Economy
Agriculture
Pineapple
|
Sugar
|
Coffee
|
Pineapples are one of the major export of Hawaii. Pineapples grow on top of their own bush under the hot sun in pineapple fields. In Hawaiian language the pineapple is called the "hala kahiki". In the early 1900s, pineapples became a crop when James Dole bought the island of Lanai to use it as a pineapple plantation. Pineapples are not native to Hawaii because it was originally from Paraguay and also the southern part of Brazil.
|
In the mid-1800s, sugar production was Hawaii's number-one agricultural product. The plantation owners couldn't find Hawaiians to grow and harvest the sugarcane, so they got workers to come to Hawaii from Asia. The workers would work on Oahu where they would work for five years as indentured servants and get a few dollars a day. Today, sugar processing is done with technology and many machines. Now a large amount of sugar production has gone to Philippines and Taiwan, which means sugar can no longer be called "King Sugar" in Hawaii.
|
Coffee is one of the major exports in Hawaii. Hawaii produces 1,400 pounds of coffee per acre, per year and Hawaii has 7,800 acres of coffee. In Kona, that is a district on the big island Hawaii, there are hundreds of coffee farms. In 1813, the first coffee was brought to Hawaii when a visiting Spaniard named Francisco de Paula y Marin planted the first coffee on the island of Oahu. Hawaii is the only state in the United States that grows coffee.
|
Military
|
Tourism |
The military of Hawaii is one of the major employers in Hawaii. There are more than forty thousand military personnel in the state. These members of the U.S military include the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Oahu is the military's headquarters of the Military Pacific Command and one-fourth of Oahu's land is held by the military. Pearl Harbor is the U.S. Navy headquarters.
|
Tourism is one of the major parts of the economy of Hawaii because it brings millions of dollars to Hawaii every year. Today, it is the number one industry in Hawaii, about 20 percent of the state's income is from tourism. The tourism industry employs many people in different areas, such as the service workers in hotels, beaches, stores, restaurants, and other attractions are part of the industry. Over seven million people from the mainland visit Hawaii each year, nearly 63 percent of its tourists. They spend over $10 billion dollars into its economy.
|