Hawaii

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Hawaii
Flag of Hawaii
Flag of Hawaii
LocationHawaii.png
Official languages Hawaiian English, Hawaiian
Capital Honolulu
Governor Linda Lingle (R)
Senators Daniel Inouye (D)
Daniel Akaka (D)
Representatives Ed Case (D) (D)
Area

Ranked 43rd
 – Total
 – % water


 16,636km²
 0
Population

Ranked 42nd
 – Total (2000)


 1,211,537
Currency U.S. dollar
Time zone Universal Time-10
(no daylight saving time)
National anthem Star-Spangled Banner
Calling Code 1
Internet TLD .us

Hawaii is the only U.S. state surrounded by water, is the only state that continues to grow in area because of active extrusive lava flows, and has more endangered species per square mile than anywhere else.

This archipelago represents the exposed peaks of a great undersea mountain range known as the Hawaiian-Emperor sea mount chain, formed by volcanic activity over a hotspot in the earth's mantle. At about 3000 kilometers (1860 miles) from the nearest continent, the Hawaiian Island archipelago is the most isolated grouping of islands on Earth.

Geography

The Hawaiian Islands, once known as the Sandwich Islands, form an archipelago of nineteen islands and atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts trending northwest by southeast in the North Pacific Ocean between latitudes 19°N and 29°N. The archipelago takes its name from the largest island in the group and extends some 1500 miles (2400km from the Island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll.

Of these, eight high islands are considered the "main islands" and are located at the southeastern end of the archipelago. These islands are, from the northwest, Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lānai, Kahoolawe, Maui and the Island of Hawaii.

All of the Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanoes arising from the sea floor through a vent described as a hotspot. The last volcanic eruption outside the Island of Hawaii happened at Haleakalā on Maui in the late 18th century. The newest volcano is Lōihi, deep below the waters off the southern coast of the Island of Hawaii.

The isolation of the Hawaiian Islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and the wide range of environments to be found on high islands, has resulted in a vast array of flora (plants) and fauna (animals). Native life before human activity is said to have arrived by the wind, waves, and wings. The volcanic activity and subsequent erosion created impressive geological features.

Hawaii is notable for rainfall: Mount Waialeale, on the island of Kauai, has the second highest average annual rainfall on earth: about 460 inches (11.7 m). The Big Island of Hawaii is notable as the world's fifth highest island.

Map of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of islands that stretches 2400km in a northwesterly direction from the southern tip of the Island of Hawai‘i.

The climate is more subtropical because of the moderating effect of the surrounding ocean. Summer high temperatures seldom reach above the upper 80s (°F) and winter temperatures (at low elevation) seldom dip below the mid-60s. Snow falls on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island in some winter months. Snow only rarely falls on Maui's Haleakalā.

Local climates vary on each island. Windward sides face the northeast trades and receive much more rainfall; leeward sides are drier, with less rain and less cloud cover. Tourist resorts are concentrated resorts on sunny leeward coasts.

The largest city, Honolulu, located along the southeast coast of the island of Oahu, was the one chosen by King Kamehameha III as the capital because of the natural harbor there. The largest city is the capital, Other populous cities include Hilo, Kaneohe, Kailua, Pearl City, Kahului, Kailua-Kona, Kihei, and Lihue.

History

Photograph of the Hawaiian Islands from Space Shuttle Discovery, looking southeast by south. Kaua‘i is closest at bottom right

The islands were first settled by Polynesians, either during the second half of the 1st millennium AD, or first by voyagers from the Marquesas sometime before 500C.E., and then by immigrants from Tahiti around 1300C.E.

Juan Gaetano, a Spanish navigator, may have visited in 1555. On January 18, 1778, Captain James Cook and his crew were surprised to find high islands so far north in the Pacific. He named them the "Sandwich Islands," after the First Lord of the Admiralty, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu.

Hawaii was united under a single ruler, Kamehameha I, in 1810. Until 1816 the chiefs considered themselves under British protection and flew the Union Jack. The monarchy then adopted a flag similar to the state's present flag, with the Union Jack in the top quarter next to the flagpole and eight horizontal stripes (alternating white, red and blue from the top), representing the eight islands of Hawaii.

