• Hawaiian monarch King David Kalakaua (reign 1874 to 1891), was the first reigning monarch to circumnavigate the globe and the first foreign head of state to speak before a joint session of the U.S. Congress.
• Hawaii is home to the longest continuously erupting volcano in recorded history: Kilauea Caldera on the Big Island of Hawaii has been producing a lava flow since January 1983. More >>
• Hawaii is home to the tallest mountain on the planet: Mauna Kea on the Big Island — measured from the seafloor — tops out at 33,476 feet. From sea level it measures 13,796 feet high. More >>
• 'Iolani Palace in Honolulu's Capitol District featured electricity before even the White House in Washington, D.C. More about the Palace >>
• Hawaii is the most geographically isolated population center on earth. The Hawaiian Islands are 2,000 miles from the Marshall Islands; 2,390 miles from California; 2,500 miles from Tahiti; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines.
• Hawaii has two official languages — English and Hawaiian. More >>
