LARGEST CITIES AND OTHER PLACES (1990 census)

Honolulu (365,272). Capital and chief port of state on Oahu; commercial and industrial center; hub for transpacific shipping and air routes; pineapple canneries, sugar refineries, clothing, steel, aluminum, petroleum, cement, dairying; Iolani Palace; University of Hawaii (see Honolulu). Pearl City (42,575). Industrial and residential city on Oahu. Kailua (35,812). Residential city on Kailua Bay of Oahu; twin community with Lanikai; excellent white beaches; temple ruins in vicinity. Hilo (35,269). Chief city and port on island of Hawaii; sugarcane, orchids, macadamia nuts; tourist center; gateway to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; Lyman Mission House and Museum; Rainbow Falls nearby; University of Hawaii at Hilo. Aiea (32,879). City on Oahu; sugarcane. Kaneohe (29,919). Residential town near Kaneohe Bay on Oahu; coral gardens; Waikalua, home of Tahitian prince who introduced the hula to Hawaiians. Waipahu (29,139). Residential city on Oahu. Mililani Town (21,365). City on Oahu; near Wheeler Air Force Base. Schofield Barracks (18,851). On Oahu; Tropic Lightning Historical Center; assortment of weapons from World War II. Wahiawa (16,911). In central Oahu; pineapple-growing area; adjoins Schofield Barracks.

VITAL STATISTICS 1985 (per 1,000 population)

Birthrate. 17.3 Death Rate. 5.8 Marriage Rate. 14.5 Divorce Rate. 4.6

GOVERNMENT

Capital. Honolulu (since 1850). Statehood. Became 50th state in the Union on Aug. 21, 1959. Constitution. Adopted 1950; amendment may be passed by two-thirds vote of each legislative house at one session or by majority vote of each house at two sessions; ratified by majority voting on it in an election. Representation in U.S. Congress. Senate--2. House of Representatives--2. Electoral votes--4. Legislature. Senators--25; term, 4 years. Representatives--51; term, 2 years. Executive Officers. Governor--term, 4 years; may succeed self once. Other officials--lieutenant governor; elected; term, 4 years. Judiciary. Supreme Court--5 justices; term, 10 years. Intermediate Court of Appeals--3 judges; term, 10 years. Circuit courts--24 judges; term, 10 years. County. 5 counties--4 counties governed by council members; elected; term, 4 years. 1 county under jurisdiction of State Department of Health.

Agricultural. Pineapples, sugarcane, flowers, macadamia nuts, coffee, papayas, cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, melons, taros, tomatoes, lettuce. Manufactured. Food products, processed sugar, canned pineapple, preserved fruits and vegetables, apparel and textile products, printing and publishing. Mined. Cement, gem stones, lime, pumice, construction sand and gravel, crushed stone.

Universities and Colleges. Brigham Young University/Hawaii Campus, Laie; Chaminade University of Honolulu, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii Pacific University, all in Honolulu; University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo. Libraries. Bernice P. Bishop Museum Library, Hawaii State Library System, Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, University of Hawaii Libraries, all in Honolulu; Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Library, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Notable Museums. Bishop Museum, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Mission Houses Museum, all in Honolulu; Grove Farm Homestead, Lihue; Hale Hoikeike, Wailuku; Lyman House Memorial Museum, Hilo; Pacific Botanical Garden, Lawai.

