Hawaii was once an independent kingdom. (1810 - 1893) The flag was designed at the request of King Kamehameha I. It has eight stripes of white, red and blue that represent the eight main islands. The flag of Great Britain is emblazoned in the upper left corner to honor Hawaii's friendship with the British.

State Bird of Hawaii

The Nene (pronounced "nay-nay") is a land bird and a variety of Hawaiian Goose. It has adapted itself to life in the harsh lava country by transforming its webbed feet into a claw-like shape and modifying its wing structure for shorter flights. Hunting and wild animals all but destroyed the species until they were protected by law and a restoration project was established in 1949.

Hawaii State Tree- Candlenut Tree

Flower: Clusters of small, whitish flowers that are used in leis.

Hawai`i Pono`i Written by King David KalakauaMusic by Prof. Henry Berger, the Royal Bandmaster

Hawaii ponoi Nana i kou, moi Kalani Alii, ke Alii. Makua lani e Kamehameha e Na kaua e pale Me ka i he.

(translation)

Hawaii's own true sons, be loyal to your chief Your country's liege and lord, the Alii.1 Father above us all, Kamehameha,2 Who guarded in the war with his ihe,3

Hawaii Map

State of HawaiiIndex

Hawaii is one of the great states that make up the United States of America.

General Hawaii State History

First settled by Polynesians sailing from other Pacific islands between C.E. 300 and 600, Hawaii was visited in 1778 by British Captain James Cook, who called the group the Sandwich Islands.

Hawaii was a native kingdom throughout most of the 19th century, when the expansion of the vital sugar industry (pineapple came after 1898) meant increasing U.S. business and political involvement. In 1893, Queen Liliuokalani was deposed and a year later the Republic of Hawaii was established with Sanford B. Dole as president. Then, following its annexation in 1898, Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1900.

The Japanese attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, was directly responsible for U.S. entry into World War II.

Hawaii, 2,397 miles west-southwest of San Francisco, is a 1,523-mile chain of islets and eight main islands-Hawaii, Kahoolawe, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, other than Midway, are administratively part of Hawaii.

The Official Hawaii State Seal

The seal of the state of Hawaii is a symbol of the authority and sovereignty of the state and is a valuable asset of its people.

State of HawaiiSeal

State of HawaiiQuarter Hawaii State Quarter

The fifth and final quarter-dollar coin released in 2008 honors the State of Hawaii, and is the 50th and last coin in the United States Mint's popular 50 State Quarters Program. Hawaii, spelled "Hawai'i" in the Hawaiian language, is nicknamed "The Aloha State." It became the 50th state admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959. The release of this quarter signals the end of the ten-year 50 State Quarters Program.

The reverse of Hawaii's quarter features Hawaiian monarch King Kamehameha I stretching his hand toward the eight major Hawaiian Islands. Inscriptions are the state motto "UA MAU KE EA O KA �ĀINA I KA PONO," ("The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness"), "Hawaii" and "1959."

King Kamehameha I is a revered figure in Hawaiian history. He unified the governance of the Hawaiian Islands into one kingdom in the early 1800s and navigated changes in Hawaii, while maintaining the native practices and traditional ways of island life. His "Law of the Splintered Paddle" guaranteed the protection of citizens from harm during war and became a landmark in humanitarian law. He is honored with a statue in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall.

State of HawaiiStamp

Depicted above is the Hawaii state 34 cent stamp from the Greetings From America commemorative stamp series. The United States Postal Service released this stamp on April 4, 2002. The retro design of this stamp resembles the large letter postcards that were popular with tourists in the 1930's and 1940's.

Famous Person:King Kamehameha The Great First named Paiea, meaning Soft-

Shelled Crab, Kamehameha was born in 1758 to a Hawaiian Chief. Legend claims that a brilliant star appeared in the sky just before the great king was born and that the Hawaiian "kahunas" (prophets), predicted a superb leader was about to be born who would surpass all rivals. (That "star" could have been Halley's comet, which appeared late in 1758.) When word got out, a rival chief ordered the death of the infant prince, but he was safely hidden away and renamed, Kamehameha, meaning "The Very Lonely One." After years of turf wars against his cousins and uncles over other Hawaiian islands, the 6-foot 6-inch Kamehameha became the victor and undisputed ruler of the entire island group. Kamehameha continued the legacy of autocratic rule, yet he relinquished some rights to commoners and abolished human sacrificial rites in honor of the King. Under his rule, Hawaii enjoyed peace and prosperity.

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