Hawaii Facts for Kids

Our Hawaii Facts for Kids provide interesting and fun facts about the popular Pacific Ocean island state of the United States of America, its people, attractions and geographical superlatives and all other important facts about Hawaii you really should know.

Hawaii Facts for Kids

Hawaii Facts for Kids: Girls with lei - flower necklace

Top 30 Hawaii Facts | USA

1. Hawaii is the only island state of the USA and the country's eighth smallest state. Hawaii is thus the only state of the USA that is an archipelago.

2. Hawaii is located in the Pacific Ocean about 3,200 km/ 2,000 miles from the US mainland.

3. Hawaii has a population of about 1.4 million people. The majority of the people on the islands live on the island of Oahu.

4. Hawaii's state capital is called Honolulu. The state capital is located on the southeast of the island of Oahu and is home to about 300,000 inhabitants. Honolulu is the state's largest and most populous city.

Map of Hawaii

5. Hawaii consists of 137 volcanic islands. There are eight main islands of these seven are inhabited: Hawai'i (also referred to as "Big Island"), Mau'i, O'ahu, Kaua'i, Moloka'i, Lana'i and Ni'ihau. No people live on Kaho'olawe which is prohibited territory as the island was used by U.S. military during World War II.

6. The Pacific Ocean coastline of Hawaii islands stretches over 1,210 km/ 750 miles and is the country's fourth longest - after Alaska, Florida and California.

Oahu Diamond Head Crater

7. The state located to the southwest of the United States coastline is about a 88 times smaller than Alaska, the largest US state. Hawaii is roughly half the size of the Bahamas or Montenegro.

Hawaii Facts for Kids
Hawaii Geography and Hawaii Superlatives

8. The Hawaiian islands were all formed by volcanic activity. The islands are located on top of volcanoes and hot spots on the sea floor. Hawaii has some of the most active volcanoes in the world such as Kilauea.

9. The tallest mountain of Hawaii is Mauna Kea and is located on Big Island. This is actually the tallest mountain in the world when measured from its base on the ocean floor.

Mauna Kea

The volcano is 4,205m/ 13,796 ft high from the sea level, but if measured from the ocean floor the hight of Mauna Kea would be 10,210 m/ 33,500.

10. Big Island is not only the youngest but also the largest island of the Hawaiian islands.

Molten Lava on Big Island

11. Wailuku river on the slopes of Mauna Kea is the longest river on the islands over a length of 45km/ 28 miles. There are lovely waterfalls along the riversides such as the Rainbow Falls.

12. Hawaii has in fact many waterfalls. The tallest of these is Hiilawe Falls on Big Island. The falls plunge down about 442 m/ 1,450 ft to Waipio Valley. Other scenic waterfalls include Three Bears Falls, also referred to as Upper Waikani Falls, on Maui.

Three Bears Falls on Maui

13. The largest lake in Hawaii is Lake Waiau on Mauna Kea. The small and shallow lake is on the mountain top and often named amongst the highest lakes in the USA.

14. Hawaii is the only state of the USA that lies in the tropics.

15. The island of Kauai is often referred to as the oldest island in the archipelago of Hawaii. The tropical forested landscape and the deeply eroded valleys stand out.

Kauai

Hawaii Facts | Name and State Symbols

16. The name Hawaii was given to the islands by its first indigenous settlers. Hawai'iloa is known as a mythical fisherman and founder of the first settlement.

17. The state has a nickname: "The Aloha State". This term refers to the local word for love and peace and is used as a common greeting.

Aloha

18. The motto of the state is "The Life of the Land Is Perpetuated in Righteousness" and goes back to the Hawaiian king Kamehameha III.

19. Hawaii is the 50th state of the USA and gained statehood in 1959 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

State Flag of Hawaii

20. The state flag of Hawaii includes the Union Jack of Great Britain and the eight strips represent the eight main islands of Hawaii.

