The Hawaiian Islands are a chain of islands located in the central Pacific Ocean, part of Polynesia, and were settled by humans around 400-500 AD. Hawaii has a unique geology, location, and wildlife that attracts visitors, and is the most recent state to be admitted to the United States. The islands sit above a volcanic hotspot that has been erupting regularly for 80 million years, leaving a trail of seamounts. Popular elements of Hawaiian culture include the lei, luau, traditional dance and song, and surfing.
The Hawaiian Islands, formerly known as the Sandwich Islands, are a chain of islands (archipelago) located in the central Pacific Ocean, 1,860 miles (3,000 km) from the nearest continent, North America. The Hawaiian Islands are located roughly halfway between North America and Asia. The Hawaiian Islands are part of the region called Polynesia, which makes up many of the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are one of the last regions on Earth to be settled by humans, having only been reached around 400-500 AD. Prior to this, the islands were uninhabited. The Europeans, represented by Captain James Cook, reached the island on January 18, 1778.
Hawaii has a unique geology, location and wildlife that attracts all types of visitors including celebrities, scientists, laymen and many more. Hundreds of thousands of people visit Hawaii every year. The Isles of Hawaii, comprising eight major islands and over 100 smaller cays, is also the most recent state to be admitted to the United States in 1959. From east to west, the largest Hawaiian islands are Hawai’i (also known as the Big Islands), Maui, Kahoʻolawe (uninhabited), Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, Niʻihau. These are the traditional names given to the islands by Native Hawaiians.
The Hawaiian Islands sit above a volcanic hotspot that has been erupting regularly for 80 million years. It is perhaps the best known hotspot in the world. As tectonic plates move across the face of the Earth, the underlying hotspot, likely caused by plumes of magma from the underlying mantle, remains stationary, so volcanic activity has left a trail of seamounts 3,600 miles (5,800 km) long, called Hawaiian -Emperor Seamount Chain. This chain reveals the movement of the Pacific Plate over time, revealing that it abruptly changed its direction of motion 47 million years ago, from a northerly direction to a more northwesterly one.
The complex culture of Hawaii cannot be summed up in such a short article, but among the most popular elements are the lei, a necklace of tropical flowers, the luau, a traditional celebration that involves the slow roasting of a pig using buried hot coals , traditional Hawaiian dance and song, and the newest sport of surfing. Hawaii tries to strike a balance between pleasing tourists and maintaining its own unique traditional culture.
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