Noah Davelaar

February 21, 2017

About Hawaii

Hawaii, the 50th state to join the United States of America, has diverse natural scenery, a

warm tropical climate, an abundance of public beaches, beautiful oceanic surroundings, and

active volcanoes, making it a popular destination for tourists, surfers, biologists, and scientists

who study volcanoes. Its land, plants, animals, and rich history distinguish it from the other

forty-nine states.

Hawaiis land sets it apart from the other forty-nine states. It is the only state composed

entirely of islands. Hawaiis chain of 132 islands stretches 1,523 miles. It is about 2,400 miles

from the west coast of the U.S.A. (Johnston 7). Hawaii is divided into two groups of islands. One

group has 124 small islands which have been worn down by wind and water over time (Johnston

10). The second group has eight larger islandsNiihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai,

Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii (Johnston 11). The highest peak is Mauna Kea, an inactive

volcano. It is 13,796 feet near the center of Hawaii Island. Two volcanoes on Hawaii still erupt-

Mauna Loa and Kilauea (Johnston 11). Farmers raise livestock, sugarcane, pineapple, and other

crops in the flatlands and coastal plains (Johnston 12). Hawaii has fairly constant temperatures,

averaging 77 degrees in July and 71 degrees in January. The mountain rain forests on the

northeast side of the islands receive up to 400 inches of rain each year, while the valleys on the

southwest side receive less than ten inches each year. Only a few short rivers flow across the

islands, and violent storms are rare (Johnston 14).

In addition to Hawaiis distinctive physical features, it has unique plants and animals.

There are 3,750 native insect species, 1,064 kinds of land snails, and 71 bird species (Kent 18).

The humid climate makes it a natural greenhouse so that lots of plants that need lots of water can
grow (Johnston 16). Hawaii has 1,729 kinds of flowering plants, most of which can be found

only in Hawaii (Kent 19), such as the honeycreeper (Johnston 16). Now plants from other

countries are crowding out native flora (Kent 19). Because Hawaii is isolated from the rest of the

world, Hawaii originally had no rodents or grazing animals, just birds and fish. The only native

mammals are bats and sea creatures like seals, whales, and dolphins. So nearly all animals in

Hawaii today came from other places, many of which have crowded out native species. For

example, feral pigs and goats damage fragile forests while rats and mice eat seeds of native

plants (Kent 17). Also, the mongoose (a weasel-like animal) was brought to Hawaii to kill rats,

but now it eats the eggs of young native birds (Kent 18).

Furthermore, Hawaii also has some exciting history. On December 7, 1941, people in

Honolulu heard planes and thought the U.S.A. was training. Then they heard the bombs explode

(Kent 60). Even though the U.S.A. had been preparing for war, this Japanese attack took

everyone by surprise. The bombing lasted about two hours, destroying twenty-one naval vessels

(1/3 of the entire U.S.A. fleet) (Kent 61). There were fifty-seven civilians killed, and sixty-four

Japanese are known to have died (Kent 60). More than 2,400 soldiers plus residents died in the

attack, and the Japanese destroyed about 200 airplanes and several warships (Johnston 35).

Therefore, on December 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan (Kent

61). Consequently, with a third of Hawaiis residents being Japanese, the government arrested

many of them because they worried that they might be spies, and Japanese American schools and

radio stations closed (Johnston 37). Japanese Americans were angered but wanted to show their

loyalty. Many of them even won medals for bravery in their battalions (Johnston 37).

It is certainly evident that Hawaiis land, plants, animals, and rich history distinguish it

from the other forty-nine states. Surely there is no other place on earth like Hawaii.
 WORKS CITED

Johnston, Joyce. Hawaii: Hello U.S.A. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2002.

Kent, Deborah. America the Beautiful: Hawaii. New York: Childrens Press, 2008.