Things I Didn't Know About Hawaii

In Hawaii, everybody is a minority. Unlike most of our states, there are no ethnic or racial groups that constitute a majority. Caucasians make up joist a quarter of Hawaii's population which is the least proportion in the country. America is 66 percent white. Almost 40 percent of Hawaii's population is Asian. Nine percent are native Hawaiians. Diverse people of Hawaii have learned to live together peacefully. It is hard t leave there.

This state is considered the most isolated population center in the world. It is 2390 miles away from the United States and about 4000 miles from Japan. Scientists love Hawaii. It's about a 51/2 hour flight from Los Angeles. Hawaii has one of the largest clusters of telescopes and observatories in the world. They take advantage of the low air levels and light pollution.

The island of Mauna Kea was chosen to house the world's larges telescope which is estimated to be finished I 2018 with a price tag of $1 billion. Hawaii has its own time zone. The Hawaii-Aleutian Standard time doesn't observe daylight savings time. It runs two hours behind pacific time and five hours behind Eastern. Hawaiian is an ancient Polynesian tongue width only 12 letters, h, k, l, m, n, p, and w. It came close to disappearing until a movement preserved it in 1970. It is one of the state's official languages.

The states official motto is : Ua mau Ke ea o ka alna I Ka pono meaning, "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness." Even though, the state is surrounded by ocean it had many interstate highways. The freeways receive federal money for their upkeep. There are four in total. Hawaii is the widest stat in the United States. It measures from Nihau island to the Hawaiian island at 1500 miles. The land area is still smaller than Texas.

There are a few famous natives of Hawaii. President Barack Obama's hometown is Honolulu. It is also the birth palace of Nicole Kidman. Bette Midler is also a native. AOL's co-founder Steve Case is a native as well as golf star Michelle Wie. Jack Johnson (singer/songwriter) grew up ln North Shore, Oahu.

Hawaii is the home of a royal Palace. The only place in the United States to be considered an monarch's residence. King Kalakaua built the Iolani Palace in 1882 as a seat if power for him and his sister, Queen Liliuokalani. They were Hawaii's last monarch. It was over thrown in 1893. Now. It is a museum as well as a tourist attraction. It has two if the world's most active volcanoes. Hawaii grows coffee, the only state that does. It has one of the world's top 10 most expensive coffees at $34 a pound, the Kona Coffee.

source: www.lav.net/~poda/history.html , http://www.50states.com/facts/hawaii.htm