Ala Moana Park. In Honolulu; 118-acre (48-hectare) beach; picnicking. Bishop Museum. In Honolulu; exhibits of Polynesian and early Hawaiian culture; natural history exhibits. Black Sand Beach. In Kalapana; jet black sand. Captain Cook Monument. At Kealakekua Bay; marks spot where Hawaiians killed explorer. City of Refuge National Historical Park. Near Keokea; ruins of ancient sanctuary; prehistoric home sites; royal fishponds; spectacular shore scenery. Diamond Head. Crater overlooks Waikiki. East-West Center. In Honolulu; federally financed institution for Asian and United States students. Foster Gardens. In Honolulu; flowering orchids; collection of tropical plants and trees. Halawa Valley. Near Halawa on Molaki; picturesque valley. Haleakala National Park. Near Koali; dormant volcano 10,023 feet (3,055 meters) high; one of largest craters known; birdlife. Hana. Waterfalls, cliffs, beach. Hanalei Valley. Near Hanalei; scenic valley. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Near city of Volcano; two active volcanoes; rare plants and animals. Hickam Field. Near Honolulu; Air Force base. Honolulu Academy of Arts. In Honolulu; art exhibits. Honolulu Aquarium. In Honolulu; tropical marine life. Iao Valley State Monument. Near Wailuku; 2,250-foot- (670-meter-) high monolith called the Needle. Iolani Palace. In Honolulu; former territorial and State Capitol; former residence of Hawaiian royalty. Kalaupapa Peninsula. In north-central Molokai; state's Hansen's Disease Treatment Center. Kapiolani Park. In Honolulu; bandstand, zoo. Keaiwa Heiau State Recreation Area. Near Aiea; old healing temple; collection of medicinal plants; picnicking; trails. Kona Coast. West coast of Hawaii; coffee farms; deep-sea fishing. Lava Tree State Monument. Near Pahoa; volcanic formations. McKenzie State Recreation Area. Near Kalapana; ironwood grove; picnicking, camping. Manuka State Wayside. Near Naatehu; botanical collection. Mauna Kea State Recreation Area. Near Huumula; one of Hawaii's highest mountains; hunting, hiking. Menehune Fish Pond. Near Lihue; built by first inhabitants, the legendary Menehunes. Mormon Temple. In Laie; large religious edifice. National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. In Punchbowl Crater, Honolulu. Nuuanu Pali. Mountain pass near Honolulu. Old Russian Fort. Near Waimea; built in 1817. Parker Ranch. Near Kamuela; huge cattle ranch. Pearl Harbor. United States naval base near Honolulu. Puu Ualakaa State Wayside. Near Honolulu; scenic views. Queen Emma Summer Palace. In Honolulu; summer home of former queen. Royal Mausoleum. In Honolulu; burial ground of Hawaiian kings. Schofield Barracks. Army post near Wahiawa. Spouting Horn of Koloa. Near Eleele; water geyser. University of Hawaii. In Honolulu, Manoa, and Hilo. Waikiki Beach. Near Honolulu; famous beach; surfing. Wailoa River State Recreation Area. Near Hilo; landscaped park; picnicking, fishing, boating. Wailua River State Park. Near Kapaa; former royal coconut grove; camping, water sports; Fern Grotto; Opaekaa Falls overlook. Waimea Canyon State Park. Near Kekaha; deep gorge cut by Waimea River; trails; picnicking; hunting, fishing. Wet and Dry Caves of Haena. In Haena; great caverns. All Fact Summary data are based on current government reports.

Nickname. Aloha State. Motto. Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono (The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness). Song. 'Hawaii Ponoi' (Our Hawaii). Entered the Union. Aug. 21, 1959, as the 50th state. Capital. Honolulu. Population (1990 census). 1,108,229--rank, 41st state. Urban, 86.5%; rural, 13.5%. Persons per square mile, 171.2 (persons per square kilometer, 66.1)--rank, 15th state. (Islands--Oahu, 836,207; Hawaii, 120,317; Maui, 91,361; Kauai, 50,947; Molokai, 6,717; Lanai, 2,426; Niihau, 230; Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, 24; Kahoolawe, none.) Extent. Area, 6,471 square miles (16,760 square kilometers), including 46 square miles (119 square kilometers) of water surface (47th state in size). Elevation. Highest, Mauna Kea, Hawaii, 13,796 feet (4,205 meters); lowest, sea level; average, 1,990 feet (607 meters). Geographic Center. 20o15" N., 156o20" W., off Maui Island. Temperature. Extremes--lowest, 12o F (-11o C), Mauna Kea summit, Hawaii, May 17, 1979; highest, 100o F (38o C), Pahala, Hawaii, April 27, 1931. Averages at Hilo, Hawaii--January, 71.2o F (21.8o C); July, 75.9o F (24.4o C); annual, 73.6o F (23.1o C). Averages at Honolulu, Oahu--January, 72.6o F (22.6o C); July, 81o F (27.2o C); annual, 77o F (25o C). Precipitation. At Hilo--annual average, 128 inches (3,250 millimeters). At Honolulu--annual average, 23 inches (580 millimeters). Land Use. Crops, 8%; pasture, 22%; forest, 34%; other, 36%.

The conqueror and king who united all the Hawaiian Islands under his rule is Kamehameha I. Also known as Kamehameha the Great, he was the first of five rulers of Hawaii in the Kamehameha dynasty.