The main Hawaii state colour is red and stands for the Big Island, however, all islands have their own official colours, such as Oahu is golden yellow and Maui is pink.

The official state bird of Hawaii is the Nene or Hawaiian goose. The Hawaiian monk seal is the state mammal and the yellow hibiscus is the state flower.

Yellow Hibiscus Flower

Hawaii Facts | Animals

21. Unique animals in Hawaii are Hawaiian monk seal and the nene, which is the Hawaiian goose.

Nene or Hawaiian goose

Hawaii islands are known also for the rich marine life in the Pacific surrounding the islands.

The state marine mammal is the Humpback Whale.

Hawaii Facts | Hawaiian People

22. Indigenous people have moved about and settled on the Hawaiian islands since the third century. Polynesians settled on the islands about 800 years ago. The Hawaiian kingdom was formed in 1795 with Kamehameha The Great as their first ruler and king.

23. The native Hawaiians belong to various groups but today speak mainly English or Hawaiian Creole English. Today, the community grows again and there are about 1.2 million aboriginal Hawaiians living in the USA.

Iolani Palace - formal royal residence of the Hawaiian monarchs

24. The first non-native explorer to visit the islands was captain James Cook in 1778. He named the islands "Sandwich Islands" to honour the 4th Earl of Sandwich who had sponsored his exploration trip.

24. The Hawaiian hula is a dance ritual that is regularly performed. Each dance tells its own story and honours the gods. Popular with tourist is also the hula dance that are accompanied by ukulele music.

25. About 63% Hawaiians say they are Christians, 38% of these are Protestants. Hawaii is one of the most diverse US states regarding religious belief systems.

26. Did you know that former U.S. president Barack Obama was born in Honolulu?

Facts about Hawaii | Economy

27. Hawaii's most important industry sectors are manufacturing of petroleum and coal products, aircraft and automobile parts as well as whaling and the agricultural sector with the production of coffee, pineapples, macadamia nuts and sugarcane.

Pineapples

28. Hawaii once was known for its pineapple plantations. In the 1930s, the islands were known as the largest pineapple producers in the world producing almost three quarters of the world's pineapples!

More Facts about Hawaii

29. Hawaii Facts for Kids | Time Zones: Almost all regions of the large state apply one time zone. The Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone (UTC-10:00) is shared also with parts of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Hawaii does not adhere to daylight saving time.

30. Hawaii Facts | Famous Landmarks: Among the most visited tourist sites and landmarks in Hawaii are:

Pearl Harbour National Memorial in Honolulu with the USS Arizona Memorial - learn about the U.S. history and the attack on Pearl Harbour

USS Arizona Memorial - image by nimon/shutterstock.com

Waimea Canyon - dubbed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific - on Kauai
Volcanoes National Park - two of the most active volcanoes in the world are located here
Hana Highway on Maui - drive over 50 bridges and take 600 curves along the route
Hawaiian International Film festival as well as the Chocolate and Coffee festival in October attract visitors from around the globe
Polynesian Cultural Center - living museum on Oahu
Disney Aulani Resort - Disney's fantastic resort and spa with activities for the whole family on Oahu
Maui Ocean Center - learn about Hawaii's marine life

Dolphins off the Hawaiian coast

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Useful Resources for Hawaii Facts:

This page was last updated on 12 March 2024

Hawaii Tourism Authority. "Hawaiian Islands". GoHawaii. Last accessed 13 March 2024
American Museum of Natural History. "The Power of Plate Tectonics." Ology. Last accessed 13 March 2024
National Parks Service. "Volcanoes National Park." nps.gov. Last accessed 13 March 2024
National Parks Service. "Pearl Harbour." nps.gov. Last accessed 13 March 2024
Iolani Palace. "Keiki and Ohana Activities" iolanipalace. Last accessed 13 March 2024

Image Credits on Hawaii Facts page: Shutterstock.com and wikipedia commons

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