10 Cool Facts About Hawaii That You Should Know

Everyone knows Hawaii is the home of awesome tropical weather and relaxing beaches, but here are ten cool facts about Hawaii you might not have known about.

1. Hawaii is Has the Most Isolated Population on Earth!

Remember, Hawaii is out on its own in the Pacific Ocean. California is 2,390 miles away, and Japan, China, and the Philippines are even farther away —  3,850, 4,900, and 5,380 miles respectively.

There are quite a few small islands spread throughout the Pacific Ocean with small populations on them, but believe it or not, Hawaii takes the cake for being the most isolated. It’s interesting to think that the high population of nearly 1.5 million people, lives close together but is so far away from any other population.

I wonder if there’s an even more isolated island population that we haven’t discovered yet. Hey… it’s possible.

2. Hawaii is One of Only Two States Where We Grow Coffee

A big shout out to Hawaii and California for saving the United States from being left out of the coffee growing trade. The coffee belt of Hawaii is in and around Kona. Coffee beans grown in Kona are revered for their rich clean favor.

One of the most popular brands is Kona Joe Coffee. All the beans are grown locally by this family-run business in Kona. A lot of love and care goes into their coffee, which has garnered fame thanks to being featured on The History Channel and in Bloomberg Businessweek.

Kona coffee is especially unique because it is like the true champaign of the coffee world. Just like for champaign to be truly considered champaign, the grapes must come from the champaign region in France; Kona coffee also must come from the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the Kona districts of the Big Island of Hawaii for it to be truly considered Kona.

The Arabica beans from Kona are the most expensive in the world. The unique weather patterns in Kona provide unique conditions for growing this specific bean. If you haven’t had Kona coffee yet, then you’re really missing out!

3. Hawaii is Responsible for Growing 1/3 of the World’s Pineapples

Commercially, at least. So if you pick up a pineapple at your local Walmart, there’s a 33.3% chance you’re holding a piece of Hawaii! Costa Rica actually produces the most pineapples: nearly 3 million tons per year.

4. The Hawaiian Alphabet Only Has 12 Letters

They are: A, E, I, O, U and H, K, L M, N, P, W. It has been proven over time that as our civilizations advance, we use fewer letters. That’s right, I’m saying Hawaii has an advanced alphabet over English’s.

5. Hawaii is Actually the Widest State in the Country

This probably comes as a surprise to a lot of people who believe Hawaii is but a tiny speck out in the ocean. Nope! Measuring from east to west, Hawaii is approximately 1,500 miles wide. The Big Island alone is only about 76 miles wide.

6. The Famous Islands Aren’t the Only Landmasses in Hawaii

The Hawaiian Islands are among 130 bits of land that make up the archipelago. These landmasses also stretch the width of 1,500 miles across.

7. Hawaii Has It’s Own Time Zone

This makes sense since it’s so far from the rest of the country. Here, they go by Hawaiian Standard Time (it puts them two hours behind Pacific Standard Time) and they don’t observe daylight savings time.

8. Hawaii is Home to the World’s Largest and Most Active Volcano

You can find Kilauea Iki on Hawaii, the Big Island, which is also double the size of all of the other islands put together.

9. Hawaii Has the World’s Tallest Mountain

I bet you weren’t expecting cool facts about Hawaii like this one! Mauna Kea is on the Big Island. This dormant volcano beats out even Mount Everest when measured from base to summit.

10. Hawaii Leads the World in Harvesting From Orchards

This is one of the most deliciously cool facts about Hawaii. Not only do they have tons of fresh fruits, but plenty of Macadamia nuts as well. Yum!