Hawaii (state)

B

Principal Cities

Urbanization has proceeded rapidly since the 1920s. Some 91 percent of all inhabitants now live in urban areas, mostly in and around Honolulu, making the state one of the most urbanized in the country.

Honolulu, the state capital, dominates the economic, cultural, social, and political life of Hawaii. The City and County of Honolulu includes all of Oahu, together with several islets northwest of the main islands. The city proper had a population in 2005 of 377,379. The Honolulu metropolitan area is coextensive with Oahu.

Hilo, the second largest city in the state, had a population of 40,759 in 2000. It serves as the shipping and business center of the island of Hawaii.

C

Religion

The traditional religion of the native Hawaiians, essentially a form of nature worship, was abolished by Kamehameha II in 1819. The first Christian missionaries, who were members of the Congregational and Presbyterian churches, arrived from New England in 1820. Within a few years, many of the islanders had been converted to Christianity by these Protestant missionaries. The first Roman Catholic priests arrived from France in 1827. Also among the early missionaries were adherents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, who arrived from California in 1850. The Protestant Episcopal Church was established in 1862. During the second half of the 19th century, Buddhism, Shintoism, and other Asian religions were introduced by immigrants.

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Most of Hawaii’s residents now belong to denominations of the Christian faith, but almost all of the major religions of the world are represented in the state. The largest religious group is the Roman Catholic church. Buddhism, represented by, several sects, also has a large following. Protestant denominations represented in Hawaii include the Mormons, Congregationalists, Methodists, Baptists, Protestant Episcopalians, and Seventh-day Adventists. There is a small Jewish congregation in Honolulu.

V

Education and Cultural Institutions

A

Education

The first Western schools in Hawaii were started in the 1820s by Protestant missionaries from New England. During the 1840s a system of government supported public schools was established. English began to replace Hawaiian as the language of public instruction in the 1850s.

School attendance is compulsory for all children from the age of 6 until the age of 18. Unlike most other states, Hawaii does not have local or county school boards. Control of education is vested in the state government. Some 17 percent of the students are enrolled in private schools. Among the best known are the Kamehameha schools for children of Hawaiian ancestry.

In the 2002–2003 school year Hawaii spent $8,745 on each student’s education, compared to a national average of $ 9,299. There were 16.5 students for every teacher (the national average was 15.9 students). Of those older than 25 years of age in the state, 88 percent have a high school diploma, compared with an average of 82.8 percent for the nation as a whole.

A

1

Higher Education

Hawaii has 10 public and 10 private institutions of higher education. The University of Hawaii, founded as a land-grant college, is the state university. In addition to the main campus in Honolulu, called the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the University of Hawaii System includes branch campuses at Hilo and West Oahu, as well as seven community colleges. The university, which has long attracted students and scholars from all parts of the Pacific area, is the site of a unique institution called the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West, better known as the East-West Center.

Brigham Young University-Hawaii Campus, Chaminade University of Honolulu, and Hawaii Pacific University, all on the island of Oahu, are private schools.

B

Libraries

The Hawaii State Library is the state’s largest public library. Along with other libraries in Honolulu, including those at the University of Hawaii, the Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society, and the Hawaiian Historical Society, this library houses outstanding collections of Hawaiiana. Many historical documents and photographs are preserved in the state archives in Honolulu. All of Hawaii is served by a single library system, which circulates 5.8 books per resident each year.