Located in the mid-Pacific, Hawaii is a natural meeting place of East and West. A mixture of many cultures, its citizens trace their lineage back to nearly every area and major cultural region in the world. The original inhabitants were probably Polynesians who sailed from the Marquesas Islands, perhaps as early as AD 400. Of the present population about one out of every three citizens is a member of the Caucasian race, with fully a third of mixed ancestry. They include Japanese, Hawaiian, Chinese, Spanish, German, Korean, Puerto Rican, Filipino, Portuguese, Indian, Samoan, Vietnamese, and Anglo-Saxon.
The population of Hawaii in the 1990 census was 1,115,274. This was an increase of 150,583, or 13.5 percent, since 1980. The two largest racial groups are the Caucasians and the Japanese, followed by Hawaiians, Filipinos, and Chinese.
Hawaiian language. The English language is the one most used in Hawaii. Many ancestral languages are still spoken on the islands, however, and many Hawaiian words are heard in everyday speech. The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters: the vowels a, e, i, o, and u, and the consonants h, k, l, m, n, p, and w (sometimes pronounced like v). Each vowel is pronounced separately. A pidgin English, which differs from standard English in both word use and inflection, is also spoken.
In giving directions, a place is said to be makai, "toward the sea," or mauka, "toward the mountains." Nearly all cities and towns and most of the streets bear Hawaiian names.
Honolulu, the capital and largest city, is the state's industrial and tourist hub, with high-rise hotels, shopping centers, and the crowded sands of famed Waikiki Beach (see Honolulu, Hawaii). The second largest is Pearl City, about one tenth as large as Honolulu. Both Honolulu and Pearl City are part of a single municipality, the city and county of Honolulu. The port of Lahaina on the west coast of Maui was an early whaling center.
Hawaii's more than 1,000 manufacturing plants are located chiefly on Oahu. Many of the Oahu factories have been built in industrial parks and special areas on the southern part of the island. The industrial region forms a 20-mile (32-kilometer) arc around Pearl Harbor between Barbers Point and central Honolulu. There are also a number of plants in Hilo and Kahului. Food processing is Hawaii's leading manufacturing industry. Printing and publishing and textile production are also valuable industries.
The Hawaiian agricultural economy is based largely on sugar and pineapples. The state produces more than 6 million tons of sugarcane for sugar annually. The value of the crop is more than 150 million dollars. The first Hawaiians probably brought sugarcane from the South Pacific. The industry got its real start on Kauai in 1835 when three New Englanders grew a crop on land rented from King Kamehameha III. By 1874 more than 13,000 tons a year were being exported. Today Hawaii raises more cane sugar than any other state, except Florida. Raw sugar is sent to the United States mainland for refining, most of it to California.
In the early days many extra laborers were needed on the islands' sugar plantations. Immigration was encouraged, and field hands were brought from China, Japan, Portugal, and the Philippines. Many stayed on in Hawaii. Today the industry is highly mechanized and requires fewer workers. Mechanization has enabled Hawaiian sugar growers to compete successfully with low-cost labor areas. In the mid-1980s the illegal crop of marijuana far surpassed the value of the sugar crop.
The second largest legal crop grown in Hawaii is pineapples. The plants are set out to mature in rotation, so picking never stops. The heaviest harvest months are June, July, and August. More than 500,000 tons of pineapples are harvested annually. The fruit is grown on Kauai, Oahu, Lanai, and Maui. Most of the crop is processed in Honolulu, but increasing quantities of the fruit are exported fresh.
Cattle raising is a major source of income, especially on the island of Hawaii. That island produces more than 65 percent, by volume, of the state's livestock. One of the largest privately owned cattle ranches in the United States, the Parker Ranch, is located there.
Scattered throughout the islands are cattle ranches, as well as sheep and horse ranches and pig and poultry farms. Almost 24 percent of the land in Hawaii is used for grazing. The annual value of livestock production in the islands, including dairy products, is well over 87 million dollars.
Exports of macadamia nuts, papayas, and other Hawaiian specialties have expanded rapidly. Vegetables, melons, and taro are also grown on the islands. Taro is used to make poi, a pasty but digestible fermented starchy food. Hawaii is the only state that raises coffee. It has the largest orchid-growing business in the world. Tourists spend more than 9.2 billion dollars annually, making tourism the state's most valuable industry. By the end of the 1980s Hawaii ranked third among the states visited by foreigners (more than 2 million). Federal defense expenditures are the second largest source of income.
Hawaii is the center of a vast transportation system that extends to all areas of the Pacific and around the world. Air and sea transportation is available to almost every major port and airport ringing the ocean.
Interisland freight shipping is conducted primarily by air and by barge. Honolulu Harbor is the center for intrastate and overseas shipping. Travelers within the island chain use the interisland commercial air system almost exclusively. Good highways link the intra-island towns with scenic regions and plantations. Railway mileage is small, as trucks have totally replaced the plantation railroads.
Since 1957 a transpacific submarine telephone cable has formed a link between Hawaii and the United States mainland. In 1964 a second cable linked Hawaii with Japan, completing the first transpacific service between the United States and Japan. Hawaii is the site of ground relay stations for satellite communications systems that link people throughout the world.
