Hawaii Facts and Trivia

[justleesa]

Found this today....thought I'd share. Do you know any other interesing facts or trivia about your Island home?

1. The state of Hawaii consists of eight main islands: Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island of Hawaii.
   
2. Hawaii is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth. Hawaii is 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines.
   
3. Hawaii is the only state that grows coffee.
   
4. More than one-third of the world's commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawaii.
   
5. There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet.
   • Vowels: A, E, I, O, U
   • Consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W
     
6. From east to west Hawaii is the widest state in the United States.
   
7. The Hawaiian Islands are the projecting tops of the biggest mountain range in the world.
   
8. Honolulu's zenith star, (the star that rises directly above it) is Arcturus. The Hawaiians called it Hokule'a. (Hoe koo lay uh.)
   
9. Under-sea volcanoes that erupted thousands of years ago formed the islands of Hawaii.
   
10. The Hawaiian Archipelago consists of over 130 scattered points of land stretching some 1,600 miles in length from the Kure Atoll in the north to the Island of Hawaii in the south.
    
11. The first Asian American in the United States Senate was Hawaii's Hiram Fong. Descended from Chinese immigrants, Fong was elected to the Senate in 1959.
    
12. Hawaii was the 50th state admitted to the union on August 20th, 1959.
    
13. Island flowers and colors used to represent each island.
    • Niihau - Pupu Shell - White
    • Kauai - Mokihana (Green Berry) - Purple
    • Oahu - Ilima -Yellow
    • Maui - Lokelani (Pink Cottage Rose) - Pink
    • Molokai - White Kukui Blossom - Green
    • Lanai - Kaunaoa (Yellow and Orange Air Plant) - Orange
    • Kahoolawe - Hinahina (Beach Heliotrope) - Grey
    • Big Island of Hawaii - Lehua Ohia - Red
      
14. Hawaii has its own time zone (Hawaiian Standard Time.) There is no daylight savings time.) The time runs two hours behind Pacific Standard Time and five hours behind Eastern Standard Time.
    
15. There are four counties in Hawaii (Kauai; city and county of Honolulu; Maui; and Hawaii). Each city has a mayor and council in charge.
    
16. All subterranean minerals belong to the state. Except for state owned water, some lava stone, and minor granites and semi-precious minerals, there are few underground minerals.
    
17. The wind blows east to west in Hawaii. The highest recorded temperature is 96' F (Honolulu Airport), but temperatures over 92' F generally occur only once or twice a year. The lowest temperature (under 3000 feet altitude) is 56' F. Temperatures under 60' F may occur but rarely more than once a year. Average daytime temp. (July) is 82' F. Average daytime temperature in January is 72' F.
    
18. There are no racial or ethnic majorities in Hawaii. Everyone is a minority. Caucasians (Haoles) constitute about 34%; Japanese-American about 32%; Filipino-American about 16% and Chinese-American about 5%. It is very difficult to determine racial identification as most of the population has some mixture of ethnicities.
    
    ISLAND OF NIIHAU
19. A privately owned island, with livestock raising as its principal industry. There is highly limited access by general public through helicopter landings at uninhabited sites. Legend says Niihau was the original home of the goddess Pele. The island has a population of 230, and is 69 square miles.
    
    ISLAND OF KAUAI
20. The fourth largest of the Hawaiian Islands.
    
21. The Waialua River is one of five navigable river in Hawaii. It drains off Waialeale Mountain, which averages 488 inches of rain per year and is considered the wettest spot on earth.
    
22. The Waimea, the Hanape'pe, the Lumahai and the Hanalei River are almost as big and quite navigable. The Hanalei River was dedicated a "national treasure" recently and is under government protection from use as a "place of business".
    
    ISLAND OF OAHU
23. Honolulu is the largest city in the world -- at least it has the longest borders. According to the state constitution any island (or islet) not named as belonging to a county belongs to Honolulu. This makes all islands within the Hawaiian Archipelago, that stretch to Midway Island (1,500 miles northwest of Hawaii) part of Honolulu. Honolulu is about 1,500 miles long or more distance than halfway across the 48 contiguous states.
    
