Hawaii

islands · tropical · Pacific Ocean · unique state

Island chain far away. Hawaii is made up of eight main islands sitting about 2,000 miles from the mainland in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, making it the only U.S. state that is an archipelago.

Born from volcanoes. These islands were created by volcanic activity over millions of years, and some of Hawaii's volcanoes are still active today.

Tropical paradise. Hawaii is the only state south of the Tropic of Cancer and has a warm, tropical climate that stays nice year-round, perfect for plants and animals found nowhere else.

Independent kingdom first. Before joining the United States, Hawaii was its own sovereign country with a king or queen, just like Texas and Florida were independent before becoming states.

Special wildlife haven. Because Hawaii is so isolated in the middle of the ocean, it developed unique plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth.