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
Shield
Volcano
Mauna Kea
a 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
N
N
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
Historical Settlement: Polynesians
Hawaii
Marquesas Islands
Oahu
Honolulu
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
Oahu
Honolulu
JAPANESE POPULATION
% DISTRIBUTION
Oahu
Honolulu
CHINESE POPULATION
% DISTRIBUTION
Oahu
Honolulu
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 AntiConquest 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 Weather
http://www.hawaiiweathertoday.com/
•
U.S. Department of Labor–Hawai’i Economy
http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.hi.htm
•
Hawai’i Tourism
http://www.gohawaii.com/
•
Surfing Information
http://www.surfguidehawaii.com/
•
Hawai’i National Parks
http://www.nps.gov/havo/
•
U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/