Hawaii Articles

Articles About Hawaii

Here you can find articles about Hawaii, about the Hawaiian islands, about the different locations within the Hawaiian islands, as well as information on the many beaches in Hawaii, things to do in the islands of Hawaii and much more. You'll find photos, links to Web videos on Hawaii, resources, travel information and more.

The History Of The Hawaiian Islands

A collection of islands, atolls, smaller islets, and undersea formations create the beautiful location of the Hawaiian Islands, known as one of the most familiar archipelagos in the world. Today, the Hawaiian Islands are identified by more than 130 different islands and atolls that cover a total land mass measuring close to 6,500 square miles.

While there are countless locations associated with the Hawaiian Islands, there are about eight main destinations decorating the south and north that gain the most attention, including the Big Island (Hawai'i); Oahu; and Maui.

The first settlers to establish a home base on the islands were the Polynesians, who arrived in Hawaii in large, double-hulled canoes. The exact time and approach towards colonization associated with the history of the Hawaiian Islands is unknown, but a handful of intriguing details have survived.

The Polynesians brought chickens, dogs, pigs, bananas, coconuts, and sweet potatoes to the islands. It is believed that two major waves of immigration also took place. The first settlements were thought created sometime before 500 AD, while the second trend of migration took place around 1300 AD.

When it comes to the oldest Hawaiian island, it is the northernmost paradise of Kauai that was first populated and stands as geologically older than the rest. The first settlers came to Kauai about 200 AD, establishing a set of social codes that allowed the inhabitants to thrive within a balanced environment. A huge volcano named Mt. Waialeale is responsible for creating this fourth largest destination of the Hawaiian Islands, and is often referred to as the "Island of Discovery."

The formation of the rest of the islands took place when the land masses slowly traveled over a hotspot in the Earth's mantle at the rate of 32 miles per million years. Over time, the eruptions associated with this Hawaiian hotspot established a trail of underwater mountains (known as the Emperor Seamounts) that decorates the Pacific Ocean. This is why the islands situated in the northwest of the archipelago are older and usually smaller in size because they were exposed to longer periods of erosion. Today, the only volcanic activity associated with the Hawaiian Islands in the past 200 years has occurred on the southeastern paradise of Hawai'i, and on Loihi, a seamount positioned in the extreme southeast.

The largest island in the archipelago is also the youngest. Hawai'i (known as the Big Island) was constructed with the help of five separate volcanoes. Taking up more than half of the Big Island, Mauna Loa is known as the largest shield volcano on the planet.

The third largest of the Hawaiian Islands is called Oahu ("The Gathering Place") and accommodates about ¾ of the state's population with many settling in the principal city of Honolulu. Although Oahu was populated before 1000 AD, the island didn’t become part of the Hawaiian Islands until 1795 when King Kamehameha I of Hawaii received the territory in the infamous Battle of Nuuanu Pali. The Honolulu Harbor would later become a wealthy port in the Pacific – accommodating fur, whale, and sandalwood trading.

The Hawaiian Islands have always served as home to a large number of endemic species of plant and animal specimens that once enjoyed total isolation for millions of years before the islands experienced their first human contact. Before human settlers descended upon the land, there were no mammals roaming about the Hawaiian Islands. Today, a visit to Hawaii and surrounding islands brings tourists close to lush, green forests; breathtaking beaches; the Hawaiian Hawk; geckos; and Nene gooses.

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Sherif Osman