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The 50th State | National Geographic


Aloha I’m patty Kim in this edition we
head to Hawaii home to some of the
world’s most active volcanoes and if you
measure from the bottom of the sea floor
to the top of the peak home to the
world’s tallest mountain to Hawaii al
and cradled by the sea a land born of
fire this chain of a hundred and thirty
seven islands curves across 1,500 miles
of the North Pacific Ocean today some
1.2 million people call Hawaii home but
many more visit the islands about seven
million tourists each year making Hawaii
one of the most popular vacation spots
in the United States the island of Oahu
is home to the state’s biggest city
honolulu and just below the city’s
high-rise hotels the beaches of waikiki
beckon to swimmers and surfers a life
the sport was invented in Hawaii at
least a thousand years ago and some of
the world’s best waves keep it going
strong while you’re on Oahu take time to
visit Pearl Harbor here the USS Arizona
now serves as an underwater memorial to
those who died in the attack that
plunged the u.s. into World War two on
December 7 1941
the largest island in the state is
called Hawaii or simply the Big Island
black sand beaches fringe its coasts
testament to its origin as a group of
five massive volcanoes one of these
Kilauea also happens to be the world’s
most active volcano it’s been erupting
continuously since 1983 in Hawaii
Volcanoes National Park you can watch
lava flowing into the ocean in a natural
fireworks display nearly every night no
matter which islands you visit the
beaches are star attraction and they’re
also an excellent place to see wildlife
sea turtles often swim in the shallows
and you might spot the endangered
Hawaiian monk seal humpback whales
migrate through these waters from
September to May you can sometimes spot
breaching whales from the shore but to
get up close booked a trip on a
whale-watching boat Hawaii’s unique
culture is on display all around the
islands hula dancers here preserve an
ancient tradition for Hawaiian was a
written language the pool is passed down
history in the form of song and dance
traditional Hawaiian music is also easy
to find on the less visited island of
Molokai a weekly jam session welcomes
locals and tourists alike
Hawaii has a tropical climate making the
weather excellent all year round
although there’s less rain from april to
october if you do visit prepare to relax
and enter the spirit of Aloha a Hawaiian
expression that says hello goodbye and I
love you all in one word
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