Hawaiʻi
Kingdom of Hawaiʻi | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Motto: Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness" | |
| Anthem: "Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī" "Hawaii's Own" | |
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| Capital and largest city | Honolulu |
| Official languages | |
| Ethnic groups (2023) | 22.9% White 37.2% Asian 10.8 Native Hawaiian 1.6% Black 0.3% Native American 1.8% Other 25.3% Mixed race |
| Religion (2023) |
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| Demonym(s) | Hawaiian |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Kawānanakoa IV |
| David Ige | |
| Scott Saiki | |
| Sabrina McKenna | |
| Legislature | Legislative Assembly |
| House of Nobles | |
| House of Representatives | |
| History | |
• Inception | 1795 |
• Unification of Hawaii | 1810 |
• Constitutional monarchy | 8 October 1840 |
• Anglo-Franco Proclamation | 28 November 1843 |
| Area | |
• Total | 28,311 km2 (10,931 sq mi) (141st) |
• Water (%) | 41.2 |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 1,455,271 (151st) |
• Density | 226/km2 (585.3/sq mi) (67th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $121.299 billion (96th) |
• Per capita | $83,351 (8th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $111.283 billion (65th) |
• Per capita | $76,648 (8th) |
| Gini (2023) |  43.9medium |
| HDI (2023) |  0.940very high (11th) |
| Currency | Hawaiian dollar (HWD) |
| Time zone | UTC-10 |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +671 |
| Internet TLD | .hw |
Hawaiʻi, officially the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, and alternatively Hawaii, is an island country in Oceania. Consisting entirely of 137 volcanic islands and spanning across 10,931 square miles, Hawaiʻi is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania, making it one of the region's only two nations alongside Tonga to have never been formally colonised by a European power. With a population of around 1.4 million people, it is the third-joint-largest nation in Oceania alongside New Zealand and only behind Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Having first been settled by the Polynesians sometime between 1000 and 1200 CE, prior to the arrival of European explorers, Hawaiʻi was home to numerous independent chiefdoms that ruled across the archipelago. In 1778, the arrival of British explorer James Cook on the islands kickstarted a period of European influence, beginning with the adoption of the kingdom's official flag which bears a Union Jack. At the same time, the subsequent arrival of American and European explorers, whalers, and traders soon decimated the predominantly isolated indigenous community through the introduction of diseases such as syphilis, tuberculosis, smallpox, and measles. In 1810, Kamehameha I, nicknamed "Kamehameha the Great", unified the entire archipelago, thereby resulting in the formal recognition of its independence by foreign powers. In 1893, an attempted coup of the monarchy by American planters ultimately thwarted by authorities resulted in a brief international crisis between the United States, Hawaiʻi, and major European powers, most of whom had recognised Hawaiian independence. Nonetheless, amidst the subsequent world wars and end of European imperialism, Hawaiʻi managed to remain practically independent throughout the entirety of the 20th century, making it one of only two Oceanic nations alongside Tonga to have never been formally colonised and thus retain their indigenous monarchies. Since its foundation in 1795, three separate but connected royal dynasties have presided over the islands, namely the houses of Kamehameha, Kalākaua, and Kawānanakoa.
A constitutional monarchy, the current Hawaiian monarch is Kawānanakoa IV, who serves as the kingdom's head of state. Like most constitutional monarchies, a prime minister serves as the head of government and is elected every four years. It has a bicameral legislature comprised of the House of Nobles, an appointed upper house, and the House of Representatives, an elected lower house. Although a predominantly Christian nation, with around 63% of the population identifying as one, Hawaiʻi is home to a very diverse and multicultural society made up of whites, Africans, Asians, native Hawaiians, and others. Officially, the kingdom has two national languages, namely Hawaiian and English. While historically a plantation economy, since the 20th century, Hawaiʻi, which remains a major agricultural exporter to this day, has seen its economy diversify to include tourism and defence, two of its largest economic sectors. The United States Pacific Fleet, the world's largest naval command, is hosted at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, a site that was the target of an attack by Japanese forces that subsequently precipitated the American entry into the Second World War.
Despite its somewhat isolated location, on the international stage, Hawaiʻi is a member of various international organisations such as the United Nations, World Trade Organisation, Non-Aligned Movement, Commonwealth of Nations, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Pacific Community, and the Pacific Islands Forum. Despite its small size and population, it is the third-largest economy in Oceania and its citizens are the eighth richest in the world. In addition, its citizens also enjoy one of the world's highest life expectancies.