Hawaii is open again! Many travelers have been keeping a close eye on Hawaii and its process of re-opening to visitors and tourists. Since late March, there has been a 14-day quarantine, but now Hawaii has relaxed the mandatory quarantine policy and is allowing travelers to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test instead. This excludes the Big Island of Hawaii, which is not participating in the pre-travel test program. All visitors to the Big Island will still be required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. To celebrate, I thought it would be fun to look at some fun and interesting facts about our 50th state:
1. The state of Hawaii consists of eight main islands: Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kaho’olawe and the Big Island of Hawaii.
2. The Big Island is Hawaii’s largest at 4,038 square miles. It is twice the size of all other Hawaiian Islands combined.
3. There are four counties in Hawaii (Kauai; city and county of Honolulu; Maui; and Hawaii). Each city has a mayor and council in charge.
4. Hawaii is 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines.
5. There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet.
Vowels: A, E, I, O, U
Consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W
6. From east to west, Hawaii is the widest state in the United States.
7. The Hawaiian Islands are the tops of the biggest mountain range in the world.
8. Under-sea volcanoes that erupted thousands of years ago formed the islands of Hawaii.
9. Hawaii was the 50th state admitted to the union on August 20th, 1959.
10. Each Hawaiian Island has different flowers and colors used to represent it:
Niihau – Pupu Shell – White
Kauai – Mokihana (Green Berry) – Purple
Oahu – Ilima -Yellow
Maui – Lokelani (Pink Cottage Rose) – Pink
Molokai – White Kukui Blossom – Green
Lanai – Kaunaoa (Yellow and Orange Air Plant) – Orange
Kahoolawe – Hinahina (Beach Heliotrope) – Grey
Big Island of Hawaii – Lehua Ohia – Red
11. Hawaii has its own time zone known as Hawaiian Standard Time. The islands do not observe daylight savings time. The time runs two hours behind Pacific Standard Time and five hours behind Eastern Standard Time.
12. The highest recorded temperature is 96′ F (at Honolulu Airport), but temperatures over 92′ F generally occur only once or twice a year. The lowest temperature is 56′ F. Temperatures under 60′ F may occur, but rarely more than once a year.
13. According to the Hawaii State Constitution, any island not named as belonging to a county belongs to Honolulu. This means that Honolulu is about 1,500 miles long, making it the largest city in the world
14. Honolulu is the United State’s 11th largest metropolitan area.
15. More than 100 world-renowned beaches are along the coast of Honolulu.
16. The island of Oahu draws more visitors than any other to Hawaii. One-third of the state’s best surfing beaches are on Oahu.
17. Niihau, Hawaii’s seventh largest inhabited island, is home to only 130 residents with no automobiles and no paved roads.
18. The island of Maui is home to many famous attractions including Haleakala Crater, the old whaling town of Lahaina, the Road to Hana, and Kaanapali Beach.
19. Hawaii is home to the largest dormant volcano, Haleakala Crater, and the world’s most active volcano, Kilauea Volcano.
20. The island of Lanai is considered Hawaii’s most secluded.
21. Hulope Bay, located on the Island of Kaho’olawe, is a marine preserve and considered one of the best diving spots in the world.
22. At 800,000 years of age, the Big Island is the youngest of the island chain. However, it was the first island discovered by voyaging Polynesians.
23. Two of the tallest mountains in the Pacific- Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa- dominate the center of Hawaii Island.
24. Most of the world’s macadamia nuts are grown on Hawaii’s Big Island.
25. Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows coffee.
26. More than one-third of the world’s commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawaii.