State Facts

Hawai´i facts:

* Hawai´i's `Iolani Palace is the only royal residence in the United States of America.
* Hawai´i is considered the nation's (USA) endangered species capitol. :(
* Hawai´i is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth: 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; 5,280 miles from the Philippines.
*There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian Alphabet.
Vowels: A, E, I, O, U
Consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W
* Hawai´i is the only state where coffee is commercially grown.
* From east to west Hawai´i is the widest state in the United States.
* Hawai´i has its own time zone (Hawai´i Standard Time). There is no daylight savings time. The time runs two hours behind Pacific Standard Time and five hours behind Eastern Standard Time.
* Hawai´i has the most advanced telecommunications system in the world. The state is one of only five states in the U.S. with 100 percent digital switching for telephones and more fiber optic cable per mile, per capita than any other state.
* There are no racial or ethnic majorities in Hawai´i. Everyone is a minority. Caucasians constitute about 34%; Japanese-American about 32%; Filipino-American about 16% and Chinese-American about 5%. It is very difficult to determine racial identification as most of the population has some mixture of ethnicities. :D:D:D
* Honolulu is the nation's 11th largest metropolitan area.
* The largest single mountain mass in the world is also located on the island of Hawai´i. While the bulk of its girth is below sea level and not readily visible,the active volcano Mauna Loa has a body mass about 100 times greater than Mt. Shasta in North America, or Mount Fuji in Japan. LITTLE KNOWN FACT! :)
* The wettest spot in the world is located on the island of Kauai. Mt. Waialeale consistently records rainfall at the rate of nearly 500 inches per year.
* Hawai´i is the largest consumer of Spam in the United States. Last estimates site over 10,000 cans of Spam are consumed everyday in Hawaii. :p
* The only reported wild Kangaroos in the U.S. are found in Hawai´i. Descendants of an escaped pair of wallabies continue to flourish in the mountains behind Honolulu. WHEN I WORKED AT THE HAWAIIAN HUMANE SOCIETY I SAW ONE OF THESE SUBSPECIES OF HAWAIIAN WALLABIES THAT HAD BEEN IN SOMEONES YARD! SO CUTE! :D
* Hawai´i has no snakes, seagulls, rabies OR billboards!

Ok, typical stuff first! ;)

Admission to Statehood: Jan. 6, 1912
State Bird: Roadrunner
State Fish: Cutthroat Trout
State Animal: Black Bear
State Insect: Tarantula Hawk Wasp
State Flower: Yucca Flower
State Tree: Piñon Pine
State Grass: Blue Grama
State Vegetables: Chile and Frijole
State Cookie: Biscochito
State Song: “O, Fair New Mexico” (adopted in 1917) was written three years after New Mexico became the 47th state. It was written by the daughter of Pat Garrett, the man who killed the outlaw Billy the Kid. In 1971, New Mexicans adopted an official Spanish-language song, is “Asi es Nuevo Méjico.”
State Gem: Turquoise
State Fossil: Coelophysis
10 Largest cities: Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Roswell, Farmington, Alamogordo, Clovis, Hobbs, Carlsbad

Now the fun stuff! :)

• Each October Albuquerque hosts the world's largest international hot air balloon fiesta. awesome site!!
• Las Cruces makes the world's largest enchilada the first weekend in October at the "Whole Enchilada Fiesta". VERY yummy!
• The world's first Atomic Bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945 on the White Sands Testing Range near Alamogordo. North of the impact point a small placard marks the area known as Trinity Site. The bomb was designed and manufactured in Los Alamos.
• White Sands National Monument is a desert, not of sand, but of gleaming white gypsum crystals. neat place to visit!
• Hatch is known as the "Green Chile capital of the world". VERY VERY VERY yummy!!!
• The Palace of Governors in Santa Fe is the oldest Government Building in the United States.
• On the same desert grounds where today's space age missiles are tested, ten-thousand-year-old arrowheads have been found.
• Santa Fe, the oldest capital city in the United States, was founded in 1610.
• Since New Mexico's climate is so dry 3/4 of the roads are left unpaved. The roads don't wash away.
• New Mexico has far more sheep and cattle than people. There are only about 12 people per square mile.
• The Navajo, the Nation's largest Native American Group, have a reservation that covers 14 million Acres.
• New Mexico's State Constitution officially states that New Mexico is a bilingual State, and 1 out of 3 families in New Mexico speak Spanish at home.

Entered the Union: 1849 (31st State)

Nickname: The Golden State

Number of U.S. Senators: 2

Number of U.S. Representatives: 52

Number of State Senators: 40

Number of Assembly members: 80

Capital City: Sacramento

State Abbreviation: CA

Other Notable Cities: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco

Area: 163,707 square miles (California is the 3rd biggest state in the USA - only Alaska and Texas are bigger)

Population: 33,871,648 (as of 2000) (California is the most populous state in the USA)

Major Industries: agriculture (many, many products), oil, mining, electronics, movie making/entertainment, and tourism

Presidential Birthplace: Richard Milhous Nixon was born in Yorba Linda on January 9, 1913 (he was the 37th US President, serving from 1969 to 1974).

Main Rivers: Sacramento River, Colorado River, San Joaquin River

Highest Point: - Mt. Whitney, 14,495 feet (4,418 m) above sea level

Lowest Point: Death Valley, 282 feet (86 m) below sea level (this is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere)

Bordering States: Oregon, Nevada, Arizona

Bordering Country: Mexico

Bordering Body of Water: Pacific Ocean

Origin of the Name California: The California comes from a mythical Spanish island ruled by a queen called Califia that was featured in a Spanish romance ("Las Sergas de Esplandian") written by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo in 1510 (the Spanish explorers originally thought that California was an island).

State Nickname: The Golden State

State Motto: Eureka (I have found it)

State Song: "I Love You, California"

State Flag:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa...forniaflag.GIF

State Bird: Quail
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/qgifs/Quail.GIF

State Mammal: Grizzly Bear
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/ggifs/Grizzly.GIF

State Marine Animal: Grey Whale
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/ggifs/Graywhale.GIF

State Reptile: Desert Tortoise
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/dgi...rttortoise.GIF

State Flower: California Poppy
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/cgifs/Calpoppy.GIF

State Tree: Redwood and Giant Redwood
(The redwood is the tallest tree, growing up to 370 feet (113 m) tall and living for over a thousand years. One redwood in California is 2,200 years old. The roots of this giant conifer are shallow, but spread sideways up to 250 feet (75 meters) from the trunk. The bark is deeply-furrowed, fibrous, thick [up to about 1 foot (30.5 cm) thick] and lacks resin.)

State Fish: Golden Trout

State Marine Fish: Garibaldi

State Insect: California dog-face butterfly

Map:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa...fornia/map.GIF

State Seal:
http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/OMU/O...ornia_Seal.jpg