The beautiful Hawaiian Islands, or simply Hawaii, for many people is the epitome of «heaven on earth». And indeed, these are the same paradise islands that are depicted in enticing travel agency brochures. But even in paradise, not everything is smooth – there is social tension, and the risk of natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and typhoon attacks, and much more. However, tourists who come to Hawaii only for a short time are usually not affected by all this.
Facts about Hawaii
- The official nickname of the state of Hawaii is “Aloha State”, that is, “ hospitality state”, or “hospitality state”.
- In addition to English, native Hawaiians have their own language – Hawaiian.
- The Hawaiian volcano Mauna Kea is the highest mountain on the planet, if you count from the foot, and not from sea level. Most of Mauna Kea is hidden under the water column. The total height of the volcano is 10203 meters, the height above sea level is 4205 meters. This is the highest point of the Hawaiian Islands (interesting facts about volcanoes).
- In total, there are 3 active volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands, which are considered one of the most active on the planet.
- Hawaii is the most remote from civilization and at the same time densely populated place on Earth, the distance from Hawaii to the coast of the United States is 3700 kilometers.
- There is snow on the tops of the Hawaiian mountains.
- Hawaii is the name and state, and islands. To avoid confusion, the largest of the islands is called the «Big Island».
- In 1935, Amelia Earhart made the first ever solo flight from Hawaii to California, which lasted 18 hours. So many pilots died trying to make such a long solo flight that by special decision of the US government all attempts were eventually banned, but Earhart obtained special permission for herself.
- The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was born and raised on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, and he considers himself a Hawaiian (interesting facts about the USA).
- Hawaii has the wettest place on earth, once receiving almost 17,000 mm of precipitation in a year. This is the area of Waialeale Volcano.
- Iolani Palace, the former residence of the Hawaiian monarchs in downtown Honolulu, is the only royal palace in the United States.
- The Hawaiian archipelago stretches for 2,451 km, which makes Hawaii the longest chain of islands on Earth.
- More than 6 million tourists visit Hawaii every year.
- It is Hawaii that is the youngest of the American states.
- The world-famous Hawaiian Waikiki beach was created artificially, the sand for it was imported from California.
- Hawaii — the only US state where coffee is grown.
- More than 320,000 tons of pineapples are grown annually in Hawaii.
- All the Hawaiian Islands are located in a zone of volcanic activity. Earthquakes here, alas, are not uncommon (interesting facts about earthquakes).
- The highest coastal cliffs in the world frame the edge of the Hawaiian island of Molokai.
- The Hawaiian alphabet consists of only 12 letters, 5 vowels and 7 consonants.
- Life expectancy in Hawaii is higher than in all other American states.
- The Hawaiian Islands are home to a third of the total number of endangered animal species in the United States.
- Hawaiian Islanders eat more than 6 million cans of canned ham every year.
- The summit of the Hawaiian volcano Mauna Kea is ideal for astronomical observations. NASA telescopes and observatories from around the world are located here.
- The land area of Hawaii is slowly but steadily growing thanks to constant volcanic eruptions.
- On average, tourists spend about 11 billion dollars a year in Hawaii.
- Hawaii is the only American state that is not geographically located in North America (interesting facts about North America).
- Hawaii – the only state in the United States that does not have a single straight line within its borders.
- Ancient Hawaiians considered obesity attractive.
- There are no snakes in Hawaii, and the state is doing everything possible to prevent them from appearing on the islands.
- The original name of the Hawaiian Islands is the Sandwich Islands.
- The climate in Hawaii is very mild, the average annual temperature fluctuates around the mark of 25 degrees Celsius.
- The oldest island of the Hawaiian archipelago is Kauai, it is over six million years old.
- Every year 11 June in Hawaii celebrates the main holiday – the day of King Kamehameha. At the beginning of the century before last, the Hawaiian king Kamehameha I, in some cunning but peaceful Hawaiian way, managed to unite the scattered islands into a single Hawaiian state.
- The Hawaiian Islands have their own time zone.
- Astronauts preparing for missions to the Moon and Mars practice walking through Mauna Loa’s Hawaiian lava fields.
- Hawaii has a population of over a million people, most of which are Asians – ethnic Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese and Koreans. Native Hawaiians make up just over 5% of the population, and about 20% of the population is of mixed Hawaiian descent.
- Nearly 75% of Hawaiians speak English as their first language.
- Billboards are completely banned in Hawaii.
- The gemstone of the state of Hawaii is black coral, which, strictly speaking, is a fossilized colony of microorganisms. Hawaii is the only state entity in the world whose gemstone is not a mineral (interesting facts about minerals).
- Almost soon, a new island will appear in the Hawaiian archipelago. According to scientists, the underwater volcano Loihi will reach the surface in 250,000 years. Its peak is already less than a thousand meters from the surface of the ocean.
- Ancient Waiau Lake, located at an altitude of almost four kilometers above sea level, is the third largest lake in the United States.
- On the Hawaiian island Molokai has no traffic lights and no shopping center.
- Hawaii has the highest percentage of working women among all US states.
- One of the attractions of the Hawaiian island of Oahu is the world’s largest wind farm mill, the length of its blades is 122 meters.