24. Wai Golf Course is Hawaii's first municipal course.
    
25. Honolulu is the nation's 11th largest metropolitan area.
    
26. More than 100 world-renowned beaches ring Honolulu.
    
27. Iolani Palace is the only royal palace in the United States.
    
28. The world's largest wind generator is on the island of Oahu. The windmill has two blades 400 feet long on the top of a tower twenty stories high.
    
29. The island of Oahu draws more visitors than any other to Hawaii. One-third of the state's best surfing beaches are on Oahu.
    
    ISLAND OF MAUI
30. The island is home to many famous attractions including Haleakala Crater, the old whaling town of Lahaina, the road to Hana, and Kaanapali Beach.
    
31. Haleakala Crater (Ha-lay-ah-ja-lah), is the world's largest dormant volcano.
    
    ISLAND OF MOLOKAI
32. Molokai is known as the most Hawaiian Isle.
    
33. Molokai's east end is a tropical rain forest and part of the island receives 240 inches of rainfall a year.
    
34. Molokai Ranch Wildlife Park is home to rare African and Indian animals.
    
35. Kalaaupapa was once a leper colony administered by Father Damien.
    
36. The island contains the world's highest sea cliffs, Hawaii's longest waterfall, and the largest white sand beach in the state.
    
    ISLAND OF LANAI
37. The island of Lanai is considered Hawaii's most secluded.
    
38. The island was once the home of the world's largest pineapple plantations.
    
39. Hulope Bay is a marine preserve and considered one of the best diving spots in the world.
    
    ISLAND OF KAHOOLAWE
40. Once used as a target by the U.S. Navy and Air Force the services are cleaning up unexploded shells. No one is allowed to go ashore without permission. The island consists of an uninhabited area of 45 square miles.
    
    THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII
41. The Big Island is Hawaii's largest at 4,038 square miles. It is twice the size of all other Hawaiian Islands combined.
    
42. The largest contiguous ranch, in the United States, is in Hawaii. The Parker Ranch near Kamuela has about 480,000 acres of land.
    
43. At 800,000 years the Big Island is the youngest of the island chain. However, it was the first island discovered by voyaging Polynesians.
    
44. Kilauea volcano is the world's most active.
    
45. Ka Lae is the southernmost point in the United States. It is located at 18:54:49 N 155:41:00 W. There is a constant 27 knots per hour wind blowing east to west, 24 hours per day and 365 days per year.
    
46. Two of the tallest mountains in the Pacific - Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa - dominate the center of the island. Most of the world's macadamia nuts are grown on the island.
    
47. Kilauea Iki is the world's most active and largest volcano.
    
48. Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world (measured from its base at the ocean floor).
    
49. The island houses the world's biggest telescope and more scientific observatories in one place than anywhere else in the world.
    
50. The island is the worldwide leader in harvesting macadamia nuts and orchids.

 

[Wildcard]

How is Hawaii "wider" than Alaska? They can't count the NW Hawaiians as they are not part of the state. If they were, they would be covered in cig butts and blue tarp homeless camps.

 

[justleesa]

I think they are counting to the very end of the chain...it belongs to Hawaii, isn't it a Hawaiian preserve?

 

[Wildcard]

But it's not part of the state. A few quick numbers. Keep in mind it's late and I just got home from the yacht club meeting...Ketchikan AK, one of the more eastern cities is at 131.39 Long.. And Adak, the western most city in the US is at176.64 Long... Umm, count teh fingers, I see roughly 2700 NM and thats not the whole state. It has some more east, maybe 100 ish miles and 200ish more to the west to the international date line. All state lands.

 

[justleesa]

Might be worth researching

 

[Wildcard]

Wikipedia says! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii
That says width UKN "length" 1522 miles....Thats about half.

