The Hawaiian Islands are separated from
the rest of the world
by a vast ocean. It is located at about 21°19 N and 157°48' W.
It is 2,300 miles from the nearest point on the mainland of
the United States. Hawaii rose up out of the sea as a line
of volcanoes beginning about 70 million years ago. There has
never been a land bridge to any other place.
History of
Hawaii before the first humans arrived around 1000 AD, many
living things found their way there. Spores, seeds,
microorganisms, birds, and other living things have found their way to
the islands in various ways. Some have died and some have thrived,
creating diverse and rich forests. There is nothing quite like them
anywhere. The wettest rain forest in the world is on Mt. Waialeale on
the island of Kauai. Rain in that magical place averages 450 inches a
year. The first people arrived from the south,
probably the Marquesas islands. They established a society ruled by
powerful warlords and regulated by taboos ( kapu ) and religious
ethics.
Just when the
first Europeans reached Hawaii is uncertain, but there is
evidence that Spaniards were the earliest visitors.
It is well documented that the English explorer, James Cook,
came upon and landed at [xxxxx], on the shores of the Big Island
( Hawaii ) on January 18, 1778. He died there in 1819.
A mighty warrior,
King Kamehemeha managed to unite,
by force, all the islands save Kauai and Niihau under his rule.
His kingdom lasted until 1893, when the last Hawaiian monarch,
Queen Liliuokalani, was overthrown in a coup led by supporters of the
Reform Party of the Hawaiian Kingdom and replaced by a Provisional
Government, and later a Republic. During those transitional years, many
tons of sugar were shipped from Hawaii to the world market. In 1898, Hawaii became territory the United
States of America. In 1959 it became a state of
the United States of America. |
