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The Hawaiian Islands
Hawaii is made up of 8 major islands located 2600 miles southwest of the continental United States. Even though the islands cover a relatively small area, they have widely varying climates, from high elevation snow to steamy jungles; from arid desert to pristine beaches. They are a spectacular place to visit because they give you so much to explore.
The Hawaiian Islands were formed over the course of several millions of years as a tectonic plate slid over a volcanic hot spot in the Pacific Ocean. The youngest island, Hawaii, is famous for its still active volcanoes.
One of the northernmost islands of what is now known as Polynesia, Hawaii was discovered by migrating islanders perhaps as long as 2,000 years ago. Guided only by the stars at night and the direction of the wave tops by day, they sailed hundreds of miles in double hulled canoes.
The Hawaiian language is a dialect of the Polynesian tongue. The alphabet only has 12 letters -- A, E, I, O, U and H, K, L, M, N, P and W. The vowels are pronounced: A as in father, E as in vein, I as "ee" in peep, O as in own, and U as "oo" in boo. Every Hawaiian word ends in a vowel.
Hawaii's state bird is the Nene (pronounced nay-nay). The state fish is the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a (you have to practice this one a few times, but then it's really fun to say!).
These are the eight major Hawaiian islands:
Niihau Island is privately owned. Cattle ranching is its major industry. This secluded island still has uninhabited areas accessible only by helicopter.
Kahoolawe Island is completely uninhabited. It was once used as a military practice target for the U.S. Navy and Air Force, and the many unexploded shells are still being cleaned up. No one is allowed ashore without permission.
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