Honolulu- The capital of Hawaii

Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii. Although Honolulu refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and the county are consolidated, known as the City and County of Honolulu, and the city and county are designated as the entire island. The City and County of Honolulu is the only incorporate city in Hawaii, as all other local government entities are administered at the county level. The population was 371,657 in 2000, while the population of the City and County was 909,863, known as the 57th-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Honolulu is also the most populous state capital relative to state population. In the Hawaiian language, Honolulu means "sheltered bay" or "place of shelter"


Symbols of Honolulu





Bird : Nene, also known as the Hawaiian Goose (Branta sandwicensis)








Dance: Hula
























Fish: Humuhumunukunukuapua`a, also known as the rectangular trigger fish or Hawaiian trigger fish (Rhinecanthus rectangulus)










Flower: Pua Aloalo, or Ma`o-hau-hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei)















Gem: Black Coral









































Individual Sport: Surfing

Insect: Pulelehua, also known as the Kamehameha butterfly (Vanessa tameamea)

Island Colors:
Hawai'i- The official color is Red.
Maui- The official color is Pink.
O'ahu- The official color is Golden Yellow.
Kaua'i- The official color is Purple.
Moloka'i- The official color is Green.
Lana'i- The official color is Orange.
Ni'ihau- The official color is White.
Kaho'olawe- The official color is Gray.

Language: Hawaiian

Mammal: Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi)

Marine Mammal: Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Plant: Kalo (Colocasia esculenta), Hawaiian word for taro

Popular Name: The Aloha State

Song: Hawai`i Pono`i

Team Sport: Outrigger Canoe Paddling

Tree: Kukui Tree (Aleurites Moluccana)

Hawaii History

“The Aloha State” became the 50th state in 1959, but the history of Hawaii goes back centuries earlier. Roughly 1,500 years ago, Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands first set foot on Hawaii's Big Island. With only the stars to guide them, they miraculously sailed over 2000 miles in canoes to migrate to the Islands.






500 years later, settlers from Tahiti arrived, bringing their beliefs in gods and demi-gods and instituting a strict social hierarchy based on a kapu (taboo) system. Hawaiian culture flourished over the centuries, giving rise to the art of the hula and the sport of surfing, but land division conflicts between ruling chieftains were common.




In 1778, Captain James Cook, landed on Kauai at Waimea Bay. Naming the archipelago the "Sandwich Islands" in honor of the Earl of Sandwich, Cook opened the doors to the west. Cook was killed only a year later in Kealakekua Bay on Hawaii's Big Island.








In 1791, North Kohala born Kamehameha united the warring factions of Hawaii’s Big Island and went on to unify all of the Hawaiian Islands into one royal kingdom in 1810. In 1819, less than a year after King Kamehameha's death, his son, Liholiho, abolished the ancient kapu system.








In 1820, the first Protestant missionaries arrived on Hawaii’s Big Island filling the void left after the end of the kapu system. Hawaii became a port for seamen, traders and whalers. The whaling industry boom flourished in Lahaina Harbor in Maui. Throughout these years of growth, western disease took a heavy toll on the Native Hawaiian population.



Western influence continued to grow and in 1893, American Colonists who controlled much of Hawaii's economy overthrew the Hawaiian Kingdom in a peaceful, yet still controversial coup. In 1898, Hawaii became a territory of the United States.

A Honolulu resident holds a newspaper celebrating Hawaii Statehood. (AP images)






In the 20th century, sugar and pineapple plantations fueled Hawaii's economy bringing an influx of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino and Portuguese immigrants. Lanai, under the leadership of James Dole, became known as the “Pineapple Island,” after becoming the world’s leading exporter of pineapple. This mix of immigrant ethnicities is what makes Hawaii’s population so diverse today.






On December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Oahu. Four years later, on September 2, 1945, Japan signed its unconditional surrender on the USS Battleship Missouri, which still rests in Pearl Harbor today. In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th State of the United States. Today, Hawaii is a global gathering place for visitors to share in the spirit of aloha. Beyond the sun and surf of the islands, we urge you to discover the rich cultural history of Hawaii to add even more depth to your visit.

Natural Wonder of Hawaii

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, is a United States National Park located in the U.S. State of Hawaiʻi on the island of Hawaiʻi. It displays the results of hundreds of thousands of years of volcanism, migration, and evolution—processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with complex and unique ecosystems and a distinct Ancient Hawaiian culture.

Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the most massive, offer scientists insights on the birth of the Hawaiian Islands and visitors' views of dramatic volcanic landscapes.

In recognition of its outstanding natural values, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has been designated as an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980 and a World Heritage Site in 1987.

The park includes 505.3 square miles of land. Over half of the park is designated the Hawaii Volcanoes Wilderness area and provides unusual hiking and camping opportunities.

The park encompasses diverse environments that range from sea level to the summit of the Earth's most massive volcano, Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet . Climates range from lush tropical rain forests, to the arid and barren Kaʻū Desert. Active eruptive sites include the main caldera of Kīlauea and a more active but remote vent called Puʻu ʻŌʻō.

The main entrance to the park is from the Hawaii Belt Road. The Chain of Craters Road, as the name implies, leads past several craters from historic eruptions to the coast. It used to continue to another entrance to the park near the town of Kalapana, but that portion is now covered by a lava flow.

The main Visitor Center, located just within the park entrance includes displays and information about the features of the park. The nearby Volcano Art Center houses historical displays and an art gallery.

The Thomas A. Jaggar Museum, located a few miles west on Crater Rim Drive, features more exhibits and a close view of the Kīlauea's active vent Halemaʻumaʻu. The museum is named after scientist Thomas Jaggar, who was the first director of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, which adjoins the museum.

The observatory itself is operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and is not open to the public. Bookstores are located in the main visitor's center and the Jaggar Museum.The Kilauea Military Camp provides accommodations for U.S. military personnel.

As of 2008 the superintendent was Cindy Orlando.Volunteer groups also sponsor events in the park.