A chain of islands collectively known as Hawaii make up the 50th state in the United States, but the largest of the islands is also known as Hawaii. This often causes some confusion. For a better differentiation, a lot of people simply name Hawaii island the big island. The islands of Hawaii are in reality the effect of underground lava formation beginning in the base of the ocean and building upwards until the magma extended above the depths of the Pacific Ocean.

There are eight islands inhabited in the chain of the Hawaii islands with some others tipping their faces out of the water, but they are not inhabited. Nihau, the north west-most island of the string is the smallest of the settled island and the big island is located to the furthermost southeast link in the chain of the Hawaii islands. Oahu is home to the state capital Honolulu as well as you’ll find there most things to do in Hawaii for tourists, chosen by former ruler King Kamehamea due to the natural harbor nearby, now known as Honolulu Harbor.

Molokai, Kauai, Lanai and Kahoulawe are the other lands in the Hawaii islands and also including traveling to Maui. Between these islands transportation is possible by air or boat with the bigger islands having airports taking large commercial aircraft and others smaller, commuter aircraft.

With the Hawaii islands beginnings traced back to barren lava growth, it is theorized that the nature helped bring life to volcanic land by wind currents, in the water and by flying birds. When the first human habitant arrived for Polynesia in about 500 A.D., animals and plants had already claimed the island and recent conservation methods have insured the continued growing and well-balanced habitat for the native species.

The islands of Hawaii got an fundamental strategy for the U.S. Navy and Air Force, even before Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. It’s still home to U.S. military bases and provides a large population with civilian job opportunities, it is also home to the memorials for the soldiers who died in the attack.

The population of the islands of Hawaii has grown tremendously, particularly since becoming a state in 1959, as the nosecount in 1910 registered a human population of about 154,000. Denizens have increased to over 1.2 million in 2000. Hawaii vacation tours are a trip to the only U.S. state entirely surrounded by water and is situated about 1,500 miles away from mainland at the west coast of California.