Millions of years ago fiery basalt rock erupted through a crack in the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Gradually the lava cooled and formed great undersea mountains whose summits protruded from the ocean. Over the centuries the action of wind, water, fire, and ice on the chain of volcanic peaks created the islands that became the state of Hawaii--a land of exotic flowers, shining beaches, and majestic mountains.

The first inhabitants of Hawaii were Polynesian seafarers who came to the islands in sturdy outrigger canoes more than 1,500 years ago. When the British sea captain James Cook discovered the islands in 1778, he found a preliterate but thriving people who bred fish for a better catch and irrigated their taro fields. (Taro is an edible plant that grows underground tubers.) Today Hawaii has a population more varied than that of any other state: its inhabitants include descendants of the original Polynesian population, of 19th-century sailors and traders, of the New England missionaries who brought Western ways to the native people, and of the Asians and Portuguese who came as field hands to work on the islands' sugar and pineapple plantations--mixed with the service personnel from the United States mainland who arm the great Hawaii-based naval and air fleets.

Military expenditures are one of the island state's most important sources of income. The production of sugarcane and pineapples, long the mainstay of its agriculture, has become highly mechanized. Since the islands' annexation by the United States, Hawaiian agriculture has been diversified by a variety of tropical crops. World War II, which brought greater unity and widespread unionization, spurred Hawaii's industrialization. The more fast-paced economy has not detracted from the charm of the Aloha State. Its mushrooming tourist business--since 1972, the state's largest industry--is a challenge to Hawaiian ingenuity, and the general harmony of its multiracial culture sets a positive pattern for the world.

In many ways the 50th and last state in the Union is the most unusual one. It lies almost entirely in the tropics. It has the world's largest active and inactive volcanoes. Separated from the United States mainland by the world's biggest ocean, the Pacific, it is the only state that does not fall within the continent of North America. It is the only state that was once an independent kingdom and the only one with a royal palace. It is the only state that is composed entirely of islands. And it is the only state not dominated by Americans of European ancestry.

The nickname of the Aloha State comes from a late 19th-century Hawaiian word for love that is used as a greeting and to say farewell. Another nickname is the Paradise of the Pacific. Mark Twain characterized Hawaii as the "loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean." The name of the state may have derived from Hawaiki, the former name of one of the Society Islands, home of some Polynesians. According to an island legend, Hawaii Loa was the name of the man who discovered the paradise.

The state of Hawaii is a chain of rugged islands, coral reefs, and rocky shoals located in the North Pacific Ocean. It occupies all except for the 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) of the Midway Islands. The Hawaiian Archipelago is crossed near its northwestern end by the Tropic of Cancer. It is some 2,400 miles (3,860 kilometers) away from the West coast of the United States mainland.

There are about 132 named islands and islets in the chain, which curves 1,523 miles (2,451 kilometers) southeast to northwest. Hawaii's land area of 6,425 square miles (16,641 square kilometers) is less than that of any other state except Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island.

The islands of Hawaii are the worn tops of great volcanoes. They were raised from the bottom of the ocean by tremendous upheavals millions of years ago. Because of their volcanic origin, the islands do not have the variety of physiographic regions usually found in the other 49 states.

Typically, Hawaii is mountainous. The larger islands have one or more central spines of mountains. This spine drops to a slanted plain that then slopes more gradually down to the shore. Where beaches occur along the shore they are either white with coral sand or black with pulverized lava. In the interior are a few valleys and gulches.

Some parts of the islands rise from the sea in a sheer cliff called a pali. The cliffs are thousands of feet high in some places. Some of the smaller islets in the Hawaiian Archipelago are barely above sea level when the ocean tides run high.

Eight Main Islands The state of Hawaii is composed mainly of eight principal islands. In order of size they are Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Niihau, and Kahoolawe.

Hawaii is also called the Big Island, with a land area of 4,034 square miles (10,448 square kilometers). It is composed of five volcanic masses, with Mauna Kea at 13,796 feet (4,205 meters), Mauna Loa at 13,679 feet (4,169 meters), and Hualalai at 8,271 feet (2,521 meters) the highest peaks. Kilauea, whose slopes merge with those of Mauna Loa on the north and west, is the world's largest active volcano. As a result of a series of eruptions that began in early 1983, the glacier-type flow from the volcano moved across the island and destroyed many homes, causing millions of dollars in damage in 1990. The island of Hawaii has a generally rugged coastline, lava deserts, valleys, and gulches.

Maui is known as the Valley Island and has 729 square miles (1,888 square kilometers) in land area. It is composed of two mountain masses that constitute east and west Maui. They are connected by an isthmus. The highest peak is Haleakala--10,023 feet (3,055 meters). It has the largest extinct volcano crater in the world (20 square miles; 52 square kilometers).

Oahu is sometimes called the Capital Island because the city of Honolulu is located there. It has a land area of 594 square miles (1,538 square kilometers). It is formed of two mountain ranges, the Koolau and the Waianae. The island has no active volcanoes but many extinct craters, notably Diamond Head, Koko Head, and Punchbowl.

