Hawaii is the 50^th state of the United States located in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America. Hawaii was admitted on August 21, 1959, by then president, Dwight d. Eishenhower.

Hawaii comprises nearly the entire Hawaiian archipelago, consisting of 137 volcanic islands spanning 1,500 miles  that are physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania.  

The state’s ocean coastline is consequently the fourth longest in the U.S., at about 750 miles. The eight main islands, from northwest to southeast, are Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and Hawaiʻi, after which the state is named; it is often called the “Big Island” or “Hawaii Island” to avoid confusion with the state or archipelago.

Settled by Polynesians sometime between 1000 and 1200 CE, Hawaii was home to numerous independent chiefdoms.  In 1778, British explorer James Cook was the first known non-Polynesian to arrive at the archipelago; early British influence is reflected in the state flag, which bears a Union Jack.

Resource:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii