| Hawaii is an archipelago situated in the central Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia, and southeast of Japan. It was the last to be included in the Union and became the 50th state of the US in 1959. After Alaska, it became the second state, which does not share borderline with any other state of the US. The archipelago consists of hundreds of big and small islands spreading over 1500 miles in length. The total area of the state is 10,931 square miles and the population according to an estimate is 1,288,198. Most population is concentrated in eight big islands, which include the names of Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai and Niihau. Hawaii is the biggest island in size and importance and is nicknamed as the "Big Island" or "Big Isle" to separate it from the state as a whole. The tallest mountain in the state of Hawaii is Mauna Kea, which is located in the big island and is as high as 13,796 feet. The entire archipelago is considered to be a part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania according to anthropologists. The capital of the state of Hawaii is Honolulu, which is also the largest city. |