Kamehameha I (1758?-1819) was probably born in 1758 on the island of Hawaii, the largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Prophecies concerning his future as a leader frightened his grandfather, the former king Alapai, who ordered the infant put to death. The prince, named Kamehameha ("The Very Lonely One"), however, was raised secretly, and in 1782 he and a cousin became corulers of Hawaii. Through war, Kamehameha became sole ruler of the island in 1792, and by 1795 he had also brought the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Molokai under his control. In May 1795 his forces defeated the army of Oahu's chief on the site of present-day Honolulu, and that island became his as well. He acquired Kauai and Niihau through peaceful negotiations in 1810. He died on May 8, 1819, in Kailua on Hawaii.

Kamehameha II (1797-1824) ruled Hawaii for only five years, from 1819 to 1824. Born in 1797 on the island of Hawaii, he was the son of Kamehameha I. His most notable act was admitting the first Protestant missionaries from New England to the islands. Although he did not convert to Christianity himself, the work of the missionaries had a profound effect on the culture of the islands. In 1823 the king went to England with a small delegation. While in London he caught measles and died there on July 14, 1824.

Kamehameha III (1814-54) was a younger brother of Kamehameha II and was only 10 years old when he came to the throne in 1825, though there was a regency until 1833. He issued the Declaration of Rights on June 7, 1839, and the Edict of Toleration ten days later. On Oct. 8, 1840, he gave the islanders a written constitution and allowed a legislature elected by the people. The king died on Dec. 15, 1854.

Kamehameha IV (1834-63) was the nephew of Kamehameha III, who adopted him. He was born on Feb. 9, 1834, at Ewa, Oahu. He became king in 1855. As king he was the opposite of his predecessor. He tried to slow the influence of the missionaries and to prevent annexation by the United States. To counter American influence he established diplomatic and commercial relations with other countries. He fostered economic growth, especially in the promotion of farming. He died on Nov. 30, 1863, in Honolulu.

Kamehameha V (1830-72) was the older brother of Kamehameha IV. Born on Dec. 11, 1830, he became king in 1863. He wrote a new constitution favoring a stronger role for the king. The first Japanese workers came to Hawaii during his reign. In his last years he grew so heavy that he was confined to the royal palace. Since he did not marry, the Kamehameha dynasty ended with his death on Dec. 11, 1872.

The last reigning monarch of Hawaii before the islands were annexed by the United States in 1898 was Queen Liliuokalani. A woman of some musical ability, she is probably more remembered for writing the song 'Aloha Oe' than for her role as queen.

Liliuokalani was born in Honolulu on Sept. 2, 1838. Her mother, an adviser to King Kamehameha III, had her educated at one of the missionary schools on the island of Oahu. In 1862 she married John Owen Dominis, whom she outlived by many years. When her younger brother, the prince regent W. P. Leleiohoku, died in 1877, she was named heir presumptive to the throne. When David Kalakaua, the king and her older brother, died in 1891, she succeeded him, becoming Hawaii's first reigning queen.

Her reign of but four years was an unhappy one. In trying to strengthen the monarchy and break ties with the United States, she alienated a large community of foreign businessmen in Hawaii. Led by Sanford Dole, they established a Provisional Government and called for her abdication. She stepped down for a short time, but was restored by order of President Grover Cleveland. The businessmen ignored Cleveland and, in 1895, suppressed an insurrection by her supporters. She was finally forced to abdicate on Jan. 24, 1895. After trying, with only partial success, to regain some of her crown lands and gain a subsidy from the United States, she withdrew from public life. She died in Honolulu on Nov. 11, 1917.

With the arrival of the haoles the native Hawaiian population began to decline. Diseases, such as measles, smallpox, syphilis, and tuberculosis, new to the Hawaiians, swept the islands. During Captain Cook's first visit as many as 300,000 Hawaiians inhabited the islands. One hundred years later the number had dwindled to 71,000. Planters of sugarcane, pressed for a labor source, turned to Asia. The first contract workers from China arrived in 1852, and the Japanese followed in 1868. In 1898 the United States annexed the islands, but Asian numbers continued to mount. By 1971--despite the World War II years--Japanese constituted nearly 35 percent of the population, native Hawaiians and part native Hawaiians 21 percent, Caucasians 19 percent, Filipinos nearly 9 percent, and Chinese 6 percent. The figures changed considerably during the late 1970s and 1980s through a population surge from the American mainland. One third of the population is now Caucasian, and the Japanese number about 25 percent. The proportion of native Hawaiians has decreased the most and that of Filipinos has increased the most. Chinese percentages remain about the same. Marriages between the ethnic groups are characteristic of the islands.

