{"id":12502,"date":"2026-06-11T15:32:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T19:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gofunway.com\/?page_id=12502"},"modified":"2026-06-22T21:34:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T01:34:41","slug":"02020112-hawaii","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gofunway.com\/?page_id=12502","title":{"rendered":"02020112 – Hawaii"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Hawaii<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Na Pali Coast on Kauai Island - a typical rugged volcanic landscape in Hawaii.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Coming Soon!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Coming Soon!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Coming Soon!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Warm and sunny year-round, wild, beautiful, dramatic, and welcoming, Hawaii has earned its reputation as both a tourist paradise and a surfer\u2019s dream destination. Images of Honolulu and its famous Waikiki Beach are familiar to millions through television series such as Hawaii Five-O<\/em> and Magnum P.I.<\/em>, while the soothing sounds of steel guitars and the spectacular scenery of this volcanic archipelago evoke the spirit of Polynesia at its northernmost reaches.<\/p>

Hawaii is also the birthplace of President Barack Obama, but how did this chain of tropical islands, located more than 2,000 miles from the American mainland, become part of the United States? The answer lies in the closing years of the 19th century, when American sugar planters living on the islands orchestrated a coup that overthrew Queen Lili\u02bbuokalani and established an independent republic. Their goal was to secure annexation by the United States and avoid tariffs on foreign sugar. The plan succeeded, although the circumstances remain controversial. More than a century later, President Bill Clinton signed a formal apology acknowledging the unlawful overthrow of Hawaii\u2019s monarchy. Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1898 and was admitted as the nation\u2019s 50th state on August 21, 1959.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Sandwich Islands<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The recorded history of Hawaii begins in 1778, when British explorer Captain James Cook arrived and named the islands the Sandwich Islands after his patron, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. Long before Cook’s arrival, however, Polynesian voyagers had settled the islands, likely arriving in canoes from Tahiti some 1,500 years earlier after navigating more than 2,600 miles across the Pacific Ocean. The name Hawaii is believed to derive from a figure in Polynesian mythology.<\/p>

Cook’s visit ended tragically when he was killed during a confrontation with islanders in 1779. Nevertheless, his accounts of Hawaii attracted a growing number of European explorers, traders, and settlers. Unfortunately, these newcomers also brought diseases such as measles, influenza, and smallpox, which devastated the native population. During the 1820s, American missionaries arrived, followed closely by sugar planters who recognized the agricultural potential of Hawaii’s fertile volcanic soil. By the time of the 1893 overthrow of the monarchy, the United States viewed Hawaii not only as a valuable source of sugar, pineapples, and sandalwood, but also as a strategically important outpost in the Pacific.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Volcanic Islands<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Hawaiian archipelago consists of hundreds of volcanic islands, atolls, and seamounts stretching more than 1,500 miles across the Pacific Ocean. Formed by volcanic activity over millions of years, the islands continue to evolve as eruptions create new land and reshape existing coastlines. Earthquakes, lava flows, and landslides have carved dramatic landscapes marked by towering cliffs and rugged shorelines.<\/p>

The state itself is composed of eight main islands. The largest, Hawaii Island\u2014often called the Big Island\u2014covers more than 4,000 square miles. Honolulu, the state capital, is located on O\u02bbahu, the third-largest island. Hawaii is home to some of the world’s most impressive volcanoes, including Mauna Kea, which rises 13,796 feet above sea level. Measured from its base on the ocean floor, however, Mauna Kea stands approximately 33,500 feet tall, making it taller than Mount Everest when measured from base to summit.<\/p>

For some visitors, Hawaii’s relaxed pace of life can seem slow and isolated. Yet that easygoing atmosphere is part of the islands’ enduring appeal. Embracing the laid-back Hawaiian lifestyle is often the key to appreciating the state\u2019s unique character. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Hawaii consistently ranks among the states with the highest life expectancy in the nation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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U.S.S. Arizona Memorial<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/p>

Hawaii\u2019s strategic location in the heart of the Pacific made it an ideal site for a major U.S. naval base. On December 7, 1941, the naval station at Pearl Harbor was attacked without warning by Japanese aircraft and midget submarines, drawing the United States into World War II. The assault killed 2,403 people, wounded 1,178 others, and sank or severely damaged numerous U.S. vessels. Today, the USS Arizona Memorial stands above the remains of the battleship as a lasting tribute to those who lost their lives during the attack.<\/p>

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The Lei Tradition<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/p>

The Hawaiian word \u201clei\u201d refers to any object that is strung together and worn as a decoration or symbol of affection, celebration, or respect. The most familiar form is the colorful flower lei, which has long been used to welcome visitors to the islands and remains one of Hawaii\u2019s most cherished cultural traditions.<\/p>

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Statehood<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/p>

August 21, 1959<\/p>

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Fun Facts<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/p>

  • Hawaii is the only U.S. state made entirely of islands and the only one that officially grows coffee.<\/li><\/ul>
    • Measured from its base on the ocean floor, Mauna Kea stands over 33,500 feet tall\u2014making it nearly a mile taller than Mount Everest.<\/li><\/ul>
      • Papakolea Beach on the Big Island is one of only four green sand beaches on earth, created by crushed olivine crystals from volcanic rock.<\/li><\/ul>
        • To preserve the natural beauty of the islands, billboards are completely illegal in Hawaii.<\/li><\/ul>
          • It is the only state in the U.S. with two official languages: English and Hawaiian.<\/li><\/ul>
            • The Hawaiian alphabet consists of only 12 letters: five vowels (A, E, I, O, U) and seven consonants (H, K, L, M, N, P, W), along with the \u02bbokina<\/em> (glottal stop).<\/li><\/ul>
              • You won’t find native land snakes in Hawaii, and importing them is a serious crime, helping protect the local bird populations.<\/li><\/ul>
                • Hawaii’s state fish is the humuhumunukunukuapua\u02bba<\/em>, which translates to “triggerfish with a snout like a pig”.<\/li><\/ul>
                  • The \u02bbope\u02bbape\u02bba<\/em> (Hawaiian hoary bat) is the only land mammal native to the Hawaiian islands. Every other land mammal, from mongooses to pigs, was introduced by humans.<\/li><\/ul>

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                    Hawaii Na Pali Coast on Kauai Island – a typical rugged volcanic landscape in Hawaii. Coming Soon! Coming Soon! Coming Soon! Warm and sunny year-round, wild, beautiful, dramatic, and welcoming, Hawaii has earned its reputation as both a tourist paradise and a surfer\u2019s dream destination. Images of Honolulu and its famous Waikiki Beach are familiar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":11497,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12502","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gofunway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gofunway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gofunway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gofunway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gofunway.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12502"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/gofunway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13059,"href":"https:\/\/gofunway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12502\/revisions\/13059"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gofunway.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gofunway.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}