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New, isolated, and on the same latitude as central Mexico, Hawaii is a tropical paradise, seductive and exotic. Plants and animals native to the islands are found nowhere else on earth, while some introduced species have taken on strange forms. The Beautiful World of Hawaiian Tropic The inhabitants are relative newcomers, too. About A.D. 300, a group of Polynesians, navigating outrigger canoes by the sun, wind, ocean currents, and stars, arrived at this remote string of islands, and according to tradition named them after their homeland Hawaiki, but called them affectionately Ke Ao Nani ("The Beautiful World"). Though the Hawaiians descended from these settlers now account for less than 20 percent of the state's population, their culture has made a distinct and permanent imprint. Collectively, the Hawaiian Islands are nick named the Aloha Islands. But aloha is not just a mellifluous word of greeting. It also means love. The warm and outgoing nature of Hawaiians has made this state a melting pot that works. While a movement is on to preserve the Hawaiian language, culture, and traditions, Polynesians, Orientals, Caucasians ( haoles in Hawaiian) and other racial and ethnic groups live together harmoniously, with an intermarriage rate of more than 40 percent. Hawaiian Island From The Sea Millions of years ago the Hawaiian Islands erupted from a hot spot on the Pacific Ocean floor. Layers of lava rose over time, formed undersea mountains, and 70 million years ago emerged from the sea as fiery volcanoes. They spread out in a line, northwest to southeast more than 1,500 miles from end to end. Once the volcanoes emerged from the ocean, the erosion process began as the forces of waves, wind, and rain did their work. The youngest and least eroded of the volcanoes are the eight major islands that constitute the state of Hawaii: Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai and Molokai; privately owned Lanai and Niihau; and uninhabited Kahoolawe. The 124 smaller points of land are among the older, more eroded volcanoes. Hawaii: The Big Island Hawaii, the Big Island, lends its name to the entire state. Big though it is, with two thirds of the state's total land surface, a better description might be the Volcano Island. Five volcanoes, have contributed to its formation, two of which, Mauna Loa and Kilauea, remain active. Mauna Loa is the largest mountain in the world, a massive hunk of 10,000 cubic miles. Kilauea has the distinction of being the world's most active volcano. A third volcano, Mauna Kea though its summit is a mere 13,796 feet above sea level, is the world's tallest mountain, measuring over 33,000 feet from the ocean floor. Because of its geographical diversity, some parts of the island are drenched by constant rainfall while others are almost as dry as desert. Near Hilo lush stands of rain forest bloom with brilliant tropical flowers while waterfalls tumble into serene pools exotic images that have long inclined people to think of of Hawaii as paradise. On the other side of the island a light blanket of snow may cover the cold shouldered summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. Meanwhile, the sun always shines on the dry, sunny beaches of the Kona Coast. If you like, you can swim and ski on the same day on the Big Island. Despite its natural wonders and tourist attractions, the Big Island is largely agricultural. At the Parker Ranch, the largest individually owned cattle ranch in the United States, more than 50,000 head of cattle graze on nearly 125,000 acres in the shadow of old volcanoes. The island's rich soil also bears Kona coffee, macadamia nuts, orchids, and anthuriums. Oahu: The Gathering Place Archeologists have been unable to pinpoint the first Hawaiian landing site, but some of the earliest identified settlements are on Oahu, long ago nicknamed the Gathering Place for its large population which at more than 800,000 today is the largest of any Hawaiian island. Honolulu, on the southeastern coast, is the state's largest city, capital, and business center, as well as the site of Waikiki Beach. White much of the island is a modern metropolis with urban skyscrapers, suburban homes nestled in mountains and valleys, and interstate highways (connected to no other state), Oahu retains its tropical allure. Over looking Waikiki is Diamond Head, the extinct volcano that is Hawaiis most familiar landmark. (Early explorers gave the volcano its name after finding calcite crystals that looked like diamonds on its slopes.) Off Waikiki Beach are the waters where ancient Hawaiians developed the sport of surfing to an art, and 20th century Hawaiians and haoles continue the search for the perfect wave. Up along the Windward Coast is idyllic Hanauma Bay, formed by the erosion of another old volcanic crater, its peaceful waters a haven for tropical fish and a heaven for snorkelers. The steep ,green mountains of the Koolau Range drop into the Windward Coast in the east. In downtown Honolulu stands a heroic bronze statue of Kamehameha the Great, one hand holding a spear and the other outsretched in a greeting of aloha. Around his shoulders is his royal cape, which was originally made from thousands of yellow feathers from the now extinct mamo bird. When Capt. Tames Cook made the European discovery of the Hawaiian Islands in 1778 (naming them the Sandwich Islands), he found no single ruler. One of the leaders he met, however, was the young warrior chief Kamehameha. In 1795, Kamehameha united the islands (except Kauai and Niihau) and founded the Kingdom of Hawaii. He thus became the first of eight monarchs to rule Hawaii the only state to have been an independent kingdom. Queen Liliuokalani, beloved by the Hawaiian people, was deposed in 1893 by American business interests and held virtual prisoner in her own Iolani Palace. A provisional government was established, which worked for annexation to the United States. Its efforts were finally successful in 1898. The Victorian palace, with its empty thrones, still stands. Extract from "America Land Of Beauty And Splendor".The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. Pleasantville, New York/ Montreal. Written by Craig Canine et al.1992. |
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