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Honolulu Facts |
Honolulu Overview |
Honolulu Tourist Attractions Honolulu Location Map | Honolulu City Map |
Geography: the district city of Honolulu is located next to the harbor in Hawaii, on the southeast coast of the central island of Hawaii called Oahu, along a narrow coastal plain. The Halawa Stream borders it in the west. This is also the area that houses the famous Pearl Harbor. Honolulu has several volcanic cones right within the city area; the most prominent of them are Punchbowl, Diamond Head, Koko Head (Koko Crater, Salt Lake, and Aliamanu. It is also one of the three destinations in the US that cannot be directly accessed by road.
Economy: the full-fledged department of economy of Honolulu dates back to the year 1959 when Hawaii attained statehood. Ever since then, Honolulu has gone from strength to strength. The chief revenue earners of the city are the influx of commercial flights, thriving tourism, contributions from the Federal Defense and agricultural exports like sugarcane, pineapples and Macadamia nuts.
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History: originally a place inhabited by Polynesians, Honolulu, it is said, received its first settlers in around the 12th century. Later it became a royal seat when King Kamehameha-I relocated from Waikiki in the year 1809. The first foreigner to touch the soil of Honolulu was the Englishman Captain William Brown, who arrived in 1794. More foreigners arrived subsequently and the indigenous monarchy of Hawaii was overthrown late in the 19th century. However, its ports and harbors gained popularity and strengthened its economy.
Administration and Government:The city of Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii and is a county. The head of the city is the Mayor, who administers the affairs of the city with the help of a council. The council of the Mayor comprises of some nine members who, along with the Mayor, hold office for a four year tenure. The offices of the Mayor and his council are housed in the Honolulu Hale. The current
Transport System:
- Travel to Honolulu, Hawaii – Hawaii being a stop over for most long distance flights to and from the US mainland. There are also a good number of flights from the neighboring island of Kaua'i, Maui, Lanai, Moloka'i and Big Island. All flights land at the Honolulu International Airport. Also, most Hawaii bound ships or cruises or yachts dock at Honolulu. A major player in the shipping scenario in the Royal Caribbean International. Other big companies having vessels that dock at Honolulu are the Norwegian Cruise Lines and Cunard.
- Travel in Honolulu, Hawaii – there is no dearth of options while traveling from one place to another in Honolulu. The city has numerous buses and cads for the public to hire. The other convenient modes of transport are tram, car rentals, chauffeured cars, bicycles and motorcycles.
Society and Cultural Life: the social and cultural scenario in Honolulu is very vibrant. The people there are a very festive and also a multi-ethnic lot and so there is always some festival or other that is being celebrated throughout the year. Honolulu is also known to host a number of sports during the tenure of the year. Some of the festivals are:
- Chinese New Year.
- Cherry Blossom Festival.
- St Patrick's Day.
- International Bed Race.
- Lei Day.
- King Kamehameha Day.
- King Kamehameha Hula Competition (Hula festival).
- Prince Lot Hula festival (Hula festival).
- Hawaiian Slack-Key Guitar Festival.
- Ka Himeni Ana.
- Surf Aloha Kayak Surfing Competition.
- Transpacific Yacht Race.
- Honolulu Marathon.
- Aloha Bowl.
Educational Institutions: Education is a well developed department in Honolulu. Though the land area of Honolulu is no more than 25 Sq Km, there are plenty of schools and institutions for higher education to be found. There are some 39 or so schools at the elementary level, around 9 at the intermediate level and almost 6 senior high schools. The main university in Honolulu is the University of Hawaii which is positioned in the Manoa region in Honolulu. The other universities in Honolulu are the Chaminade University of Honolulu (affiliated under the Roman Catholic Church, to Society of Mary) and the Hawaii Pacific University (Private University).
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