15 Fun Facts About Hawaii

1. Hawaii has its own time zone (Hawaiian Standard Time.) There is no daylight savings time. The time runs two hours behind Pacific Standard Time and five hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

2. The state of Hawaii is composed of eight main islands(in order from northwest to southeast): Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island of Hawaii.

3. Honolulu is the largest city in the world based on borders. According to the state constitution, any island (or islet) not named as belonging to a county belongs to Honolulu. This makes all islands within the Hawaiian Archipelago, that stretch to Midway Island (1,500 miles northwest of Hawaii) part of Honolulu. Honolulu is about 1,500 miles long, more than halfway across the 48 contiguous states.

4. Molokai was once the home of the world’s largest pineapple plantations.

5. Ka Lae, located on the Big Island of Hawaii, is the southernmost point in the United States and is located at 18:54:49 N 155:41:00 W.

6. Measured from its base at the bottom of the ocean floor, Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii is the tallest mountain in the world.

7. Billboards are illegal here! Hawaii is one of four states that have outlawed billboard signage. The others are Alaska, Maine, and Vermont.

8. Hawaii has no snakes — and it’s illegal to bring them. The only legal snakes are kept at the zoo.

9. Flower leis are a customary tradition throughout the Hawaiian Islands. These hand-woven floral masterpieces are presented at nearly every celebration.

10. Hawaii is the only U.S. state with a tropical rain forest.

11. The Iolani Palace, located in Honolulu on Oahu, is the only royal palace in the United States.

12. At 3,000 feet deep, 7.5 miles long and 2.5 miles wide, Haleakalā is the world’s largest dormant volcano. The name in Hawaiian means ‘House of the Sun’.

13. The Hawaiian Archipelago is the largest island chain in the world, spanning 1,523 miles.

14. Hawaii is the most isolated population center on earth. The chain of islands is 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines.

15. Hawaii is nicknamed ‘The Aloha State’, because ‘aloha’ is the most commonly used word in the Hawaiian language, meaning hello, goodbye, love, best wishes, and more.