In 1819, Kamehameha II ascended to the throne. Under intense pressure from his co-regent and stepmother, Ka'ahumanu, he allowed the kapu system that had ruled life in the island to be abolished. In 1820, missionaries from a New England Congregationalist missionary group arrived. They were received coldly at first, but after a year of limited permission to prostelyze, some of the highest-ranking chiefs converted, including Ka'ahumanu. They were then given permission to stay permanently. The commoners swiftly converted to Protestant Christianity. The Christian chiefs attempted to rule the islands as a Christian nation, which led to conflict with resident wWesterners and visiting ships, who preferred the old regime of abundant alcohol and promiscuous women.

Land was held at the will of the chiefs, and could be taken at any time. The non-Hawaiian residents wished to hold land in fee simple. The ruling chiefs were persuaded to allow the land to be surveyed and divided between the king, the chiefs, and the commoners. Westerners could purchase land or register land claims. The "great mahele" (land division) was signed into law on March 7, 1848.

On March 18, 1874 Hawaii signed a treaty granting Americans exclusive trading rights. The 1876 Reciprocity Treaty between the Kingdom of Hawaii and the United States allowed for duty free importation of Hawaiian grown sugar into the United States. This act promoted sugar plantation agriculture.

Up to the 1890s, the Kingdom of Hawaii was independent and had been recognized by the United States, Great Britain, France and Germany with exchange of ambassadors. However, there were threats to the kingdom's sovereignty.

Lord George Paulet of the Royal Navy warship HMS Carysfort captured the Honolulu fort, on February 10, 1843, effectively gaining control of the town. Paulet then demanded King Kamehameha III abdicate and that the Hawaiian Islands be ceded to the British Crown. Kamehameha stepped down, but lobbied a formal protest with both the British government and Paulet's superior, Admiral Richard Thomas. Thomas repudiated Paulet's actions, and on July 31, 1843, restored the Hawaiian government.

In 1887, a group of American-born cabinet officials and advisors to David Kalakaua and an armed militia forced the king to promulgate the "Bayonet Constitution." In response to Kalakaua's capricious use of power, it stripped the monarchy of much of its authority. Asians lost voting rights, as did 75 percent of the native Hawaiian population. Only well-to-do Europeans, Americans and Hawaiians were given full voting rights. When Kalakaua died in 1891, his sister Liliuokalani, who assumed the throne, restored the monarchy's authority and stripped American and European residents of the suffrage.

This prompted a group of European and American Hawaiian citizens to form a committee, on January 14, 1893, to prevent the queen from abrogating the constitution. United States Government Minister John L. Stevens, worried about threats to Americans, on January 16th, 1893, landed a company of U.S. Marines and two companies of U.S. sailors who took up positions at the U.S. Legation, Consulate, and Arion Hall. A provisional government was set up. Liliuokalani gave up her throne.

Cleveland's investigation concluded that United States representatives had abused their authority. Minister Stevens was recalled, and the military commander of forces in Hawaii was forced to resign. However, the Morgan Report, submitted on February 26, 1894,exonerated Stevens and the U.S. troops. Cleveland resumed normal diplomatic relations with the provisional government.

The Republic of Hawaii was established July 4, 1894, under the presidency of Sanford Dole. PresidentWilliam McKinley signed the Newlands Resolution which provided for the official annexation of Hawaii on July 7, 1898. The islands officially became Hawaii Territory, a United States territory, on February 22, 1900. The territorial legislature convened for the first time on February 20, 1901.

An attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December, 1941 by the Empire of Japan was a trigger for the United States' entry into World War II.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill on March 18, 1959 which allowed for Hawaiian statehood. Hawaii formally became the 50th state of the Union on August 21, 1959.

The Democratic Party has held a majority in both houses of the state legislature since statehood, and held the governorship for 40 years (from 1962-2002).

President Bill Clinton signed the "Apology Resolution" a joint resolution of the United States Congress, on November 23, 1993. It explicitly apologized for alleged American participation in what it asserted was an illegal overthrow.

