History and Statistics
 Hawaii was admitted to the union on August 21, 1959 - the 50th state. The state of Hawaii consists of eight main islands: Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island of Hawaii. Its capital is located in Honolulu, on the island of Maui. Hawaii is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth. It is 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines.
Hawaii is the only state that grows coffee, and more than one-third of the world's commercial supply of pineapples comes from the islands.
There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet. The Vowels are: A, E, I, O, U, and the Consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, and W.
State symbols of Hawaii include the bird, Nene (pronounced "nay-nay"), or Hawaiian Goose. The tree of Hawaii is the Kukui, or Candlenut. The beautiful Hibiscus, or Pua Aloalo is Hawaii's flower.
In 1988 the yellow hibiscus, which is native to the islands, was selected to officially represent Hawaii, but you might see the red hibiscus, or any other color, as the state flower in many older photos and postcards.
From east to west Hawaii is the widest state in the United States.
There are four counties in Hawaii (Kauai; city and county of Honolulu; Maui; and Hawaii). Each city has a mayor and council in charge.
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.
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. In July the average daytime temperature is 82' F. Average daytime temperature in January is 72' F.
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.
Hawaii was once an independent kingdom. (1810 - 1893) The flag was designed at the request of King Kamehameha I. It has eight stripes of white, red and blue that represent the eight main islands. The flag of Great Britain is emblazoned in the upper left corner to honor Hawaii's friendship with the British. The combination of the stripes of the United States flag and the Union Jack of Great Britain is said to have pleased the merchant shippers of both nations. The flag was adopted for official state use in 1959.
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December 7th, 1941
The surprise was complete. The attacking planes came in two waves; the first hit its target at 7:53 AM, the second at 8:55. By 9:55 it was all over. By 1:00 PM the carriers that launched the planes from 274 miles off the coast of Oahu were heading back to Japan.
~ Eye Witness Account (excerpt)
Pearl Harbor: Remembered
USS Arizona Memorial
The final resting place for 1,102 crewmen of the U.S.S. Arizona who lost their lives on December 7, 1941. (75 were recovered) They are still entombed within the Arizona herself. The sunken battleship is commemorated by a 184 foot-long memorial structure that spans its mid-portion. No part of the edifice touches the ship.
There are three sections in the memorial: The entry and assembly room, (a central or middle area) used for observations of the sunken ship and for ceremonies. Many visitors drop flower leis into the water from this section, honoring the dead. The third section is the shrine room. The room contains the names of all those killed on the Arizona and their names are engraved on a marble wall. Upon entering the shrine room, the reverence and honor it is was intended to inspire is immediately noticeable. All persons are keenly aware that this is hallowed ground.
The memorial's architect was Alfred Preis. After years of fund raising efforts that began 1950, the memorial finally was dedicated in 1962.
The USS Arizona is no longer in commission, contrary to popular belief. A flag of the United States of America does fly above the sunken battleship. The flag is attached to a severed mainmast of the USS Arizona.
In recent years, the memorial has come to represent all the military and associated personnel killed at Pearl Harbor.
http://my.execpc.com
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I have a whole new appreciation for Mama Bear's "State" threads after spending several days researching endless Hawaii websites, collecting all kinds of information and graphics to edit and then trying to put it together in some sort of orderly fashion. Hats off to you, Lori - you have this stuff down to a science! It is not easy!
Aquamarine, Dansangel, Dutchess, Lori and I had already spotlighted our own state, and when Lori offered not long ago to 'give' us any other states we might enjoy featuring, I thought it would be fun to do Hawaii. Well! It was fun to do, but at the same time, I was a bit overwhelmed and couldn't begin to touch upon all the wonderful things about these beautiful islands. You just must go there yourselves. I did, and how I loved it! The beaches, the water, the history, Pearl Harbor, the people, the luahs.....truly an unbelievable Paradise!
I must also credit the following websites for the information used for today's post:
encarta.msn.com
www.50states.com
www.hawaii.com
www.colormatters.com
www.aloha-hawaii.com
www.melekalikimaka.com
Oh, and one more thing ..........
No Hawaii post would be complete without Hula Dancers, because we all know that in Hawaii, everybody and their dog can hula.
Mary Lucas Faustine's delightful Hawaiian art
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