March 18. In June, the people of Hawaii voted almost 17 to 1 for statehood. Hawaii became the 50th state on Aug. 21, 1959. In 1960, Hawaiians voted in their first presidential election. 
In 1960, Congress established the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West on the Manoa campus of the University of Hawaii. This institution, known as the East-West Center, provides a place where Americans, Asians, and Pacific Islanders can meet and study together.
Economic changes.
During the 1960’s, Hawaii’s population increased more than 20 percent. Hawaii’s economy also boomed. During the Vietnam War (1957-1975), for example, U.S. government spending soared in Hawaii, the military’s Pacific outpost. Also, thousands of members of the armed forces met their families in Hawaii for rest and recreation.
The Hawaii Visitors Bureau expanded its campaign on the U.S. mainland to promote tourism. Much hotel construction was started. A jet-aircraft terminal at Honolulu was completed in 1962. Jet airliners reduced the flying time between the mainland and Hawaii from nine hours to about five hours. Airfares also were lowered. By the late 1960’s, about 1 million tourists were visiting Hawaii every year.
Throughout the 1960’s, large mainland companies purchased companies in Hawaii. These purchases included banking, insurance, and telephone companies. Major Hawaiian corporations expanded their activities into more than 30 countries. Heavy industry also made a start in the state with an oil refinery, a steel mill, and two cement plants.
During the 1970’s, new resort areas were developed on the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, and Molokai. In the 1980’s, Japanese businesses invested heavily in Hawaii’s hotel and resort properties.
Increased fuel prices during the 1970’s and early 1980’s led to higher airfares, which slowed the growth of tourism in the state. But the industry recovered, and today Hawaii hosts millions of tourists each year. More than two-thirds of Hawaii’s tourists come from the other U.S. states. Most of the rest are from Japan and other Asian countries.
Manufacturing and construction gained strength in Hawaii in the years after the Vietnam War. But plantation agriculture declined rapidly. Hawaii’s high labor costs made it difficult for Hawaii sugar and pineapple growers to compete with other companies.
Hawaii’s aquaculture industry grew during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Aquaculture is the commercial raising of animals and plants that live in water. The state’s aquaculturists raise such animals as fish, oysters, and shrimp.
To reduce its dependence on oil, Hawaii began developing alternative sources of energy. These sources include gasohol (fuel made from gasoline and alcohol), solar energy, geothermal energy, and wind power.
In 1992, Hurricane Iniki struck Hawaii. It caused four deaths and more than $2 billion in property damage. Kauai was hardest hit. Many of its homes and businesses were destroyed, and hotels were damaged.
In the 1990’s, economic crises in Japan resulted in a downturn in Japanese investment in Hawaii and fewer Japanese visitors. During the 1990’s, for the first time since becoming a state, Hawaii experienced little economic growth.
Renewed interest in Hawaiian culture.
In 1976, Hawaiians organized as the Polynesian Voyaging Society built a replica of the canoe that brought the Polynesians to Hawaii. A crew of Hawaiians then sailed the craft, named Hokulea, to Tahiti and back, using only the traditional navigational aids of star charts and ocean swells to guide them. Since that trip, the Hokulea has crisscrossed the Pacific, visiting many islands of Polynesia. The voyages have contributed to a renaissance (rebirth) of Hawaiian culture. The Hawaiian renaissance has also included renewed interest in the art of the hula and the use of the Hawaiian language.
As a political part of the movement, some Hawaiians have begun to seek sovereignty (supreme power) for their state. Their proposals include a call for a relationship between the U.S. government and Hawaii that is similar to the nation-within-a-nation status of Native American tribes.
Eruption threat.
Kilauea, on the island of Hawaii, is one of the most active volcanoes in recorded history. It has been nearly continuously erupting since 1983. In May 2018, lava flows increased following a series of violent eruptions. Hundreds of homes were destroyed, and thousands of people were evacuated.
The early 2000’s.
By the beginning of the 2000’s, only two sugar plantations remained in operation in Hawaii. The last one closed in 2016. Most plantation land was given over to housing or resorts or came to be used for such crops as macadamia nuts, coffee, and flowers. The economy continued to rely heavily on tourism.
One of Hawaii’s major challenges remained a need to find new ways to increase its tourist business while, at the same time, preserving its scenic beauty and recreational attractions. Another problem is the high cost of living, which is higher in Hawaii than in most mainland areas. High costs of food, land, and housing all contribute to this problem.
In 2002, Hawaiian voters elected Republican Linda Lingle to the post of governor. She became the first woman to serve as governor of the state and the first Republican to be elected since 1962. Lingle was reelected in 2006 and served until 2010.
In 2006, President George W. Bush established the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, creating one of the world’s largest marine conservation areas. The monument, which includes several small islands and reefs, is home to more than 7,000 ocean species. In March 2007, the area received the Hawaiian name Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
In 2008, American voters elected Hawaii native Barack Obama president of the United States. Obama, who was reelected in 2012, served as president from 2009 to 2017.
Wildfires, driven by strong winds and fueled by dry conditions, caused great destruction and loss of life on the island of Maui in August 2023. Fires destroyed much of the historic town of Lahaina, killing about 100 people and forcing thousands to evacuate.
