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Hawaii
A volcanic island chain in the central Pacific
Hawaii is the only U.S. state made entirely of islands, and the only one outside North America — a chain of volcanic peaks rising from the floor of the central Pacific, some 2,400 miles from the mainland. Eight main islands and a long scatter of smaller ones run southeast to northwest, built one after another as the Pacific plate drifted over a stationary hotspot in the Earth's mantle. The youngest island, Hawaiʻi itself, still grows today wherever its volcanoes meet the sea.
Measured from the seafloor, Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain on Earth — its summit reaches 13,803 feet (4,207 m) above sea level and far more below. Its neighbor Kīlauea ranks among the most active volcanoes anywhere. The islands' steep volcanic slopes wring rain from the trade winds, making windward sides lush and rainforested while leeward shores stay dry and sunny. This compression of climates — desert, rainforest, and alpine within a few miles — exists almost nowhere else.
Isolation made Hawaii a cradle of unique species and a distinct Polynesian culture long before it became the 50th state in 1959. Honolulu, on Oʻahu, anchors most of the population and the state economy, which leans heavily on tourism and the strategic naval presence at Pearl Harbor. Remote, volcanic, and biologically singular, Hawaii is unlike any other place under the American flag.
Economy
Hawaii's economy is driven by tourism above all, supported by a large U.S. military presence centered on Pearl Harbor. Agriculture has shifted from the old sugar and pineapple plantations toward coffee, macadamia nuts, and tropical fruit, and the clear skies of Mauna Kea host world-class astronomy. The remote island setting gives the state a notably high cost of living.
Politics
Hawaii carries 4 electoral votes and is one of the most reliably Democratic states in the country, having voted Democratic in nearly every presidential election since it achieved statehood in 1959.