The History of the Hawaiian Islands

By: Michael New Jr.

The Hawaiian Islands are the most familiar archipelagos in the world with a collection of islands, atolls, smaller islets, and undersea formations that create much beauty. There are more than 130 different, identified, islands and atolls that have a land mass measuring near 6,500 miles.

Although there are many locations associated with the Hawaiian islands, there are about eight main destinations along the south and north that are most popular, including the Big Island (Hawaii), Oahu and Maui.

The first people to settle there were the Polynesians who arrived in large double hulled canoes. The exact time and approach towards colonization there is unknown, but there have been several fascinating details that have survived.

The Polynesians brought with them chickens, dogs, coconuts, sweet potatoes, bananas, and pigs. There is a belief that there were two major accounts of immigration to Hawaii. The first settlements were thought to have been before 500 AD and the second wave of migration was around 1300 AD.

The oldest island of Kauai was first populated and is as geologically older than the rest. In 200 AD the first settlers arrived and established a set of social codes that allowed the in habitats to thrive in a balanced environment. The huge volcano of Mt. Waialeale is the source of the fourth largest destination in the Hawaiian Islands and is often referred to as the "Island of Discovery."

The rest of the islands formed when land masses slowly traveled over a hot spot in the Earth's mantle at the rate of 32 miles per million years. Over time, the eruptions associated with this hot spot established a trail of underwater mountains, known as the Emperor Seamounts) that decorate the Pacific Ocean.

Because of this, the islands in the northwest of the archipelago are older and smaller in size because they were exposed to longer periods of erosion. Today, however, the only volcanic activity associated with the Hawaiian Islands in the past 200 years has occurred on the southeastern paradise of Hawaii and on Loihi. Loihi is a seamount positioned in the extreme southeast.

The Big Island, while the largest, is actually the youngest, it was constructed with the help of five separate volcanoes. Mauna Loa that takes up more than half of the Big Island is known as the largest shield volcano on the planet.

Oahu, called "The Gathering Place", is the third largest and accommodates about the quarters of the state's population with many people settled in the principal city of Honolulu. Oahu was populated before 100 AD but it didn't become part of the Hawaiian Islands until 1795 when King Kamehameha I of Hawaii received the territory in the infamous Battle of Nuuanu Pali. The Honolulu Harbor would later become a wealthy port in the Pacific - accommodating fur, whale, and sandalwood trading.

Hawaii and all of its islands have served as a home to a large number of endemic species of plant and animals that once enjoyed total isolation for millions of years before human came into contact with them. Before humans, there were no mammals on the islands at all. But today, a trip to Hawaii and surrounding areas bring tourists close to lush green forests, breathtaking beaches, the Hawaiian Hawk, geckos and Nene geese.

Article Source: http://www.articlepro.co.uk/international

Michael New Jr. is an authority on the Hawaiian Islands. He has written hundreds of articles relating to consumer services and Hawaiian Shirts. Contact Info: Michael New Jr. mikenewhilohattie@gmail.com www.hilohattie.com

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