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22 things you might not know about Hawaii
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Hau`oli la Hanau, Hawaii! Yes, you read that right. It was only 54 years ago today that Hawaii became a U.S. state. Let's celebrate with 22 facts about the Aloha State.
1. If you guessed that "hau`oli la hanau" means "happy birthday," you're right. But you might need that sounded out: how-oh-lay la ha-now. The Hawaiian language comes with a bit of a learning curve. For starters, there's only a 13-letter alphabet and every word—and syllable—ends with one of five vowels.
2. That apostrophe-like mark you see in some words is called an ʻokina. It's a consonant that signifies a slight pause. If two words are spelled exactly alike, but one has an ʻokina, you're looking at two different words. For example, "moa" means "chicken," while "mo'a" means "cooked."
3. The kahakō symbol is a line placed over a vowel. It directs speakers to stretch out a vowel sound. Speaking of which....
A is pronounced “ah”
E is pronounced “eh”
I is pronounced “ee”
O is pronounced “oh”
U is pronounced “oo”
You might be wondering, "Is there a great song to summarize everything I just read? A fun song for children that will get stuck in my head all day long?" Yes, here it is:
4. The state of Hawaii consists of 8 main islands, the biggest of which is called, you guessed it, the Big Island. The Big Island's official name is Hawai'i.
5. The Big Island's getting bigger—by more than 42 acres each year—thanks to Kīlauea Volcano. It's been erupting for 30 years!
6. Mauna Loa, the world's biggest volcano, is also on the Big Island. Astronauts once trained for moon voyages by walking on its hardened lava fields. Most recently, six NASA-funded researchers spent months on the northern slope simulating a Mars space station.
7. Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows coffee, cacao, and vanilla beans. (Also: It can take up to five years to grow a single vanilla bean.)
8. The Aloha State's also good at growing ... people. It's got the highest life expectancy in the United States, despite the fact that...
