Hawaii, the Aloha State, is the 50th state of the USA since 1959 and a paradise of year-round sunshine in the middle of the North Pacific. The Hawaiian Islands are the peaks of a mountain range raised from the bed of the ocean by a series of volcanic eruptions some 25 million years ago.

Waikiki Beach

The archipelago is composed of seven inhabited islands. The state's capital, Honolulu, is on the island of Oahu, the busy island and the most popular for tourists. Surfing is almost a religion. For those who don't have the chance to visit the spectacular volcanoes on the Big Island or on Maui, Diamond Head, a 232-meter high extinct volcano is best viewed from famous Waikiki Beach. Arizona Memorial pays tribute to the war dead of Pearl Harbor in 1941 bombing. The island of Hawaii is locally known as the Big Island to avoid confusion with the state name. On top of Mauna Kea, one of the great volcanoes in this island, and more than 4,200 meters above sea level are located the twin Keck Telescopes, Subaru and Gemini, the largest telescopes in the world. Kilauea Crater is one of the Big Island's volcanoes that remains active and can be safely observable. Also in the Big Island, the Ironman Triathlon is an annual event. Maui, with its whales and Haleakala, a 3,000-meter high dormant volcano, offers 350 days of sun a year.

Fern Grotto, Kauai

Kauai is also known as the Garden Isle with its lush vegetation and Waimea Canyon, a smaller scale but different from Arizona's Grand Canyon. Famous Fern Grotto is on the south branch of Wailua, the only navigable river in all the islands. Molokai and Lanai are less visited than the other islands. Niihau is privately owned and Kahoolawe is uninhabited and reserved for U.S. Navy and Air Force target practice.