State Symbols and Facts
State Bird - Nene
The Nene became Hawaii's state bird in 1957. The Nene has claw-like feet for gripping on lava rocks instead of web feet for swimming. It has shorter wings for short distance flight instead of large wings for longer distances. The Nene almost became extinct by people hunting them all the time. The local government created a law to protect the Nene from hunters.
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State Flower - Yellow Hibiscus
The yellow hibiscus became the state flower in 1988. The Hawaiian name for the flower is Pua Aloalo. The yellow hibiscus is originally from Asia and the Pacific Islands. There are five different colors of hibiscus flower. It is an endangered flower because people do not like it in their gardens, so there are not as many left in forests of Hawaii.
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State Fish-Humuhumunukunukuapua'a
The Humuhumunukunukuapua'a also known as the Hawaiian Triggerfish became Hawaii's state fish in 1985. It won a statewide contest to be named Hawaii's official state fish, but it would only serve a five-year term. The contest has not been held since! The Hawaiian Triggerfish is a small, but beautiful and colorful fish. It can be found in hiding in reefs and lagoons along Hawaii's coasts.
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State Gem-Black Coral
Black Coral became the state gem on April 22, 1987. Black Coral is from Black Coral from the ocean in coral reefs. Black Coral is an animal that lives in colonies. They can be black, red, orange, brown, green, yellow, or white. In the whole world there is 150 types of species and 14 of them are by Hawaii.
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State Marine Mammal-Humpback WhaleThe Humpback Whale became the state marine mammal in 1979. They are an endangered species. The Humpback Whale has a dark grey body, white on its belly, a hump on its back, pectoral fins and the underside of the tail flukes. They filter their food in because they have no teeth and that is why they eat shrimp and krill. They can be up to 16 m. long and weigh 66,000 pounds.
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Hawaii's PopulationThe population of Hawaii 1,211,537 people. The islands that have the most people on it is Oahu with 876,156, Hawaii with 148,677, and Maui with 117,644. The island that has the most people on it is Oahu because it has the capital, Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, Waikiki (the largest beach), and the major airport. The island that has the second most people on it is Hawaii (the largest island out of all of the islands) because people like to see the large volcanoes, waterfalls, and the Puna Fern Forest. Maui is the third largest population of the islands because it has the largest volcano crater in the world and it used to have the capital before 1845.
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State Tree-KukuiThe Kukui became the state tree on May 1, 1959 replacing the Nui. The Kukui is also called the candlenut tree. It produces nuts that you can burn for light that is how it got its name the candlenut. It has light colored leaves with silvery powder, a twisted trunk and branches, maple-shaped leaves, and white flowers. The Kukui is 80 feet tall.
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State Capital - Honolulu |
The Two Largest Cities
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Honolulu became Hawaii's state capital in 1845. Honolulu's population is 371,657 people and Honolulu is the largest city in Hawaii. Honolulu is on the island of Oahu, the largest island for population. The highest temperature in Honolulu is 80-89 and the lowest temperature is 66-75. Honolulu's average rainfall a year is 17.13 inches and Honolulu doesn't snow.
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The two largest cities are Honolulu and Pearl City. Honolulu is the largest city because it has 371,657 people in it, Honolulu is also the capital, and Honolulu is on the largest island in population(Oahu). Pearl City is the second largest city because it has 47,698 people in it, it is also in the island that has the most population in Hawaii(Oahu), it is the northern portion of the shores of Pearl Harbor, it is sunny all year round and soothing winds that visitors enjoy.
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State Insect - Kamehameha Butterfly
The Kamehameha Butterfly became Hawaii's state insect on January 23, 2009. It is one of the two native butterfly species in Hawaii. They have a wingspan of three inches, two upper wings and two lower wings, and furry bodies. If all the dots are surrounded by black and the upper wing is white than it is a female and if it is orange than that is a male. The Kamehameha Butterfly eat nectar on flowers and tree sap.
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