All islands voted at least 93 percent in favor of Admission acts. Ballot(inset) and referendum results for the Admission Act of 1959.

Politics

The state government of Hawaii is modeled on the U.S. federal government with adaptations originating from the kingdom era of Hawaiian history. As codified in the Constitution of Hawaii, there are three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial.

The executive branch is led by the Governor of Hawaii and assisted by the Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, both elected on the same ticket. The governor is the only public official elected in a statewide race; all other administrators and judges are appointed by the governor. The lieutenant governor is concurrently the Secretary of State of Hawaii. The governor and lieutenant governor oversee the 20 agencies and departments of the executive.

The legislative branch consists of the Hawaii State Legislature, the twenty-five members of the Hawaii State Senate, led by the President of the Senate, and the fifty-one members of the Hawaii State House of Representative, led by the Speaker of the House.

The judicial branch is led by the highest state court, the Hawaii State Supreme Court. Lower courts are organized as the Hawaii State Judiciary.

The state is represented in the Congress of the United States by a delegation of four members. Hawaii has supported Democrats in 10 of the 12 presidential elections in which it has participated.

Economy

The history of Hawaii can be traced through a succession of dominating industries: sandalwood, whaling, sugarcane, pineapple, military, tourism, and education. Since statehood was achieved in 1959, tourism has been the largest industry in Hawaiokinai, contributing 24.3 percent of the Gross State Product in 1997. New efforts are underway to diversify the economy. The total gross output for the state in 2003 was US$47-billion; per capita income for Hawaii residents was US$30,441.

Industrial exports from Hawaii include food processing and apparel. These industries play a small role in the Hawaii economy, however, due to the considerable shipping distance to markets on the west coast of the United States and ports of Japan. The main agricultural exports are nursery stock] and flowers, coffee, macadamia nuts, pineapple, livestock, and sugar cane.

Hawaii is known for its relatively high per capita state tax burden. This rate can be explained partly by the fact that services such as education, health care and social services are all rendered at the state level — as opposed to the municipal level as all other states. Millions of tourists contribute to the collection figure by paying the general excise tax and hotel room tax.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census
year
Population
1900 154,001
1910 191,874
1920 255,881
1930 368,300
1940 422,770
1950 499,794
1960 632,772
1970 769,913
1980 964,691
1990 1,108,229
2000 1,211,537

As of 2005, Hawaii has an estimated population of 1,275,194, which is an increase of 63,657, or 5.3 percent, since the year 2000. The military presence and tourism attracts people there. Oahu, which is aptly nicknamed "The Gathering Place", has a resident population of just under one million.

Ethnically, Hawaii is the only U.S. state that has a majority group that is non-white. According to the 2000 census, 6.6 percent of Hawaii's population identified themselves as Native Hawaiian, 24.3 percent were White American, including Portuguese and 41.6 percent were Asian American, including 0.1 percent Indian American, 4.7 percent Chinese, 14.1 percent Filipino], 16.7 percent Japanese], 1.9 percent Korean, and 0.6 percent Vietnamese. A group of 1.3 percent were other Pacific Islander American, which includes Samoan American, Tongan], Tahitian, Māori and Micronesian. A total 21.4 percent described themselves as mixed race. Just under two percent were black or African American.

Hawaiʻi Population Density Map

Chinese were the second group of foreigners to arrive after the Europeans, from 1789. They arrived as workers on Western trading ships. Many of the people of Asian ancestry in Hawaii are descendants of waves of early foreign immigrants brought there from the 1850s to work on the sugar plantations.

Sixty eight percent of Hawaiian identified themselves as Christian — 42 percent were Protestant, three percent Congregational/United Church of Christ, two percent Baptist, two percent Methodist, 24 percent Catholic, two percent Latter Day Saint, 18 percent agnostic/non-religious, nine percent Buddhist, and nine percent listed themselves as either Shinto, Tao or pagan.

