Before planning to go to Hawaii, here are some interesting facts about Aloha Island.
• Hawaii comes from the Proto-Polynesian word ‘hawaiki’ which means ‘place of the gods’ or ‘homeland’. Hawaii has many nicknames, but one of the most famous is the term “The Aloha State.” In the Hawaiian language, the term ‘Aloha’ has many definitions such as hello, goodbye, affection, love, compassion, and mercy. Although not clearly stated, Hawaii is called as the Aloha State due to its warm hospitality with tourists that always welcomes everyone. This term is inspired by the Aloha spirit, which is often described as the sense of caring and hospitality towards others and those around you.
• On August 20, 1959, Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state in the union and is the newest of the 50 US states, and it is also the only US state to be made up entirely of an archipelago. in the central Pacific Ocean. The state of Hawaii is made up of almost the entire Hawaiian volcanic island chain, which is made up of hundreds of islands spread over 2,400 km. In fact, the Hawaiian Islands are the jutting peaks of the largest mountain range in the world. Another thing, due to continued volcanic activity in the state, Hawaii is the only state in the US to have a growing land area.
• Hawaii’s volcanoes not only attract tourists, but also geologists and volcanologists from around the world. During the 1960s, astronauts trained for lunar travel by walking on the hardened lava fields of Mauna Loa, which closely resemble the surface of the moon.
• In the year 600 d. C., the sugar cane was introduced to the first inhabitants of Hawaii. When Captain Cook arrived on the islands in 1778, the sugar cane was already planted and growing around the huts of the natives. But it wasn’t until 1834 when Ladd & Co signed a lease with King Kamehameha III for 980 acres of land that the sugar cane plantation became big business. Different groups of people such as Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Filipinos and Puerto Ricans were being recruited to work on the plantations. This massive immigration resulted in a mixed race population in Hawaii. Today, there are no racial or ethnic majorities in Hawaii, so everyone is considered a minority. And determining the racial identification of the majority of Hawaiians today is quite difficult since most of the population has some mixture of ethnicities. Although sugar is no longer produced in Hawaii, remnants of the Kauai plantation’s past can still be seen in downtown Koloa. Here you can find old sugar mills and restored plantation-style buildings.
• Did you know that the current president of the United States, Barack Obama, was born in Hawaii? And he is the only president born outside the main continent of the United States.
• Compared to the English alphabet, the Hawaiian alphabet only has 12 letters. Vowels formed by the letters: A, E, I, O, U and consonants formed by the letters: H, K, L, M, N, P, W.
• Ancient Hawaiian society was divided into different social classes. The lowest group was called ‘kauwa’, made up of prisoners of war or first settlers conquered by later arrivals. This group of people had a lot of bad luck and are generally the ones chosen for human sacrifices to the gods. The common people are called ‘makaainana’ and the elite class which is made up of chiefs or alii and kings.
Hawaii has a very interesting history and culture. The best way to discover it is by experiencing it first hand. If you plan to spend your summer in Hawaii, I suggest you shop around for vacation packages and try to choose those that already include airfare and lodging to cut down on your expense.
