HI · Aloha State · West · admitted 1959 (#50)
Hawaii map
Hawaii highlighted on the US map, with Honolulu as both capital and largest city. It is the only state made entirely of islands, the only one in the tropics, and the most recent to join the Union.
- Capital
- Honolulu
- Largest city
- Honolulu
- Population (2020)
- 1,455,271
- Area
- 10,932 sq mi
- Counties
- 5
- Time zone
- Hawaii–Aleutian
- Region
- West · Pacific
- Statehood
- August 21, 1959
Where Hawaii is
Hawaii lies in the North Pacific Ocean roughly 2,400 miles southwest of San Francisco and 3,850 miles east of Tokyo, between about 19°N and 22°N on the main islands. The eight main islands, from northwest to southeast, are Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui and the island of Hawaii (the Big Island); they stretch about 350 miles. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, mostly uninhabited atolls, extend the chain another 1,200 miles to Kure Atoll. Honolulu is on the south shore of Oahu, which holds about two-thirds of the state's population. Hawaii is the southernmost state and, at Ka Lae on the Big Island, has the southernmost point in the US.
Major cities
| City | Region of state | Population (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu (capital) | Oahu | 350,964 |
| East Honolulu | Oahu | 50,922 |
| Pearl City | Oahu | 45,295 |
| Hilo | Hawaii (Big Island) | 44,186 |
| Waipahu | Oahu | 43,485 |
| Kailua | Oahu | 40,762 |
| Kaneohe | Oahu | 34,970 |
Geography
- Mauna Kea — 13,796 feet above sea level on the Big Island, the highest point in the state; measured from its base on the sea floor it is the tallest mountain on Earth. See state high points.
- Mauna Loa and Kilauea — the largest and the most active volcanoes in the world, both on the Big Island inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
- Haleakala — a 10,023-foot dormant volcano that makes up the eastern three-quarters of Maui.
- Waimea Canyon — about 10 miles long and up to 3,000 feet deep on Kauai, the oldest and wettest of the main islands.
- Coastline — about 750 miles of general coastline; the state has no land border at all. See US coastlines.
- Rivers — short and steep; the Wailuku River on the Big Island, 28 miles, is the longest.
- Time — Hawaii–Aleutian time, UTC−10, with no daylight saving.
Borders
Hawaii is the only state without a land boundary of any kind; every border is a maritime line in the Pacific. Its five counties are drawn island by island: Honolulu County is Oahu and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Hawaii County is the Big Island, Maui County covers Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe, Kauai County covers Kauai and Niihau, and tiny Kalawao County is the former Kalaupapa leprosy settlement on Molokai's north shore, administered by the state health department. Honolulu's city and county governments are combined.
Regions of Hawaii
The islands themselves are the regions: Oahu (Honolulu, Waikiki, the North Shore, Pearl Harbor), Maui (Kahului, Lahaina, Hana), the Big Island (Hilo on the wet east side, Kona on the dry west side), Kauai (Lihue, the Na Pali coast), Molokai and Lanai. Each large island is further split by its windward (northeast, rainy) and leeward (southwest, dry) sides.
Related maps
- Hawaii county map — Honolulu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai and Kalawao.
- Blank Hawaii map — outline for printing.
- Printable Hawaii map.
- Honolulu — the only US state capital outside North America.
- Other Pacific states: California, Alaska.
- Region: West · Pacific.
- Time zone: Hawaii–Aleutian.
- Geography: Highest points, National parks, US mountains.