Honolulu boasts the only royal palace in the United States of America.
Hawaii is farther south than Florida
The bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 by Japan triggered the entrance of the United States into World War II and the imposition of martial law until 1944. Pearl Harbor is today one of the most frequently visited tourist attractions in Hawaii. Interestingly, Pearl Harbor has as many visitors from Japan as it does from the United States.
There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet.
- Vowels: A, E, I, O, U
- Consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W
Honolulu's zenith star, (the star that rises directly above it) is Arcturus. The Hawaiians called it Hokule'a. (Hoe koo lay uh.)
Hawaii was the 50th state admitted to the union on August 20th, 1959.
Island flowers and colors used to represent each island.
- Niihau - Pupu Shell - White
- Kauai - Mokihana (Green Berry) - Purple
- Oahu - Ilima -Yellow
- Maui - Lokelani (Pink Cottage Rose) - Pink
- Molokai - White Kukui Blossom - Green
- Lanai - Kaunaoa (Yellow and Orange Air Plant) - Orange
- Kahoolawe - Hinahina (Beach Heliotrope) - Grey
- Big Island of Hawaii - Lehua Ohia - Red
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.
Honolulu has more than 30 Buddhist temples.
The wind blows east to west in Hawaii. The highest recorded temperature is 96' F (Honolulu Airport), but temperatures over 92' F generally occur only once or twice a year. The lowest temperature (under 3000 feet altitude) is 56' F. Temperatures under 60' F may occur but rarely more than once a year. Average daytime temp. (July) is 82' F. Average daytime temperature in January is 72' F.
There are no racial or ethnic majorities in Hawaii. Everyone is a minority. Caucasians (Haoles) constitute about 34%; Japanese-American about 32%; Filipino-American about 16% and Chinese-American about 5%. It is very difficult to determine racial identification as most of the population has some mixture of ethnicities.
Honolulu is the largest city in the world -- at least it has the longest 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 or more distance than halfway across the 48 contiguous states.
Wai Golf Course is Hawaii's first municipal course.
Honolulu is the nation's 11th largest metropolitan area.
More than 100 world-renowned beaches ring Honolulu.
Iolani Palace is the only royal palace in the United States.
The world's largest wind generator is on the island of Oahu. The windmill has two blades 400 feet long on the top of a tower twenty stories high.
The island of Oahu draws more visitors than any other to Hawaii. One-third of the state's best surfing beaches are on Oahu.
The state of Hawaii has four counties: City and county of Honolulu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii (the Big Island).
Honolulu is the “largest” city in the world. That’s because Hawaii’s state constitution states that any island not named as belonging to a county belongs to Honolulu. This makes the entire island of Oahu, where Honolulu is located, plus all the other small, uninhabited islands, known as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, part of Honolulu. Honolulu is about 1,500 miles (2,414 km) long. Or in other words, it spans the distance from Los Angeles, California, to Denver, Colorado.
Oahu is home to the world’s largest wind generator. The windmill is located on the top of a 20-story tower. It has two blades, each measuring 400 feet (122 m) in length.
Foster Botanical Garden near Iolani Palace was built in 1855, which makes it the oldest garden in Hawaii.
Waikiki attracts 72,000 visitors on any given day. That’s as much as 44 percent of all tourists present in the entire state of Hawaii.
Iolani Palace, located in downtown Honolulu, is the only royal palace in the United States.
Electric lights illuminated Iolani Palace four years before the White house had them.
Honolulu is the second most expensive city in the United States, after Anchorage, Alaska.
