Hawaii: Paradise in the Pacific Quiz

Answer: Small uninhabited islands

The state of Hawaii counts 137 islands in the Hawaiian chain. Most sites list 7-8 major islands, and recognize that there are many small uninhabited islands. Most of the Hawaiian islands have been formed by volcanic activity. They are also prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, and tropical cyclones.

The somewhat isolated location of Hawaii has also led to a proliferation of unique flora and fauna. It truly is a Pacific paradise.

Answer: Banzai Pipeline

All of these locations are known for their great surfing, but only the Banzai Pipeline is found on the north coast of Oahu. The Pipeline is world-famous for its enormous waves that form perfect tubes of water through which a master surfer can navigate.

These huge tunnels of water provide experienced surfers with the chance to tube ride, a phenomena not found in most surfing locations. To give you an idea of how monumental these waves actually are, if you closely look at this photo, near the center bottom you will see a surfer who has been riding one tube and may be fixing to enter another.

Answer: Whale watching

Thousands of people every year flock to the village of Lahaina in order to watch the humpback whales who have migrated back to Hawaii to give birth. Between December and April every year, humpback whales hang out in the area to mate, frolic, and nurse their newborns.

The warm water is full of food that is obtained with little effort. By April the humpback whales start their migration back north towards Alaska to their northern feeding grounds. Lahaina offers more whale watching tours than anywhere else in the state.

This quaint town is also home to numerous restaurants, small shops, and beautiful scenery. There is a lot of Hawaiian history and culture to be found in this small piece of paradise.

Answer: To protect your feet against burns.

Black sand beaches are often created when hot lava meets the cooling waters of the ocean. Black sand beaches get their color from the volcanic minerals that are present. The darker the beach, the newer the sand. When the lava hits the water it will shatter and break down into small granules. Black beaches often have larger pieces of sand than are found on the average white beach.

It is a good idea to wear foot covering when walking on these beaches as their color absorbs a great deal of the sun's heat and burns to the feet are not uncommon. Hawaii also has golden colored beaches, green beaches, and red beaches.

A true rainbow of colors in paradise.

Answer: Mauna Loa

All of these volcanoes are located under the ocean except for Mauna Loa. This huge volcano has been erupting off and on for thousands of years. The name Mauna Loa translates as "long mountain", and this spectacular volcano takes up approximately half of the area of the Big Island. Since 1843, it has erupted over 30 times and is likely to continue its eruptions for at least another thousand years. Most of Hawaii's volcanoes are shield volcanoes, meaning that they produce very fluid lava flows that form gently sloping shield-like mountains as opposed to the steep conical peeks that are seen in stratovolcanoes.

This beautiful volcano is a night picture of the 1984 eruption.

Answer: You can't, it is extinct

Sadly, the state of Hawaii is considered one of the extinction capitals of the world. The Large Kauai thrush was at one time the most common bird found on the island of Kauai. Even in the late 1800s this bird was found all over the island with a population in the thousands. Loss of habitat by deforestation caused the population to plummet.

This was followed by avian malaria that was brought to the island by introduced mosquitoes. Other non-native species such as rats, pigs, and cats finished off the rest of the population who were still alive.

The last purported sighting of this bird occurred in 1989 although this cannot be proven. All island species of both flora and fauna face extinction from introduced species and habitat loss. A wonderful location to visit is the Waimea Canyon State Park on the island of Kauai.

It is home to some of the rarest animals in Hawaii.

Answer: Highway billboards

The beautiful state of Hawaii has SUVs, street lights, and license plates just like the other 50 US states. What is does not have is billboards, also called hoardings in other English speaking countries. They were outlawed in 1927, and three other states followed suit by 1979: Maine, Alaska, and Vermont. They were thought to detract from the natural beauty of the islands.

Answer: It started as a leper colony.

Kalaupapa is an isolated beach settlement erected on the north side of the island of Molokai to serve as a leper colony from 1866-1869. Brought over by the Europeans, Hanson's disease struck thousands of islanders. Hanson's disease is more commonly known as leprosy.

Not only were lepers exiled to the island, they were forbidden to return and declared dead. After the leper colony was closed, there were those who refused to leave, and their decedents still inhabit this small village. The families who stayed claimed a piece of paradise as their own, and no one argued with them.

It is a wonderful spot to visit if you ever visit Hawaii.

Answer: Coffee

Hawaii is the only U.S. state that has the correct conditions to grow coffee. Coffee trees were first brought to the island aboard the British warship H.M.S. Blonde from Brazil in 1825. Kona coffee, usually credited as being Hawaii's best coffee, is grown on the Big Island on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano.

The rich volcanic soil and frequent rainfall provide just the right conditions to produce a rich coffee known for being both robust and smooth. Coffee plantations can be seen on all of the main islands of Hawaii, and some even provide tours. If you have never had a cup of Kona coffee, try it sometime; many people think of it as paradise in a cup.

Answer: True

This statement is true. Hawaii grows larger year after year due to the frequent volcanic activity in the area. The lava flooding out of the island's many volcanoes cools and builds up new land mass. This is not a fast process as the lava has to first settle on the ocean floor and build up to the height of sea level.

The life cycle of all flora and fauna on the island is tightly tied to this process of destruction and rebirth that the volcanic activity brings.