


The eight main islands, from northwest to southeast, are Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and Hawaiʻi, after which the state is named it is often called the "Big Island" or "Hawaii Island" to avoid confusion with the state or archipelago. The state's ocean coastline is consequently the fourth longest in the U.S., at about 750 miles (1,210 km). Hawaii comprises nearly the entire Hawaiian archipelago, 137 volcanic islands spanning 1,500 miles (2,400 km) that are physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania. states that were once independent nations along with Vermont, Texas and California. It is the only state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state in the tropics. i/ ( listen) hə- WY-ee Hawaiian: Hawaiʻi or ) is a state in the Western United States located in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles from the U.S.
