Hawaii, "The Aloha State," admitted on August 21, 1959, is comprised of eight major islands: O‘ahu, Hawai‘i (also known as the Big Island), Maui, Kaua‘i, Moloka‘i, Lana‘i, Ni‘ihau and Kaho‘olawe. Collectively, the Hawaiian islands are renowned for their spectacular natural beauty, year-round sunny climate and the "aloha spirit" of Island residents.

"Did You Know? Hawaii is the most isolated population center on earth: 2,390 miles from California, 3,850 miles from Japan, 4,900 miles from China & 5,280 miles from the Philippines; is the widest state in the U.S. from east to west; has its own time zone (Hawaiian Standard Time) does not recognize daylight savings time. HST runs two hours behind Pacific Standard Time and five hours behind Eastern Standard Time; has only 12 letters in its alphabet: a, e, i, o, u, h, k, l, m n, p and w.

The State Flower is Red Hibiscus; its State Bird is the Hawaiian Nene Goose and its State Motto is “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono," or "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness."

Kamehameha III declared these words in 1843 after his authority was briefly usurped by the British.

For more interesting information, please visit:

http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/almanac/

http://www.hawaiiscene.com/50thState.htm