 

[justleesa]

Alaska Facts and Trivia

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1. Outsiders first discovered Alaska in 1741 when Danish explorer Vitus Jonassen Bering sighted it on a voyage from Siberia.
2. Russian whalers and fur traders on Kodiak Island established the first settlement in Alaska in 1784.
3. In 1867 United States Secretary of State William H. Seward offered Russia $7,200,000, or two cents per acre, for Alaska.
4. On October 18, 1867 Alaska officially became the property of the United States. Many Americans called the purchase "Seward's Folly."
5. Joe Juneau's 1880 discovery of gold ushered in the gold rush era.
6. In 1943 Japan invaded the Aleutian Islands, which started the One Thousand Mile War, the first battle fought on American soil since the Civil War.
7. Alaska officially became the 49th state on January 3, 1959.
8. Alaska's most important revenue source is the oil and natural gas industry.
9. Alaska accounts for 25% of the oil produced in the United States.
10. The state of Rhode Island could fit into Alaska 425 times.
11. Prudhoe Bay, on the northern Alaskan coast, is North America's largest oil field.
12. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline moves up to 88,000 barrels of oil per hour on its 800 mile journey to Valdez.
13. The fishing and seafood industry is the state's largest private industry employer.
14. Most of America's salmon, crab, halibut, and herring come from Alaska.
15. The term Alaska native refers to Alaska's original inhabitants including Aleut, Eskimo and Indian groups.
16. The wild forget-me-not is the official state flower. The Territorial Legislature adopted it in 1917.
17. The willow ptarmigan is the official state bird. The Territorial Legislature adopted it in 1955.
18. The Sitka spruce is the official state tree. The Territorial Legislature adopted it in 1962.
19. Dog mushing is the official state sport. The Alaska Legislature adopted it in 1972.
20. An unnamed draftsman created the state seal in 1910. It consists of a rising sun shining on forests, lake, fishing and shipping boats, and agricultural and mining activities.
21. The state motto is North to the Future.
22. The jade is the official state gemstone.
23. Gold is the official state mineral. It was named the state mineral in 1968.
24. The four-spot skimmer dragonfly is the official state insect.
25. In 1926 13-year-old Bennie Benson from Cognac, Alaska designed the state flag.
26. Alaska has been called America's Last Frontier.
27. Every four years Alaskans elect a Governor and a Lieutenant Governor to four-year terms.
28. The Alaska State Legislature is made up of a Senate and a House of Representatives.
29. Twenty senators are elected to four-year terms; forty representatives serve two-year terms.
30. Alaska's Constitution was adopted in 1956 and became effective in 1959 making it the 49th state.
31. Nearly one-third of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle.
32. The Alaska Highway was originally built as a military supply road during World War II.
33. The state boasts the lowest population density in the nation.
34. The discovery of gold in the Yukon began a gold rush in 1898. Later gold was discovered at Nome and Fairbanks.
35. Alaska is a geographical marvel. When a scale map of Alaska is superimposed on a map of the 48 lower states, Alaska extends from coast to coast.
36. The state's coastline extends over 6,600 miles.
37. Alaska is the United State's largest state and is over twice the size of Texas. Measuring from north to south the state is approximately 1,400 miles long and measuring from east to west it is 2,700 miles wide.
38. Agattu, Attu, and Kiska are the only parts of North America occupied by Japanese troops during World War II.
39. Oil is the state's most valuable natural resource. The area includes what is thought to be the largest oil field in North America.
40. In 1986 Mount Augustine erupted near Anchorage.
41. Alaska's geographic center is 60 miles northwest of Mount McKinley.
42. The Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States.
43. 17 of the 20 highest peaks in the United States are located in Alaska.
44. At 20,320 feet above sea level, Mt. McKinley, located in Alaska's interior, is the highest point in North America.
45. Juneau is the only capital city in the United States accessible only by boat or plane.
46. The state's largest city is Anchorage; the second largest is Fairbanks.
47. The Alaska Range is the largest mountain chain in the state. It covers from the Alaska Peninsula to the Yukon Territory.
48. In 1915 the record high temperature in Alaska was 100 degrees Fahrenheit at Fort Yukon; the record low temperature was -80 degrees Fahrenheit at Prospect Creek Camp in 1971.
49. The Alaskan malamute sled dog is strong and heavily coated. It was developed as a breed by a group of Eskimos named the Malemiuts.
50. Alaska's name is based on the Eskimo word Alakshak meaning great lands or peninsula

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[justleesa]

http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/hi_geography.htm

 

[Kevrumbo]

The Big Island has 11 of the possible 14 Climate Zones on Earth. . .

 

[VBlueV]

28. The world's largest wind generator is on the island of Oahu. The windmill has two blades 400 feet long on the top of a tower twenty stories high.

hey where's this windmill?