Sugarcane was brought to the islands by the original West Polynesians. It was planted near house sites, where it acted as a windbreak. Early attempts to make sugar--crystalline sugar--were unsuccessful. The first successful milling operation was begun on Kauai in 1935. With growth and dispersal Oriental immigrants were brought to work the fields. When the Reciprocity Treaty was signed in 1876, allowing unrefined sugar to enter the United States duty free, the market for the sugar crop was assured.

Sugarcane is grown commercially on Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, and Kauai in climates that range from wet to relatively dry. In the relatively dry leeward areas, furrow, drip, and other forms of irrigation are used. The best yields are obtained from the irrigated fields. Planting and harvesting are done mechanically. The cane is milled locally but refined at the California and Hawaiian Sugar Refining Corporation's plant in Crockett, Calif. There is a small refinery at Aiea, Oahu, to supply local needs.

Efforts were made to diversify the one-crop (sugar) economy. Rubber, coffee, and sisal were planted but were not grown successfully. Pineapples were raised for the gold miners in California in 1849 and 1850, but planters did not make a profit. It was left for James Dole, who planted 60 acres (24 hectares) of pineapples on Oahu in 1899, to inaugurate a successful commercial venture. The Hawaiian Pineapple Company was organized in 1901 and a cannery was built in 1903, and other packers joined to market pineapples in the United States. Pineapple growing later spread from Oahu to Lanai, Molokai, Kauai, and Maui.

Pineapples are planted by hand at elevations up to 3,000 feet (900 meters) in areas where precipitation may average only 25 inches (64 centimeters). Irrigation is not necessary. Harvesting is also done by hand. Crowns are removed in fruit destined for canneries and left on for the fresh fruit market. Fresh pineapples are shipped to the American mainland in refrigerated containers in five days or by air in a few hours. There are local canneries in Honolulu and on Maui. The largest pineapple plantation in the world--16,000 acres (6,475 hectares)--is on Lanai. It ships its product to the Dole cannery in Honolulu.

The islands also grow papayas, macadamia nuts, coffee, and fruits and vegetables for the local market. Cattle and pigs are raised; poultry farming produces meat and eggs. Flowers and other nursery products are also raised.

Tourism has had a visible effect on sugarcane and pineapple acreages. Land purchases for hotel and condominium development have encroached on the farmland. The trend is likely to continue.

The tropical climate, fine beaches, volcanoes, beautiful scenery, friendly people with a multiethnic culture, and an "aloha spirit" have all enticed tourists to the islands. But island development proceeded slowly. In 1866 the first hotel--called Volcano House--was built on Hawaii. The following year steamship service was begun with the United States. The Hawaiian Hotel was built in Honolulu in 1872, and the Seaside Annex was completed on Waikiki Beach in 1894. Others followed swiftly. A big burst in tourism came with the inauguration of transpacific flight in 1936. But it was the aftermath of World War II, jet travel, and statehood in 1959 that brought the tourists. By 1952 there were only 52,000 annual visitors, but by 1965 the number had increased to more than 600,000 and by 1970 to more than 1.7 million. By the late 1980s the islands had over 6 million visitors annually. Well over half of them came from the American mainland, about one fifth were Japanese, and nearly 300,000 were Canadian. Other Asians and Western Europeans were also among the visitors, and all contributed an impressive 9 million dollars to Hawaii's economy.

The military plays a major role in the islands. Nearly 6 percent of the land area is either owned or leased by the armed forces. On Oahu 26 percent of the land is either owned or leased by the federal government. The Commander in Chief Pacific (CINCPAC) is located in the Honolulu area. Pearl Harbor, Hickham Air Force Base, and Schofield Barracks are well-known military properties. The largest military base in the islands is the Pohakuloa Training Area in Hawaii.

The number of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel varies, but their impact on the economy is always great. Military personnel account for large expenditures in the local communities, and thousands of civilian jobs are made available by the military presence. The military also serves as a major tourist attraction. There are military museums at Pearl Harbor, Schofield Barracks, and Fort Derussy, and on Armed Forces Day visitors may tour the bases and inspect the ships and docks.