Kauai is popularly called the Garden Island and occupies a land area of 549 square miles (1,422 square kilometers). It has one central mountain mass. Its highest peak is Kawaikini--5,243 feet (1,598 meters). Waimea Canyon is nearly 3,000 feet (910 meters) deep. Kauai has fertile valleys, deep fissures, many caves, pinnacles, and waterfalls.

Molokai is famous as the Friendly Island because its inhabitants extend such a warm welcome to visitors. It is 261 square miles (676 square kilometers) in land area. The island is composed of three volcanic masses. In the east is Kamakou, at 4,961 feet (1,512 meters) Molokai's highest peak.

On the northern side of Molokai is a precipice rising from 500 to 3,250 feet (150 to 990 meters). Its highest part is indented by deep gorges and valleys. At the northern base of this cliff, cut off from the rest of the island, is the Kalaupapa peninsula, which is the site of the state's Hansen's Disease (leprosy) Treatment Center.

Lanai is known as the Pineapple Island because it is mostly owned by a pineapple company, which employs most of the residents. With a land area of 140 square miles (363 square kilometers), Lanai consists of a single mountain mass. At 3,370 feet (1,027 meters) Lanaihale is its highest point. Cliffs line its southerly coasts.

Niihau occupies a land area of 70 square miles (181 square kilometers). Its east-central third is a tableland 1,300 feet (396 meters) high with cliffs on the ocean side. The balance of the island is arid lowland of coral origin. All of Niihau's inhabitants are pureblood or part-Hawaiians, and tourism is prohibited.

Kahoolawe is sometimes called the Target Island because United States military forces use it as a target. The smallest of the main islands, it is 45 square miles (117 square kilometers) in area and is uninhabited. It is a single mountain mass; its highest point, Puu Moaulanui, is 1,483 feet (452 meters). Native Hawaiians regard it as a sacred island, and many remnants of prehistoric Polynesian life remain on the island.

Uninhabited rocky islets and coral reefs in the Hawaiian chain include Kaula, Nihoa, Necker, Gardner Pinnacles, Lisianski, and Pearl and Hermes Atoll. Four of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands were inhabited in 1980: French Frigate Shoals (in which lies La Perouse Pinnacle), Laysan Island, Kure Atoll, and the Midway Islands (not part of the state).

The mild, uniform climate of Hawaii is famous all over the world. Wide temperature changes are unknown in the state. Despite Hawaii's location in a tropical zone, cooling ocean currents keep the climate moderate. Although Hurricane Iwa caused extensive damage in 1982 and there were devastating tsunamis, or tidal waves, in 1946 and 1960, violent weather conditions are comparatively rare. The average annual temperature is about 75o F (24o C) throughout the lowlands.

The mild temperature of the islands is matched by dependable patterns of sunshine and rainfall. These patterns vary according to location and altitude and are governed by the northeast trade winds. On the western, or leeward, side of Hawaii's mountains a tropical savanna climate prevails. Puako, on the Big Island, has about 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rainfall during an average year. It is the driest area in the Hawaiian chain.

On the northeastern, or windward, slopes the climate is tropical wet (rain forest). There, mountain heights and deep valleys receive more rain than coastal areas. Waialeale, on the island of Kauai, is one of the wettest spots on Earth. It receives about 444 inches (1,128 centimeters) of rain in an average year.

One of Hawaii's most valuable resources is its soil. Only 8 percent of the land is used for crops, yet agriculture is one of Hawaii's major sources of wealth. Hawaii's fertile soil is composed of lava ash and soft, sandy stone. In places it has yielded 11 tons of sugar per acre, the largest yield on Earth. Because of the mild climate and fertile soil, the crop year never ends. Pineapple and sugar plantations operate in both summer and winter.

The value of mineral production reached its peak (in current dollars) in 1988. Stone, cement, sand and gravel, and lime are the most abundant minerals. Lava ash and rock are used as building materials. Unusual minerals found in Hawaii are red and blue cinders, which are used in landscaping, and black coral, which is used in jewelry.

Hawaii's water-resources problem is basically one of geographic distribution. Groundwater serves 46.2 percent of the state's total water supply. Surface water, drawn through miles of aqueducts and tunnels, is used mainly for irrigation. Groundwater for domestic use is brought to the surface by huge pumping stations.

Plant and animal life. Hawaii's landscape is a perpetual flower show. Hedges of hibiscus bloom everywhere. Shower trees shed their blossoms along the streets. Bougainvillea vines, night-blooming cereus, and ginger plants make the islands a paradise of bloom. There are more than 1,700 species of flowering plants and trees in Hawaii--many found only in this state. Some species have been imported from Asia, Africa, Australia, Mexico, and Brazil. A great many originated in the East Indies.

Wild animals are found on six of the islands--Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, and Lanai. They include deer, wild goats, and wild pigs. No snakes (except for one very small species) are found on the islands. The only land reptiles are small skinks and geckos, commonly called lizards, and toads. More than 60 percent of the nearly 90 native bird species and more than half of about 24 native land and marine mammals, reptiles, and amphibians are threatened, endangered, or extinct.