The first settlers are thought to have arrived in Hawaii from Tahiti somewhere between 300 and 750 AD. The first European explorer to reach Hawaii was John Cook in 1778. He named them the Sandwich Islands. The islands were separate kingdoms until they were united in 1810 by the most famous of Hawaiian Kings, Kamehameha. Hawaii became a property of the United States in 1893 when Queen Liliuokalani surrendered her kingdom. Hawaii officially became a territory of the United States in 1900. Hawaii became the 50th state admitted to the union in 1959.
Hawaii is made up of a total of 132 islands, but only 8 of the them are considered fit for human habitation and one of those, Kahoolawe, is not inhabited either. The other 124 are too small. Together, they have a total of three square miles of land. Hawaii is the largest chain of islands in the world at 1,523 miles, but in relation to the rest of the states, it ranks number 43 in size. The island of Hawaii is the largest of all the islands
The Hawaiian Islands were created by volcanic eruptions which resulted in the tall cliffs that make up part of the coast line. Ancient volcanic rocks can be seen off shore. Hawaii has two kinds of beaches--pure white sand or black sand, another result of the volcanic eruptions. There are two volcanoes on the island of Hawaii, called Mauna Loa and Kilauea, that are still active. There is one, Haleakala, on the island of Maui. The most famous volcano is Diamond Head on the island of O`ahu.
The Hawaiian Islands are America's playground. With thousands of miles of beaches, they function as one of the premier tourist vacation spots. Pearl Harbor is one of the most important naval bases, the home of the Pacific fleet. Hawaii is also one of the world's leading producers of pineapples, coffee and macadamia nuts.
Hawaii is a place to consider for a vacation any time of the year. The average temperature during August, the hottest month, is in the mid to high 70s and it is only about eight degrees colder during the coldest times of the year. Consider making a cruise to Hawaii a part of your vacation instead of flying to the islands.
