Hawaii Overview

An archipelago situated nearly 2,000 miles southwest of the North American mainland, Hawaii is the southernmost state of the United States and the second westernmost state after Alaska. Only Hawaii and Alaska are outside the contiguous United States and do not share a border with any other U.S. state. Hawaii is the only state of the entire United States that a) is not geographically located in North America, b) is completely surrounded by water, c) has a royal palace, d) does not have a straight line in its state boundary, and e) continuously grows in area (due to currently active lava flows, most notably from Kilauea). Hawaii's tallest mountain, Mauna Kea stands at 13,796 ft and is taller than Mount Everest if followed to the base of the mountain—on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.