Hawaii is a U.S. state located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the only state outside North America, the only island state, and the only state in the tropics. Hawaii is also one of a handful of U.S. states to have once been an independent nation.

Hawaii encompasses nearly the entire Hawaiian archipelago, comprised of 137 volcanic islands spanning 1,500 miles (2,400 km), which are physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania. The state’s ocean coastline is consequently the fourth longest in the U.S., at about 750 miles (1,210 km). The eight main islands, from northwest to southeast, are Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii, after which the state is named; it is often called the “Big Island” or “Hawaii Island” to avoid confusion with the state or archipelago.

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