The state of Hawaii has two official languages: Hawaiian and English. The constitution requires the use of Hawaiian in official state business. Standard Hawaiian English, a subset of American English, is also commonly used for other formal business. Hawaiian is legally acceptable in all legal documents, from depositions to legislative bills. As of 2000, 73.4 percent of Hawaii residents age five and older speak only English at home and 7.9 percent speak Pacific Island languages. Tagalog is the third most spoken language at 5.4 percent, followed by Japanese at 5 percent and Chinese at 2.6 percent. Hawaiian Pidgin is an unofficial language.

Hawaiian is a member of the Polynesian branch of the Austronesian family. It was brought to the islands by Polynesian seafarers. Before the arrival of Captain Cook, the Hawaiian language was purely a spoken language. The first written form was developed by American Protestant missionaries in the early 19th century, who assigned letters from the English alphabet that roughly corresponded to the Hawaiian sounds. Additional characters were added later to clarify pronunciation.

Hawaiian distinguishes between long and short vowels. The long vowels are written with a macron called "kahakō." Also, the presence or absence of a glottal stop is distinctive. In writing, a glottal stop is indicated with the "okina." Omission of the "okina" and "kahakō" in printed texts can even obscure the meaning of a word.

As a result of a constitutional provision, interest in the Hawaiian language was revived in the late 20th century. Public and independent schools began teaching Hawaiian language. Specially designated Hawaiian language immersion schools were established. The University of Hawaii System developed the only Hawaiian language graduate studies program in the world. Municipal codes were altered in favor of Hawaiian place and street names for new civic developments.

Most Hawaiian citizens speak pidjin, known by linguists as Hawaiian Creole English. The pidgin form of English developed in the 19th century. By the early 20th century, a Creole English developed. A Creole language is typically considered to be a language derived from Pidgin speakers passing their language to the next generation.

"Aloha," meaning "hello" and "goodbye," and "mahalo," meaning "thank you" are Hawaiian words in common use. Some Hawaiian words that have found their way into the mainstream American lexicon, include "hula," a dance involving gyration of hips, "lei," a necklace made of flowers strung together, and "tiki," an image of a deity carved from wood.

Society and culture

File:Hawaii Sunset.jpg
A sunset in Hawaii

The aboriginal culture of Hawaii is Polynesian. Hawaii represents the northernmost extension of the vast Polynesian triangle of the south and central Pacific Ocean. While traditional Hawaiian culture remains only as vestiges influencing modern Hawaiian society, there are reenactments of ancient ceremonies and traditions throughout the islands. Some of these cultural influences are strong enough to have affected the culture of the United States at large, including the popularity (in greatly modified form) of "luaus" and "hula."

Hawaii is the only state in the union with a unified school system statewide. The structure of the state Department of Education has been a subject of debate. The main rationale for the centralized model is equity in school funding and distribution of resources.

Hawaii has the distinction of educating more students in independent institutions of secondary education than any other state. It also has four of the largest independent schools: Mid-Pacific Institute, Iolani School, Kamehameha Schools, and Punahou School. The second Buddhist high school in the United States, and first Buddhist high school in Hawaii, Pacific Buddhist Academy, was founded in 2003.

Graduates of secondary schools in Hawaii often either enter directly into the work force or attend colleges and universities. Most choose to attend one of many institutions of higher learning in Hawaii.

Public schools in Hawaii have to deal with large populations of children of non-native English speaking immigrants and a culture that is different from mainland U.S. The public elementary, middle, and high school scores in Hawaii tend to be below average on national tests.

Hawaii has a growing film industry. Several television shows, movies and various other media projects were produced in the Hawaiian Islands. Notable films produced in or inspired by Hawaii include "Blue Hawaii," the musical "South Pacific," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Lost," "Jurassic Park," "Waterworld," "George of the Jungle," and "Pearl Harbor," among others.

A somewhat divisive issue that has arisen since Hawaiian was adopted as an official state language is the exact spelling of the state's name. As prescribed in the Admission of Hawaii Act that granted Hawaiian statehood, the federal government recognizes "Hawaii" to be the official state name. However, many state and municipal entities and officials have recognized "Hawaii okina" to be the correct state name.

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