Hawaii Geography

Hawaii, a Pacific state, is located in the Pacific Ocean 2,100 miles southwest of the mainland United States. It is the only state not located on the continent of North America and the only state made up entirely of islands. The state is made up of 132 islands, eight of which are considered major islands. Hawaii is the southernmost state and lies almost entirely in the tropics. Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959. Honolulu is the state's capital and largest city.

Volcanoes built up from the bottom of the ocean formed the islands of Hawaii. Today, Hawaii has both large active and inactive volcanoes. Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, is located in the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaii has the most diverse population of any state. Most of the state's population is made up of Asian descent, but it also has citizens with Japanese, Filipino, Polynesian, Chinese, and Korean backgrounds, as well as Caucasians. In fact, Hawaii is the only state not dominated by Americans of European descent. Almost all of the state's residents live on seven of the eight major islands and 75 percent of the population live on the island of Oahu. Maui is another of the major islands.


Tags:  pacific state hawaii continent north america state entirely largest city tropics