Hawaii (Hawaiian: Hawai?i) became the 50th state of the United States on August 21, 1959. It is situated in the North Pacific Ocean, 2,300 miles (3,700 km) from the mainland, at 21°18'41?N, 157°47'47?W. In the 19th Century, Hawaii was also known as the Sandwich Islands.

In dialects of American English, "Hawaii" is pronounced at least three different ways: (IPA pronunciation: [h?.'wa?.ji], [h?.'wa?.i], [h?.'wa?.?i]). In the Hawaiian language, there is also some variation possible, but the most general pronunciation is [h?.'v?i.?i] or [h?.'w?i.?i]. This last Hawaiian pronunciation is often used by native-English-speaking Hawai?i residents, as well.

Archaeologic evidence points to earliest habitation in the 11th Century ACE, probably by Polynesian settlers from the Marquesas, Raiatea and Bora Bora. The first recorded European contact with the islands was in 1778 by British explorer James Cook. However, substantial evidence (Stokes 1932 for example) exists of earlier Spanish visits to Hawai?i. Hawaii was an independent kingdom from 1810 until 1893, when the monarchy was overthrown. It was an independent republic from 1894 until 1898. It became a U.S. territory in 1898 and has been a state since 1959.

The Hawaiian Archipelago comprises eight islands and atolls extending across a distance of 1,500 miles (2,400 km). Of these, eight high islands are considered the "main islands" and are located at the southeastern end of the archipelago. These islands are, in order from the northwest to southeast, Niihau (Ni?ihau), Kauai (Kaua?i), Oahu (O?ahu), Molokai (Moloka?i), Lanai (Lana?i), Kahoolawe (Kaho?olawe), Maui (Maui), and Hawaii (Hawai?i). The latter is by far the largest, and is very often called the "Big Island" or "Big Isle". The use of that alternative name is often motivated by a desire to avoid ambiguity with "Hawai?i" meaning the entire state (all of the islands), as opposed to only that one island.

Map of Hawaii - PDFAll of the Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanoes arising from the sea floor from a magma source described in geological theory as a hotspot. The theory maintains that as the tectonic plate beneath much of the Pacific Ocean moves in a northwesterly direction, the hot spot remains stationary, slowly creating new volcanoes. This explains why only volcanoes on the southern half of the Big Island are presently active.

The last volcanic eruption outside the Big Island happened at Haleakala (Haleakala) on Maui in the late 18th century (though recent research suggests that Haleakala's most recent eruptive activity could be hundreds of years older[2]. The newest volcano to form is Loihi Seamount (Lo?ihi), deep below the waters off the southern coast of the Big Island.

The volcanic activity and subsequent erosion created impressive geological features. The Big Island is notable as the world's fifth highest island. If the height of the island is measured from its base, deep in the ocean, to its snow-clad peak on Mauna Kea, it can be considered one of the tallest mountains on the Earth.

Because of the islands' volcanic formation, native life before human activity is said to have arrived by the "3 'W's": wind, waves, and wings. The isolation of the Hawaiian Islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and the wide range of environments to be found on high islands located in and near the tropic, has resulted in a vast array of endemic flora and fauna. Hawai?i has more endangered species per square mile than anywhere else.