State and Islands of Hawaii

Hawaii or Hawaiʻi is a group or chain of islands that were formed from an archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Hawaii is also a state of the United States of America and became the 50th such declared state on August 21, 1959. The official nickname of the state of Hawaii is The Aloha State. Before Hawaii became a state, it was known as the Territory of Hawaii. Residents of the state of Hawaii are known as Hawaiians.

The Hawaiian Islands are located about 2,400 miles southwest of the continent of the United States, and southeast of the island of Japan. The state capitol of Hawaii is Honolulu, located on the southeast side of the island of Oahu. Honolulu is also the largest and most populated city in Hawaii. The total combined land area of Hawaii is approximately 6,423 square miles, with a population of approximately 1,288,198 people (from the 2008 census estimates). The highest point of all the islands of Hawaii is Mauna Kea, standing 13,796 ft high on the Big Island (Hawai'i ).

The official languages of Hawaii are English and Hawaiian, however many local Hawaiians speak "Pidgin," a broken dialect of English and Hawaiian. The Hawaiian language, itself, is a dialect of the original Polynesian Language.

Temperature and Climate

Hawaii’s temperature is generally very stable. The average temperature during the summer months from May to October is usually approximately 85 degrees Fahrenheit (85º F), while the average temperature during the winter months from November to April is approximately 75 degrees Fahrenheit (75º F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Hawaii was 100 degrees on April 27, 1931 at Pahala, while the lowest recorded temperature was 12 degrees at Mauna Kea on May 17, 1979. The coastal water temperatures across the Hawaiian Islands usually range from a warm 76 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Hawaii’s temperatures are moderated by the refreshing Prevailing Trade Winds that blow across the Hawaiian Islands. The warm coastal water temperatures of Hawaii range from 76 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit.

Islands of Hawaii

Although the Islands of Hawaii are made up of more than 137 islands and atolls, there are 8 major islands or land mass collectively called the Hawaiian Windward Islands. These islands are namely Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. All these islands, except Kahoolawe, are inhabited. The Sharing Hawaii Vacation Guide will focus on 6 of these islands, with Kahoolawe and Niihau being the excluded.

Nicknames of the Hawaiian Islands

• Oahu - The Gathering Place
• Hawaii - The Big Island
• Maui - The Valley Isle
• Kauai - The Garden Isle
• Lanai - The Pineapple Isle
• Molokai - The Friendly Isle
• Niihau - The Forbidden Isle
•  Kahoolawe - The Target Isle

Official Colors of the Hawaiian Islands:

• Oahu = Golden Yellow
• Hawaii (Big Island) = Red
• Maui = Pink
• Kauai = Purple
• Lanai = Orange
• Molokai = Green
• Niihau = White
• Kahoolawe = Gray

State Symbols of Hawaii

• State Nickname: Aloha State
• State Flower: The State Flower of Hawaii is the Yellow Hibiscus - pua ma‘o hau hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei)
• State Tree: Kukui (Candlenut Tree, Aleurites moluccana)
• State Fish: Humuhumunukunukuapua'a (The Reef triggerfish, Rhinecanthus rectangulus)
• State Bird: The Hawaiian goose - Nene (Branta sandvicensis)
• State Mammal: Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi)
• State Marine Mammal: Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
• State Moto: Ua mau ke ea o ka ‘aina i ka pono - The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.
• State Song: Hawai‘i Pono‘I (Hawaii Ponoi) - Hawaii’s own.
• State Gem - Black coral
• State Soil - Hilo Soil
• State Dance - Hula
• State Team Sport - Outrigger Canoe Paddling

Official Flowers of the Major Hawaiian Islands

• Oahu - Pua `ilima - Dodder Shrubs (Sida fallax)
• Hawaii - Lehua Ohia - Red
• Maui – Lokelani – Pink Damask Rose (Rosa damascena)
• Kauai - Mokihana - native green berry tree (Pelea anisata), selected as official lei material.
• Lanai – Kaunaoa – yellow and orange Air Plant called the Native Dodder plant (Cuscuta sandwichiana), selected as official lei material.
• Molokai - Pua kukui – white blossom of the candlenut tree (Aleurites moluccana), selected as official lei material.
• Niihau – Pupu Shell - Momi, Laiki, and Kahelelani. selected as official lei material.
• Kahoolawe - Hinahina - Beach Heliotrope (Heliotropium anomalum) designated as official lei material.

US Presidents from Hawaii

Barack Obama the 44th President of the United States was born in Hawaii. Obama was born in the city of Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, on August 4, 1961.

The Hawaii Flag

The flag of Hawaii is made up of a total of eight horizontally positioned stripes of white, red and blue, alternately positioned in that order from top to bottom. The Hawaii flag therefore has three stripes of white, 3 stripes of red and 2 stripes of blue. Each stripe on the Hawaiian flag represents one of the eight main islands of Hawaii (Hawaiian Windward Islands). The flag of Great Britain (The Union Jack) is located in the top left hand corner of the Hawaiian flag, occupying approximately a quarter of the entire surface area of the flag. Though Hawaii was never colonized by the British, the insertion of the British flag represents and pays tribute to Hawaii’s past close relationship with Great Britain. The Hawaii flag was commissioned by King Kamehameha I in 1816. The Hawaiian flag is often times flown upside down in support of the Native Hawaiian sovereignty movement.
Read History of Hawaii

The Seal of Hawaii

Inscribed at the bottom of the Hawaiian Seal is the Hawaii State Motto “Ua mau ke ea o ka ‘aina i ka pono” (“The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness”). There are two bearers on the seal, King Kamehameha the Great and the Goddess of Liberty, both holding the state shield.

Hawaii Time Zone:

• Time Zone: Hawai`i-Aleutian (GMT-10)
• DST: No - 6 hrs behind EST.

Driving in Hawaii

• Cars: Steering on left of car.
• Road: Drive on the right side of road.
• Minimum unrestricted driver's age: 17.
• Seat belts: Required for drivers and passengers over 8 yrs old.
• Child seats or restraints: Required for children under 8 yrs old.
• Speed Limits: Maximum 65 mph on major highways
• Radar Detectors: Permitted

Motorcycling in Hawaii

• Helmets required for riders under age 18.
• Windscreen or eye protection required for all riders.
• Children under age 7 not permitted on motorcycles.

• New Years Day - Jan. 1st.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day - 3rd Mon. in Jan.
• Presidents` Day - 3rd Mon. in Feb.
• Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day - Mar. 26th.
• Good Friday
• Easter
• Memorial Day - last Mon. in May.
• King Kamehameha I Day - June 11th.
• Independence Day - July 4th.
• Statehood Day - 3rd Fri. in Aug.
• Labor Day - 1st Mon. in Sept.
• Columbus or Discoverer`s Day - 2nd Mon. in Oct.
• Veterans Day - Nov. 10th.
• Thanksgiving - Nov.
• Christmas - Dec. 25th.