Hawaii
Facts & Figures
Settled about a thousand years ago by Polynesians who traversed
the Pacific Ocean in tiny canoes, the islands were eventually visited
by Captain Cook in 1776. The local population had found great success
on these islands, teeming with food and rarely hobbled with bad weather.
However life was governmed by fierce customs marked with harsh taboos
and cannibalism, as well as alluring music and dance. The islands
were politically united by King Kamehameha I in 1779, who is remembered
by history for eating one of his rivals and maintaining the traditional
old culture.
Within one year of the king's death, his consort Kaahumanu criminalized
the religious taboos and welcomed American missionary Hiram Bingham.
At this time more missionaries arrived bringing with them fellow
traders and a new culture. With the help of U.S. Marines, in January,
1893 Queen Liliuokalani was ousted from the Iolani Palace by the
local businessmen, and they called on the U.S. to annex Hawaii.
President Grover Cleveland objected. For five years Hawaii was
a self-governing republic. In July, 1898, Hawaii was annexed by President
William McKinley. In 1959, Hawaii became the fiftieth state of the
United States.
Listed below are a number of facts and figures on the state of
Hawaii based on the 2000 United States Census.
|
2000 |
1990 |
| Population |
1,211,537 |
1,108,229 |
9.3% + |
| Hawaii consists of 0.4% of U.S. total |
| 42nd largest US state |
| Ethnicity |
| White |
24.3%< |
Hawaiian |
9.4% |
| Black |
1.8% |
Two+ Races |
21.4% |
| Asian |
41.6% |
Other |
1.3% |
| Amer. Indian |
0.3% |
Hispanic |
7.2% |
Political:
Congressional Districts
Hawaii has two congressional districts. The state uses party caucuses
to nominate candidates for Congress and President, as opposed to
a primary election.
Hawaii Presidential Votes
2004 Presidential Vote
Kerry (D) 231,318 54%
Bush (R) 194,109 45%
Cobb (G) 1,730 1%
Badnarik (L) 1,374 0%
|
2000 Presidential Vote
Gore (D) 205,286 56%
Bush (R) 137,845 37%
Nader (G) 21,623 6%
Others 3,197 1%
|
1996 Presidential Vote
Clinton (D) 205,012 57%
Dole (R) 113,943 32%
Perot (I) 27,362 8%
Others 13,807 4%
|
Political Parties:
Aloha Aina Party, Constitution Party, Democratic Party, Free Energy
Party, Green Party, Hawaii Independence Party, Libertarian Party,
Marijuana Party, Natural Law Party, Poé Party, Reform
Party, Republican Party, Socialist Party
|
