Hawaii

Size	28.313 km²
Inhabitants	1,2 Mil.
Time difference to CET	- 11 h
Middle temperatures in summer	30 c
Middle temperatures in winter	20 c
Capital	Honolulu

The Hawaiian Islands form a chain stretching for 2500 kilometres across the north Pacific Ocean. They form the southernmost state of the USA. Seven of the islands are inhabited. There live about 106.400 people on the islands, which are famour for their beautiful beaches. The largest is Hawaii, but the capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu. Polynesians arrived in the islands between 1000 and 1500 years ago, but today most people who live there have come from the mainland USA, Japan and other Asian countries.

The islands produce tropical crops such as sugar cane, pineapples and coffee, but the main industry is tourism. Many of the hotels are owned by Japanese companies and the islands are popular with Japanese tourists. Visitors are drawn by the mild climate, volcano peaks, sandy beaches, coral islands and high waves for surfing.

The part of the ocean floor on which the islands stand is slowly moving across a ‘hot spot’ beneath the surface of the Earth. New islands are formed whenever volcanoes are particularly active. The oldest islands, in the north-west, are 25 million years old, but on the newest ones in the south-east, such as Hawaii, volcanoes are still active. Under the sea nearby a new volcano is forming a new island, which is already 5000 metres above the ocean floor.

	Haleakala Nationalpark (Hawaii) Not many plants can live in this national park.
	Hula-Hula Originally it was a religious dance, today it is a tourist attraction.
	Iolani Palace, Honolulu The Iolani Palace in Honolulu was built from 1879 to 1882. It was home of the last kings of Hawaii.
	Surfing Many young people love to go windsurfing on Hawaii. You can find there the best surfing areas.
Let`s do a quiz about Hawaii!	Exercise 1 Exercise 2