Hawaii
Hawaii is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. It was annexed by the United States of America in 1898 and later admitted as a state in 1959. It's capital is Honolulu.
During their World Tour stop in Tibet, Elisa Maza hoped that Avalon would send them there instead. ("Reunion")
Real World Background
Hawaii consists of one hundred thirty-seven islands, with the main eight islands consisting of Hawai'i, Maui, O'ahu, Kaua'i, Moloka'i, Lānaʻi, Niʻihau, and Kahoʻolawe. The archipelago actually extends to the Midway Islands, one of the United States' unorganized and unincorporated territories. The state derives its name from the largest of the archipelago's islands, Hawai'i. The name (and its meaning in other Polynesian languages) connect the big island to Hawaiki, which has been interpreted to be the ancestral home for many Polynesians, or where they transition to the afterlife, or perhaps a realm of the gods. The name is also tied to Hawai'iloa, a legendary figure who discovered the island.
The first Polynesian voyagers settled in the area as early as the 3rd Century AD. The British were the first Europeans to sail to the islands in 1778, with Captain James Cook on his third voyage through the Pacific. He would later be killed in 1779 in Hawaii after attempting to abduct the ali'i nui (the ruling chief), Kalaniʻōpuʻu, in retaliation for a longboat that was stolen from Cook's ship Resolution.
For centuries, the islands were governed separately, until 1782 when Kamehameha the Great began a military campaign that saw the archipelago united by 1810. By this point in time, the monarchy was recognized internationally as an independent nation. Outside influences contributed to the monarchy being annexed by the United States in 1898.
The United States finally entered the second World War after its naval base in Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, was attacked by Japan. As the war progressed, from 1942 to 1945, the U.S.S. Nashville made stops at Pearl Harbor.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Apology Resolution, which acknowledged the United States' role in overthrowing the Kingdom of Hawaii, noting that the native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished their claims for sovereignty. Despite the language in the resolution, the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled in 2009 that the language was not legally binding and such sentiments about the state's sovereignty was precatory at best.
See Also
- Hawaii at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
- Hawaiian Kingdom at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
