Hawai’i

Relative location of Hawai’i to the US

Quick Thought

• Should Hawaii be included within the North American realm?– One of the fifty states– Cultural, historical and economic ties

with the mainland• But, it is also a distinct entity

– Physical separation from the continent – Distinctiveness of its physical and

cultural landscape– Distinct flora and fauna

Physical Geography

• Topography– Archipelago of 8

major inhabited islands

– “Tops” of MASSIVE volcanoes

• Geology– Volcanic;

Associated with movement of the Pacific plate across a hot spot of upwelling magma

– Lots of volcanoes

Erupting Kilauea Volcano

ShieldVolcano

Mauna Keaa Shield Volcano

Physical Geography

• Climate:– “Tropical wet” (Af)– Variation only with elevation

• Trade Winds and Precipitation– Drier summer (May to October); Moister

winter (October to April)– Variable– Orographic precipitation

NN

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Physical Geography

• Biogeography– Diverse species; High endemic count– Threats = humans and alien plant & animal

species– Adaptive radiation

Adaptive Radiation in Hawai’i?

From: Hardwick, Susan W., Fred Shelley, and Donald G. Holtgrieve. 2006. Regional Geography of North America: Environment, Political Economy, and Culture. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Physical Geography

• Hazards & Hydrology – The entire island is a VOLCANO for crying out

loud!!– Earthquakes– Tsunamis– Excessive water if winter storms prevail;

drought if not

• Soil– Nutrient rich, thanks to Pele, the Goddess of

the Volcano

Marquesas Islands

Hawaii

Historical Settlement: Polynesians

OahuHonolulu

Hawaiian Population% Distribution

Historical Settlement

• European– Captain James Cook = first European (1778)– Native populations decimated by diseases– 1820’s = center for Pacific-based whaling

industry

• American– Missionaries– “Entrepreneurs”

Historical Settlement

• Asian– Initially 1837; original plantation labor force– 1852 – 1930, ~400,000 agricultural laborers– Japanese are the dominant ethnic group

OahuHonolulu

JAPANESE POPULATION% DISTRIBUTION

OahuHonolulu

CHINESE POPULATION% DISTRIBUTION

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FILIPINO POPULATION% DISTRIBUTION

Recent Settlement History

Another Look…

Population Distribution

• Before Europeans, native population ~300,000

• Majority lived on the “Big Island”; other islands sparsely populated

• 1980 = 965,000; largest on Oahu

• 1988 = > 1.1 million

• 2000 = Honolulu ~1 million

Political Economy

• Primary Sector– Pineapple– Sugar– Sandalwood– Coffee (Kona)– Cattle

• Tertiary Sector– Tourism

Tourism

• Steady increase since 1950

• An economic steroid, with after effects:– Congestion

– Pollution

– Decline in scenic beauty

– Instability, since it is seasonal in nature

– Inconvenience to natives

• $10 Billion in 2002– $144 million pineapple; $100 million for sugar

Places in Hawai’i: Waikiki

Places in Hawai’i: the Big Island

Rainbow Falls, near Hilo, HI

Places in Hawai’i: Maui

Maui, West Mountains

Places in Hawai’i: Kauai

Kauai Coast

Final Wrap-Up

• An isolated outpost

• Scarcity of land and fragile ecology

• More mixed-race demographics

• Tourism thrives

Reading & Resource• Reading: Herman, R.D.K. 1999. “The

Aloha State: Place Names and the Anti-Conquest of Hawai’i.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 89: 76–102.– Toponymy as an analytical tool. Utterly cool

geography!

• Resource: GIShonolulu– A look at how Honolulu is using GIS for

decision making processes

Discussion Questions

Although it may not need to, Hawai’i depends on the mainland for much of its resources. Given this one spatial trait, how will globalization affect the Island State?

Some Hawaiians have advocated secession from the Union. What implications would this have on the mainland?

Related Books• Allen, Robert C. 2004. Creating Hawai’i Tourism:

A Memoir. Honolulu: Bess Press.– A romp through 20th century Hawaiian tourist industry

• Michener, James. 1959. Hawai’i. New York: Random House, 1959.– Michener says he always begins writing by

researching the best geography of a region—even before history. His books certainly demonstrate that mantra.

• Stone, Charles P., Clifford W. Smith, and J. Timothy Tunison. 1992. Alien Plant Invasions in Native Ecosystems of Hawai’i. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.– Gambol through some fascinating biogeography and

ecology!

WebSources

• Hawai’i Weatherhttp://www.hawaiiweathertoday.com/

• U.S. Department of Labor–Hawai’i Economyhttp://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.hi.htm

• Hawai’i Tourismhttp://www.gohawaii.com/

• Surfing Informationhttp://www.surfguidehawaii.com/

• Hawai’i National Parkshttp://www.nps.gov/havo/

• U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatoryhttp://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/