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purple monkey;
e-publication
The Hawaiian Islands
Complements of Aloha-Hawaii.com
Hawaii. Even as the word rolls off your
tongue, vivid images already form in your mind: Lying on a secluded beach, your
cares drifting away with the gentle ocean waves. Exploring lush tropical rain
forests, immersing yourself in a thousand different shades of green.
SCUBA diving and snorkeling in crystal-clear waters,
coming face to face with schools of rainbow-colored fish. Sipping a Mai Tai and
catching a brilliant Hawaiian sunset.
Geologists believe that the Hawaiian islands were formed millions of years ago,
born of earth, wind and fire. More than a thousand years ago,
Polynesian voyagers arrived on Hawaiian shores,
populating these islands and bringing to life the spirit of aloha (showing love,
kindness and compassion). Since then, many chapters have been turned in Hawaiis
historyfrom Western contact and the
Hawaiian monarchy to the plantation era and Japans
attack on Pearl Harborbut the aloha spirit has endured. It remains a living
personification of the very best of Hawaii and its people.
Nicknamed The Aloha State, Hawaii is a string of 137 islands encompassing a
land area of 6,422 square miles in the north central Pacific Ocean (2,400 miles
from the west coast of the continental United States. There are eight main
islands:
Oahu, the
Big
Island of Hawaii,
Maui,
Kauai,
Lanai,
Molokai,
Niihau
and Kahoolawe.
Hawaii became the
50th U.S. state on August 21, 1959. Its
capital city, Honolulu, is located on the island of Oahu. The latest census
figures show Hawaii with more than 1.2 million residents. Renowned as a cultural
melting pot, Hawaii celebrates its diversityno ethnicity makes up more than
25 percent of the total populationwith a full menu of cultural festivals each
year, including the much-anticipated
Aloha Festivals.
The Aloha State offers many natural attractions, including
Kilauea, the worlds most active
volcano; the
Napali sea cliffs and
Waimea Canyon (dubbed the Grand Canyon of the
Pacific by Mark Twain) on Kauai; breathtaking
Haleakala Crater on Maui; and world-famous
Waikiki
Beach and
Diamond Head Crater on Oahu
Article from:
http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/hawaii/hawaii+islands+of+aloha/
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