HAWAII - WHERE IS IT

HAWAII - THE BIG ISLAND

WHERE IS IT
The Hawaiian Islands consist of approximately six major islands and hundreds of smaller islands. The current population of all islands together is about 1.2 million. The main islands are: Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu and Kauai. Located in the Pacific Ocean, in the Polynesian sub-region of Oceana , Hawaii is actually an archipelago that stretches over 1,500 miles. It's located just southeast of Japan and northeast of Australia, and is approximately 1,988 miles southeast of the U.S. mainland.

While all the islands were formed by volcanic activity, the majority of active volcanoes only exist in the southern half of the big island. Visiting the active volcanoes is a popular tourist activity. The big island is also notable as the fifth highest island in the world.

Hawaii's isolation has also rewarded the islands with some of the most diverse flora and fauna found in any one state, and the islands also contain more endangered species per square mile than anywhere on earth.