This article is part of my ongoing series about living in Hawaii.

Many U.S. states have nicknames. For example, California is The Golden State, Georgia is The Peach State, and Minnesota is The Land of 10,000 Lakes. Hawaii also has a nickname: The Aloha State.

When Captain James Cook arrived in the Hawaiian islands in 1778, he named them the Sandwich Islands in honor of the 4th Earl of Sandwich, the First Lord of the Admiralty. The name Hawaiʻi for the island group came into prominence in the 1840s, taking the name of the largest island.

Since "Hawaii" is the state's name and also the name of the largest island, this can sometimes be confusing. Therefore, the island is usually called The Big Island or Hawaii Island.

The Hawaiian islands were formed by a volcanic hot spot in the Earth's crust that creates islands as the Pacific Plate moves over it. The eight main Hawaiian Islands are made up of 15 volcanoes. The northernmost islands are the oldest. Only two volcanoes are active, and they are both on the southernmost island, the island of Hawaii. A new island, which has been named Loihi, is growing under the ocean about 22 miles off the southern coast of Hawaii Island. Scientists predict it will rise above sea level sometime between 10,000 and 100,000 years from now.

The State of Hawaii's official 2008 "Facts and Figures" article features the following information.

Described by Mark Twain as 'the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean,' Hawai‘i is a string of 137 islands encompassing a land area of 6,422.6 square miles in the north-central Pacific Ocean about 2,400 miles from the west coast of the continental United States.

The following section includes information about each of the eight main islands: the island's nickname, land area, population, and a few interesting facts.

At about 6 million years old, Niʻihau is the oldest of the main Hawaiian islands. In 1864 Elizabeth Sinclair purchased the island for $10,000 US dollars. Her descendants, the Robinson family, have owned the island ever since. Along with a few native Hawaiians, the Robinsons are the only people allowed to live on the island. A limited number of supervised tours have been permitted since 1987. There are no paved roads on the island, and horses and bicycles are the primary forms of transportation. The primary language is Hawaiian.

The island of Oʻahu has been inhabited since at least the 3rd century A.D. Today, about two-thirds of Hawaii's population lives on Oʻahu. Honolulu is the state capital and a popular destination for the five million tourists who visit Oʻahu each year. Waikiki Beach and Pearl Harbor are both in Honolulu.

Molokaʻi is believed to be the birthplace of the hula. From 1866 to 1969, an isolated peninsula on Molokaʻi was the home of Kalaupapa, the refuge for Native Hawaiian Hansen’s Disease (leprosy) sufferers. To preserve the traditional culture of their Native Hawaiian ancestors, the island's residents have resisted efforts to develop the island for extensive tourism.

James Dole bought the island of Lānaʻi in 1922 and grew pineapples on over 20,000 acres. For much of the 20th century, over 75% of the world's pineapple crop was produced on Lānaʻi. The Dole Company phased out pineapple production in 1992, and in 2012, tech billionaire Larry Ellison, CEO of the Oracle Corporation, purchased 98% of the island.

Kahoʻolawe - The Target Isle   

Kahoʻolawe, the smallest of the eight main Hawaii islands, has never been populated due to its lack of fresh water. Beginning during World War II, the island was used by the U.S. Navy as a bombing and testing range. After decades of protests and a lawsuit, the Navy halted their live-fire exercises on the island in 1990. Today, Kahoʻolawe is used for native Hawaiian spiritual and cultural purposes.

Located near the southern end of the island chain, Maui is one of the youngest islands. Its last volcanic eruption occurred around 1790. Maui is a popular island for visitors and has the second-highest annual tourist count of all the islands. The island is basically a valley, with the West Maui Mountains on one side and the Haleakala Crater on the other.

And now, here's a trivia question for you. There are eight main Hawaiian islands. What city on the U.S. mainland is commonly referred to as "The 9th Island" of Hawaii? I'll let you think about your answer for a little bit. You'll find the answer and more information in a separate section below. Good luck!

Here are some of the PDFs I've added to harpcenter.com this past month.

Zest - You can listen to an mp3 of Megan playing this free-form, wispy composition on the Zest product page.

Jewish Traditional Tunes for harp and flute or violin

"Twenty arrangements of Time-Honored Tunes from the Jewish Heritage"

Please note: The PDFs in this section are not part of the monthly sale.

Las Vegas, Nevada, is commonly known here in Hawaii as The 9th Island. One of our local TV channels often includes a 9th Island (Las Vegas) weather report on the nightly news.

According to the 2020 census, Las Vegas has the largest population of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders of any city outside of Honolulu. The lower cost of living is a significant incentive for those who move there from the islands. Due to this growing population, many Las Vegas restaurants now serve authentic Hawaiian food, and there are numerous hula halau groups and cultural and educational programs in the city and surrounding areas.

Every year, over 300,000 islanders visit Las Vegas. One reason for this high number is that gambling is illegal in Hawaii. Another primary reason goes back to one man: Sam Boyd.

In 1975, Sam Boyd opened the California Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas, hoping to attract tourists from California. When that didn't go as well as he had hoped, he turned his attention to Hawaii. He initiated regular marketing trips to the islands and later partnered with the Vacations Hawaii travel company to provide chartered non-stop flights from Honolulu to Las Vegas. The hotel now caters almost exclusively to Hawaiians and is affectionately known here as "The Cal." The hotel advertises on Hawaiian TV and radio stations, and approximately 90% of the staff and guests are from Hawaii.

Here's what it says on the home page of the California Hotel & Casino website.

Love from "Robin Hood" and

Love is a Song from "Bambi"

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including And I Love You So, Never My Love, and Through the Eyes of Love

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including My Love She's But a Lassie Yet; and My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose

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including I Know My Love,

and My Lagan Love

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including Perhaps Love

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When You Say You Love Me:

made popular by Josh Groban

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arranged by

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All My Loving, And I Love Her, Can't Buy Me Love, and You've Got to Hide Your Love Away

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On February 8, 2023, American composer, songwriter, and record producer Burt Bacharach passed away at the age of 94. Throughout his amazing career he won six Grammy Awards and three Academy Awards. His songs have been recorded by over 1,000 artists. I am proud to have made harp arrangements of two of the songs he wrote with lyricist Hal David in my Groovy Songs of the 60s book:

Do You Know the Way to San Jose? and

and A Lover's Concerto

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