Hawaii's year-round summer encourages residents and visitors to enjoy life in the open air. Many houses have verandas, called lanais. People throng the beaches, such as Waikiki--one of the world's most famous playgrounds. Hawaii has its own special sports and pastimes. The most popular is surfboarding, the sport of the Hawaiian kings and chiefs. Surf riding in an outrigger canoe is also enjoyed. Skin diving, windsurfing, running, spear fishing, and some spectator sports attract many. Honolulu is the site of American football's annual pro bowl game.
Outdoor Hawaiian feasts, called luaus, are popular. They feature whole roast pigs cooked by means of hot rocks in a pit. A native dish called poi is usually served also. Entertainment often includes native songs and dances, especially the graceful hula--an art form of words, rhythm, and gestures. It was originally an expression of religious belief dating from the days when the Polynesian settlers believed in pagan gods.
Sparkling beaches, public parks, playgrounds, and other recreational facilities dot the main islands. On Oahu more than 260 recreational areas are maintained by the city. Major places of interest for tourists are Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawaii, which has two active volcanoes, and the USS Arizona National Memorial on Oahu, which marks the spot where the USS Arizona was sunk in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. In all, the state has seven national sites, including national parks and historical parks, 77 state parks, and 569 county parks.
A favorite attraction among visitors is the Iolani Palace, with its throne room, royal portraits, replicas of original thrones, and kahilis (feather standards). The palace was built in 1882 by King Kalakaua, who lived there until his death in 1891. In 1893, when Queen Liliuokalani was dethroned and a provisional government took over, the building was used for executive purposes. Legislative sessions were held there from 1895 until the completion of the new State Capitol in 1968.
The original frame buildings erected by the first American missionaries also attract many visitors. Educational lectures are given at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, which has 30 galleries of artworks. The Bishop Museum, founded in 1889, is a treasure house of Polynesian folklore. The Foster Botanical Garden displays unusual tropical trees and plants from the Pacific area.
American missionaries set up Hawaii's first schools in the early 19th century. In the 1840s the government of Hawaii took over the school system. Today Hawaii's public schools are administered by the State Board of Education.
Between 300 and 600. Islands settled by Polynesians believed to have arrived from Tahiti. 1778. Capt. James Cook, English explorer, visits the islands; names them Sandwich Islands for sponsor, earl of Sandwich; killed by Hawaiians in 1779. 1792-94. Captain George Vancouver makes three visits to the islands; introduces cattle and sheep. 1795. Chief Kamehameha wins battle of Nuuanu Valley; conquers most of the islands; proclaims kingdom, which lasts until 1893. 1819. First American whaler calls at Honolulu, Oahu; whaling reaches peak in 1858. Ancient religious system of taboo ended. 1820. First New England missionaries arrive; organize schools. 1835. Three New Englanders, as Ladd & Company, establish first successful commercial sugar plantation, on Kauai. 1840. King Kamehameha III proclaims constitution. 1848. Feudal landholding system broken up by the Great Mahele, or division of land. 1849. Hawaii concludes its first treaty with the United States. 1875. Reciprocity treaty signed with the United States for free exchange of goods; stimulates sugar industry. 1886. Captain John Kidwell founds pineapple industry; starts a pineapple cannery in 1892. 1887. United States granted exclusive right to Pearl Harbor for coaling and repair station; naval base authorized by Congress in 1908. 1893. Revolutionists dethrone Queen Liliuokalani, install provisional government in anticipation of union with United States, elect Sanford B. Dole president. 1894. Republic of Hawaii created. 1898. President William McKinley signs resolution annexing Hawaiian Islands to United States on July 7. 1900. Organic Act creates Territory of Hawaii; capital, Honolulu; Capitol, Iolani Palace; governor, Sanford B. Dole. 1901. First successful commercial pineapple cannery organized. 1903. Territorial legislature petitions Congress for statehood for first time. Telegraph cable links Hawaii and United States. 1906. Fort Ruger established; Forts Shafter and Armstrong, in 1907; Schofield Barracks and Forts Kamehameha and DeRussy, in 1909. 1907. University of Hawaii founded at Honolulu. 1916. Hawaii National Park established; section on Hawaii named Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and section on Maui, Haleakala National Park, in 1961. 1927. First nonstop flight made from United States mainland. 1929. Air service begun among the islands. 1931. First interisland and transpacific radio-telephone service. 1935. China Clipper makes first commercial flight across Pacific from San Francisco, Calif., to Honolulu. 1941. Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. 1947. First statehood bill for Hawaii fails in Senate. 1950. Constitutional Convention draws up a constitution for the "State of Hawaii"; effective in 1959. 1959. Hawaii becomes 50th state. 1961. City of Refuge National Historical Park created. 1968. New State Capitol completed. 1972. Hawaii's first full medical school approved; first law school established in 1973. 1974. George Ariyoshi becomes first Japanese American to be elected governor of a state. 1986. Molten lava from Kilauea volcano destroys dozens of buildings and forces evacuation of 400 persons. 1994. United States Navy returns control of Kahoolawe Island to the state of Hawaii. A 1941 agreement had given the island to the Navy for use as a target site for gunners.