Hawaii
Hawaii is the most remote island chain in the world, over 2,000 miles from the nearest landfall. Distance makes for splendid isolation - these Polynesian islands are removed from all else but one another.
Hawaii consists of eight major islands plus 124 minor islands, reefs and shoals, strung like a necklace across the Pacific for over 1,500 miles. The eight major islands (which make up over 99% of the total land area) are Oahu, Maui, Hawaii (known as Big Island), Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe (uninhabited) and Niihau (privately owned).
Each of the major islands has an identity all its own. Oahu is as different from Molokai and Maui as Kauai is from Lanai and the Big Island - each as varied and colorful as the official state flower, the hibiscus. With their collective mass of 4.1 million acres or 6,450 square miles, these islands form the fourth smallest state in the United States.
Beyond mere geography, to Hawaiians the land is "mother". The Hawaiian word for land, 'aina, literally means "that which feeds". It doesn't belong to us; we belong to it, and are part of it.
 Maui, Hawaii Officially known as Maui's "unofficial clothing-optional beach," Little Beach is an isolated strand surrounded by high shrubs, craggy volcanic rocks and driftwood. Although nude sunbathing is illegal in Hawaii, the law has not been enforced here for years. As a result, Little Beach has become a favorite hangout for naturists as well as artists like Dr. Leisure, who has been painting colorful scenes from nude beaches for more than a decade. Activities at Little Beach are plentiful, including swimming, body surfing and whale watching.
What's Cool: Souvenir paintings of the beach by Dr....
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 Hawaii Brief timeline, from sighting to settlement, statehood & beyond
It is generally believed Hawaii's first permanent inhabitants sailed in voyaging canoes from the southern hemisphere islands of the Marquesas, between 300 and 800 A.D. Later waves of settlers arrived by the 12th century, this time from Tahiti.
Following is a timeline of events dating from the arrival in the Islands of the first European explorers:
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 BIOLOGY
The Hawaiian Islands have a wide variety of plant, marine and animal life. Vegetation zones include: coastal, dryland forest, mixed open forest, rain forest, subalpine and alpine. More than 90 percent of the native plants and animals living in Hawaii are found nowhere else in the world, and a greater variety of fish exist in Hawaiian waters than elsewhere. The humuhumunukunukuapuaa is the official state fish.
Hawaii is sometimes called the Endangered Species Capital of the World. At least one third of all the endangered species in the United States are found in Hawaii including the...
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 Oahu, Hawaii Kailua, meaning "two seas," is a beautiful community located on the scenic southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Kailua’s beach park has become known as the windsurfing capital of the world. Its steady off shore trade wind, a protective coral reef and consistent water temperature of 75° Fahrenheit (25° C) makes Kailua perfect for year round water sports.
Kailua Beach has been rated by Conde Nast as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world so many times that is has been removed from the Conde Naste list to allow other beaches a chance to win. This is also the most popular...
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 Hawaii In the days when visitors to Hawaii arrived only by ocean liner, Oahu was Hawaii, a sleepy tropical paradise centered around Honolulu, Waikiki, and the timeless landmark of Diamond Head. Today, cosmopolitan Honolulu is the cultural hub of the Pacific, with world-class hotels and fine dining. You can take a leisurely drive around Oahu in a day, but getting to know the island takes time.
Climb Diamond Head at daybreak to watch the city come to life, then head for Hanauma Bay to fin over the blue-green mosaic of reefs that make it the island's most popular snorkeling site. Travel the wave-wracked...
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 Micronesia The Spanish may have once ruled this Micronesian island for more than three centuries, but the modern world has definitely left its stamp here. Consider this: With nearly a dozen golf courses (some designed by Nicklaus and Palmer), Guam has become a favorite golfing holiday for Japanese unable to find playing time on the exclusive and pricey courses at home. Or this: Islanders boast that the world’s largest K-Mart store is located here near Tumon – and is open 24 hours a day.
The Second World War was the turning point for modern Guam, and for a little history primer of this U.S. Territory,...
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 Hawaii From the western shore of Molokai, you can gaze across the channel to the island of Oahu – but the world of Waikiki is light years from this quiet “Friendly Island.” Considered the birthplace of the hula, Molokai is where native Hawaiian culture has been woven most thoroughly into daily life. As a result, the place moves at its own languid pace.
Lodgings here are limited to a single resort and a handful of small hotels and condominiums. The only town, three-block-long Kaunakakai, would look at home on a Wyoming back road. Recreational activities tend to be low-key: There's hiking (an easy...
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 Lanai was the quiet, overlooked Hawaiian island, a large pineapple plantation – until a little over a decade ago, when its owners decided that the island's future rested with tourists rather than pineapples. The result is a pair of high-end resorts – one nestled in the mountainous uplands, the other on the sea – that pride themselves on providing sophisticated creature comforts on an island whose only other distractions are its natural beauty.
Visitors to the seaside Manele Bay Hotel favor snorkeling, exploring tide pools, trolling for tuna, and scuba diving, while guests at the inland...
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 Hawaii At less than a million years old, the Big Island of Hawaii is, geologically speaking, a youngster. And with the help of lava flowing from Kilauea volcano, it's still growing. So, unlike the other islands in the Hawaiian chain, the Big Island hasn't had time to develop many sandy beaches along its shores. Although they are few in number, the beaches of the Kona and Kohala coasts (especially the bright white strand at Hapuna Beach State Parks) are beautiful, and the black-sand beach at Punaluu is otherworldly.
What the Big Island does have in spades is big-game fishing (particularly...
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 Hawaii Hawaii's "garden island" more than lives up to its name. Two exceptional tropical botanical gardens – at Lawai, on the South Shore, and near Kee Beach on the North Shore – only set the stage for what many Hawaiians consider the most beautiful of their islands. From the soaring sea cliffs of the spectacular Na Pali Coast to the orange-and-black palisades of Waimea Canyon (often called the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”) and the divergent beauty of nearly 70 white-sand beaches, Kauai is full of natural wonders.
It looks good on camera, too. More than 50 films have been shot here – Elvis's...
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