Hawai'i

A view from the bridge of the USS Missouri, overlooking the USS Arizona Memorial
Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i

Hawai'i is the youngest and westernmost state of the U.S., in addition to being the only archipelagic state and only one of the 50 not in North America. It is comprised of 137 volcanic islands stretching across 1,520 miles of ocean, from the Windward Islands in the southeast to the Leeward Islands in the northwest. The capital, Honolulu, is on the most densely populated island of Oahu; fully 1/3 of the state's population lives here. 

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The Hawaiian Islands have a rich history reaching back to their settlement by the Polynesians sometime around 900 CE. The emergence of Europeans in the Pacific and subsequent contact from the British under Captain James Cook in 1778 heralded an opening of Hawai'i to outsiders that led to a sharp decline of the native population. The islands were quickly turned into a plantation economy by business interests, and in 1893 the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown by American and European businessmen. The United States formally annexed Hawai'i as a territory in 1898. 

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In 1940, the the U.S. Pacific Fleet was moved to Pearl Harbor on Oahu. The Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the fleet here on December 7th 1941, triggering America's entry into the Second World War. Hawai'i was accepted as a state in August 1959, and is known today for its tourism and natural beauty, with several unique ecosystems not to be found anywhere else in the world. There are several important museums, and historical monuments here as well. 

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The U.S. military retains a strong presence in Hawai'i; Oahu is still home to the U.S. Pacific Fleet, as well as U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and theater-level commands for the other four service branches (U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force), in addition to the U.S. Coast Guard. There are small installations through the islands, and the population of military personnel in the state is estimated at 44,000. Their impact is among the highest of Hawai'i's economic output. A list of U.S. military installations in Hawaii can be found here. 

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