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Hawaii
Real Estate
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Hawaii is the 50th state of the
United States, comprising a group of eight major islands
and numerous islets in the central Pacific Ocean.
Area, 6,450 sq mi (16,706 sq km).
Pop. (2000) 1,211,537, a 9.3% increase since the 1990 census.
Capital and largest city, Honolulu.
Nickname, Aloha State.
Motto, Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono [The Life of the
Land Is Perpetuated in Righteousness].
State bird, Hawaiian goose.
State flower, hibiscus.
State tree, candlenut.
Geologically the youngest of the Hawaiian group, Hawaii is
made up of three volcanic mountain masses rising from the
floor of the Pacific OceanMauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai.
Lava flows, some of which reach the sea, and volcanic ash
cover parts of the island. The north and northeast coasts
are rugged with high cliffs; the west and south coasts are
generally low, with some good bathing beaches. An unusual
black-sand beach lies on the southeast coast.
The Hawaiian Islands are of volcanic origin and are edged
with coral reefs. Hawaii is the largest and geologically
the youngest island of the group, and Oahu , where the capital,
Honolulu , is located, is the most populous and economically
important. The other principal islands are Kahoolawe , Kauai
, Lanai , Maui , Molokai , and Niihau . The Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands, consisting of uninhabited islets and excluding
Midway , stretch more than 1,100 mi (1,800 km) from Nihoa
to Kure. Most of islets are encompassed in the Hawaiian Island
National Wildlife Refuge; the surrounding waters and coral
reefs are in the vast 84-million-acre (34-million-hectare)
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Reserve. Palmyra
atoll and Kingman Reef , which were within the boundaries
of Hawaii when it was a U.S. territory, were excluded when
statehood was achieved.
Sugarcane and pineapples, grown chiefly on large company-owned
plantations, are the major agricultural products and the
basis of the islands' principal industry, food processing.
Macadamia nuts, papayas, greenhouse vegetables, and coffee
are also important. Other products include coffee, cattle,
and dairy products. Commercial fishing, especially tuna,
is also significant. Tourism is, however, the leading source
of income, and defense installations, including Pearl Harbor,
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