About the State of Hawaii: Facts, Map, and State Symbol
As the 50th, and currently the last, state to join the Union, Hawaii is an intriguing study. After all, what other state can claim to be entirely surrounded by water? Here, you can learn more about Hawaii. Facts, map and state symbol are among the information provided below.
Image credit http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Hawaii_Map.jpg
As you can see from the map provided above, the state of Hawaii is actually made up of 8 islands located in the Pacific Ocean: the Big island of Hawaii, Kaho'olawe, Kauai'i, Lana'i, Maui, Moloka'i, Ni'hau, and O'ahu. These islands were formed from volcanoes which erupted under the ocean. The volcanic rock originated from the Hawaiian hot spot. This hot spot is located under the Big Island of Hawaii. You can learn more about volcanoes and the formation of the Hawaiian islands through this WebQuest.
The capitol of Hawaii is Honolulu. The city of Honolulu is located on the island of O'ahu. Besides the capital building, visitors to O'ahu will also be interested in visiting the harbor of Pu'uloa - or Pearl Harbor. This is the site of the December 7, 1941 attack by the Empire of Japan which lead the United States into WWII. As Hawaii's most popular tourist attraction, the battleship wreak of the USS Arizona serves as a memorial to the 1,177 sailors killed during the attack that day.
Today, Pearl Harbor is also home to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Image credit http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Arizona_sinking.jpg
Interesting Facts About Hawaii
Here are several interesting facts about the state of Hawaii:
- Before it became a state, Hawaii was actually a kingdom. The first king was Kamehameha the Great. He reigned in the 1800's. To this day, Hawaiians still celebrate their heritage and Kamehameha the Great every June 11th.
- Captain James Cook discovered the Hawaiian islands in 1778. He named them the "Sandwich islands" (in honor of the Earl of Sandwich). However, King Kamehameha I united the islands under his rule in 1819 and changed the name to the "Kingdom of Hawaii."
- As the 50th state, Hawaii was admitted into the Union on August 20th, 1959.
- Hawaii is known as the "aloha" state. "Aloha" is a Hawaiian word, and it is used interchangeably for both "hello" and "good bye."
- Hawaii is also sometimes referred to as the "Paradise of the Pacific," and the "island" state, because it is the only state which is entirely composed of islands.
- In the Hawaiian culture, it is considered disrespectful for a guest to wear their shoes when they enter someone's home. Shoes are expected to be removed and left by the front door.
- Mt. Waialeale on Hawaii's Kauai Island is known as the rainiest and wettest spot on Earth. It boasts an average of more than 472 inches of precipitation each year.
- There are many marine mammals of the Hawaiian Islands.
- There are more than 100 tourist beaches in Hawaii, and every beach is public. There are no restricted or private beaches in the state.
Hawaiian State Marine Mammal - Humpback Whale
State Mammal - Hawaiian Monk Seal
State Fish - Humuhumunukunukuapua`a
State Dance - The Hula was named the official state dance in 1999
State Flower - The pua aloalo, or yellow hibiscus, became the official state flower of Hawaii in 1988. Each island, however, also designates their own official flower:
- Hawai'i: red pua lehua ('ohi'a blossom)
- Maui: lokelani (pink Damask rose)
- O'ahu: pua 'ilima
- Kaua'i: mokihana berry
- Moloka'i - pua kukui (blossom of candlenut tree)
- Lana'i: kauna'oa (native dodder)
- Ni'ihau: pupu (tiny seashells)
- Kaho'olawe: hinahina (native beach heliotrope)
State Motto - "Ua Mau ke Ea o ka 'Āina i ka Pono," which means "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness."
State Language - Native Hawaiian was recognized as the official state language of Hawaii in 1978.
Hawaii State Tree - Kukui (candlenut)
Image credits: Amazon.com and http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Hawaiistateseal.png
Looking for a way to extend your learning? Use the Hawaii facts, map and state symbol information provided here, and learn to how to use Webquest generators for teachers, to create your own webquest on the subject.