Hawaii Geography

An archipelago in the mid-Pacific, and thus commonly included in Oceania, it is not part of North America [2]. Hawai'i is the southernmost state of the United States; it would be the westernmost, if not for Alaska. It is one of only two states (Alaska is the other) that are outside the contiguous United States, and do not share a border with another U.S. state.

Hawai'i is the only state of the United States that

• is without territory on the mainland of any continent
• is completely surrounded by water, and
• continues to grow in area because of active extrusive lava flows, most notably from Kilauea (K?lauea).
• is entirely in the tropics.

Except for Easter Island, Hawai'i is farther away from land than any other landmass on Earth. Hawai'i's tallest mountain, Mauna Kea stands over 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) and is taller than Mount Everest if followed to its base at the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

The Hawaiian Archipelago comprises eight islands and atolls extending across a distance of 1,500 miles (2,400 km). Of these, eight high islands are considered the "main islands" and are located at the southeastern end of the archipelago. These islands are, in order from the northwest to southeast, Ni?ihau, Kaua?i, O?ahu, Moloka?i, L?na?i, Kaho?olawe, Maui, and Hawai?i. The latter is by far the largest, and is very often called the "Big Island" or "Big Isle" to avoid confusion with the state name.

All of the Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanoes arising from the sea floor from a magma source described in geological theory as a hotspot. The theory maintains that as the tectonic plate beneath much of the Pacific Ocean moves in a northwesterly direction, the hot spot remains stationary, slowly creating new volcanoes. This explains why only volcanoes on the southern half of the Big Island, and the Loihi Seamount (L??ihi) deep below the waters off its southern coast, are presently active, with Lo'ihi being the newest volcano to form.

The last volcanic eruption outside the Big Island happened at Haleakal? on Maui in the late 18th century (though recent research suggests that Haleakal?'s most recent eruptive activity could be hundreds of years older.[3]

The volcanic activity and subsequent erosion created impressive geological features. The Big Island is notable as the world's fifth highest island. If the height of the island is measured from its base, deep in the ocean, to its snow-clad peak on Mauna Kea, it can be considered one of the tallest mountains on the Earth[weasel words][disputed].

Because of the islands' volcanic formation, native life before human activity is said to have arrived by the "3 'W's": wind, waves, and wings. The isolation of the Hawaiian Islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and the wide range of environments to be found on high islands located in and near the tropic, has resulted in a vast array of endemic flora and fauna. Hawai'i has more endangered species per square mile and has lost a higher percent of it's endemic species than anywhere else on earth.

Areas under the control and protection of the National Park Service include:

• Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail on the Big Island
• Haleakala National Park in Kula
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island
• Kalaupapa National Historical Park in Kalaupapa
• Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park in Kailua-Kona
• Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park in Honaunau (Pu?uhonua o H?naunau)
• Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site in Kawaihae (Pu?ukohol? Heiau)
• USS Arizona Memorial at Honolulu

The climate of Hawai'i is typical for a tropical area, and is regarded as more subtropical than the latitude would suggest, because of the moderating effect of the surrounding ocean. Temperatures and humidity tend to be less extreme, with summer high temperatures seldom reaching above the upper 80s °F, (around 27 °C) and winter temperatures (at low elevation) seldom dipping below the mid-60s (16 °C). Snow, although not usually associated with tropics, falls at high elevations on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island in some winter months. Snow only rarely falls on Maui's Haleakala. Mount Waialeale (Wai?ale?ale), on the island of Kaua'i, is notable for rainfall, as it has the second highest average annual rainfall on Earth, about 460 inches (38 ft. 4 in., or 11.7 m).

Local climates vary considerably on each island, grossly divisible into windward (Ko?olau) and leeward (Kona) areas based upon location relative to the higher mountains. Windward sides face the Northeast Trades and receive much more rainfall; leeward sides are drier, with less rain and less cloud cover. This fact is utilized by the tourist industry, which concentrates resorts on sunny leeward coasts.

Hurricanes are a rare occurrence in Hawai'i, although it is probable that all the islands of Hawai'i have been hit by a hurricane in the past. The worst hurricane to hit Hawai'i was Hurricane Iniki in 1992, which showed that Hawai'i was indeed vulnerable to a direct hit from a hurricane.

The movement of the Hawaiian royal family from the island of Hawai'i to Maui, and subsequently to Oahu, explains why certain population centers exist where they do today. The largest city, Honolulu, was the one chosen by King Kamehameha III as the capital of his kingdom because of the natural harbor there, the present-day Honolulu Harbor.

The only city is the capital, Honolulu, located along the southeast coast of the island of Oahu. Other populous areas are not cities, but unincorporated areas[citation needed], including Hilo, K?ne?ohe, Kailua, Pearl City, Waipahu, Kahului, Kailua-Kona, K?hei, and L?hu?e. The previous capital was Lahaina, Maui.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument was proclaimed by President George W. Bush on June 15, 2006, under the 1906 Antiquities Act. The monument covers roughly 140,000 square miles (360,000 km²) of reefs, atolls and shallow and deep sea (out to 50 miles offshore) in the Pacific Ocean, larger than all of America's National Parks combined.[5]

Na Pali coast, Kauai

Map of Hawaii - PDF

Niihau

Kauai

Oahu

Maui

Molokai

Lanai

Kahoolawe

Hawaii

A NASA photograph of the Hawaiian Islands taken from space.

A sunset in Hawaii