Hawaii is an isolated tropical archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Located on a geologic “hot spot” of the Pacific tectonic plate, the island chain is composed of peaks of an underwater range of both active and dormant volcanoes. Due to the warm trade winds it enjoys mild temperatures year-round and only two seasons, winter and summer. The terrain varies from volcanic rock formations to tropical forest and the region’s isolation has created a significant number of endemic species. It contains the world’s most active volcano, Kilauea, the world’s largest observatory, at Mauna Kea, and the world’s rainiest place, Mount Waialeale.
Since as early as 300AD, the eight main islands of Hawaii have been home to a native Polynesian people. They lived under a sophisticated feudal system, spoke a common Hawaiian language, and practiced a polytheistic religion. Hula dancing, surfing, music, and oral histories were all used in spiritual as well as secular life.
When Captain James Cook first visited the islands in 1778 he named them the Sandwich Islands, after his voyage sponsor the Earl of Sandwich. This began a period of European and Asian immigration and religious conversion, during which missionaries often decried native practices as pagan, and appealed to the newly installed Hawaiian king to have them banned. While the island nation entered world trade and converted to Christianity, it lost several unique elements of its culture, which are now being re-discovered and elevated in the 21st century.
Hawaii remained an independent monarchy until 1893, when it was overthrown by U.S. Marines in a military coup. (A century later, in 1993, the United States formally apologized for its role in the coup and its subsequent misinformation campaign.) The following year, 1894, saw the establishment of a brief republic, which lasted only until the islands were annexed to the United States in 1898.
The tourist trade began at the turn of the twentieth century with the building of two resorts. At the same time, the native sugar cane agriculture became industrialized, and pineapple was popularized by the Dole company. The islands also became important strategic locations for US military bases.
In 1941 the attack on Pearl Harbor provoked the United States’ involvement in World War II. Hawaii moved from relative obscurity to prominence in American minds, eventually bolstering the case for statehood, which it achieved in 1959.
The silver screen further immortalized Hawaii to mainland and foreign viewers, and waves of tourism began to bolster the economy. Today there are thousands of resorts on the eight islands, and dozens of movies and popular TV shows have been filmed there. Tourism represents over 24% of the Hawaiian economy, grossing more than $10 billion per year.