Hawaii . . . State 50
The flag of Hawaii was commissioned by King Kamehameha I of Hawaii in 1816. King Kamehameha I had unified the islands of Hawaii in 1810, using a schooner armed with a cannon. Before that time, each of the large islands had been a separate kingdom. The flag has eight stripes of alternation red, white and blue that represent the eight major islands. Nihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island of Hawaii. The State seal also adopted that year includes the state Motto. The state coat of arms in in the center, with a figure of King Kamehameha I to the left and the Goddess of Liberty on the right.
Hawaii was the 50th state in the USA and became a state on August 21, 1959. The state nickname is the Aloha State and sometimes called The Paradise of the Pacific. Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, is the state capital. Honolulu is Hawaii's largest city and the nation's 11th largest metropolitan area.
Hawaii is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean approximately 2,400 miles southwest of California and about 3,800 miles southeast of Japan and 5,280 miles from the Philippines. Hawaii is the world's longest island chain and is comprised of eight main islands which include: Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and Niihau and also a series of smaller ones. Hawaii was formed thousands of years ago by under-sea volcanoes which erupted. There are still five active volcanoes in Hawaii which are: Loihi, Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Haleakala.
Hawaii is one of the premier travel destinations because of its beauty and great climate. The weather is very consistent, with only minor changes in temperature throughout the year. There are only two seasons which is summer that extend from May to October and winter from November to April. The average summer temperature at sea level is 85 degrees F. and the average winter temperature is 78 degrees.
Hawaii's major source of income is tourism with millions of visitors a year. Hawaii major agriculture crops consist of bananas, pineapples, macadamia nuts, avocado, sugar cane, coffee, and taro. More than one-third of the world's commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawaii and Hawaii is the only state which grows coffee.
Hawaii has 4 counties: Kauai - Honolulu - Maui - Hawaii
