Hawaii Fun Facts and Trivia

Did you know...? Fun facts and trivia - little-known facts about Hawaii  http://www.to-hawaii.com/fun-facts.php

Hawaii is the most isolated population center on Earth. It is 2,390 miles (3,846 km) from California, 3,850 miles (6,196 km) from Japan and 4,900 miles (7,886 km) from China.

The state of Hawaii consists of eight larger, populated islands (with the exception of the island of Kahoolawe, which is not populated) and 124 small, uninhabited islands, reefs and atolls stretching from Nihoa, located about 280 miles (450 km) northwest of Honolulu, all the way to the Kure Atoll, located further northwest. The state of Hawaii encompasses all of these islands except for Midway Atoll, which is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) as the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

The eight main Hawaiian islands make up 99 percent of Hawaii's total land area of 6,425 square miles (16,642 square km). The remaining one percent encompass less than 6 square miles (15.5 square km).

The Hawaiian archipelago spans the distance of 1,523 miles (2,451 km), making Hawaii the longest island chain in the world. When measured from east to west, Hawaii is the second widest state in the United States, after Alaska. Hawaii shares the same general latitude of 20°N with cities and environments such as Hong Kong, Mecca, the Sahara Desert and Mexico City.

The state of Hawaii has four counties: City and County of Honolulu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii (the Big Island). Hawaii is the only U.S. state whose land area is increasing (from volcanic eruptions).

The highest recorded temperature in Hawaii is 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 C), measured in Pahala on April 27, 1931, and the lowest is 12 degrees Fahrenheit (-11.1 C), measured on Mauna Kea on May 17, 1979. (The lowest temperature under 3,000 feet (914 m) altitude was 56 F/13.3 C). Among all the 49 continental United States (except Alaska), Hawaii has both the highest state minimum of 12 F (-11.1 C) and the lowest state maximum of 100 F (37.8 C). (Alaska's highest recorded temperature is also 100 F/37.8 C). Hawaii's average daytime temperature in July is 82 F (27.7 C) and the average daytime temperature in January is 72 F (22.2 C).

Hawaii was the 50th state admitted to the union on August 20, 1959.By a legislative act, Hawaii became officially known as the "Aloha State" in 1959.

Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows coffee. Coffee plantations in Hawaii make up 6,200 acres. In 2003, 8.5 million pounds of coffee were produced.

Hawaii has its own time zone. It's called Hawaiian Standard Time. There is no daylight savings time in Hawaii, which means that in summer, Hawaii is two hours behind the U.S. West Coast, while in winter, Hawaii is three hours behind the U.S. West Coast.

The Hawaiian alphabet consists of only twelve letters. The five vowels are A,E, I, O,U. And the seven consonants are H,K,L,M,N,P,W.

Among all U.S. states, Hawaii has the highest percentage of women in the workforce, about 63 percent as of 2003.

More birds have become extinct in Hawaii than in any other part of the world. A total of 26 species died out and 27 more are endangered by changes in their natural habitats, forest destruction, mongooses and man.The Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge northwest of Kauai is the world's largest bird sanctuary. It is home to many seabirds.

Hawaii had the oldest newspaper west of the Rocky Mountains - the Sandwich Island Gazette, 1836-1839.

Halah!  (Hah lah)