The state encompasses nearly the entire Hawaiian archipelago, which consists of 137 volcanic islands spanning 1,500 miles (2,400 km).

Ki̅lauea erupted nearly continuously from 1983 to 2018, causing considerable property damage, including the destruction of the towns of Kalapana and Kaimu̅ along with the renowned black sand beach.

Hawaii has 750 miles of combined coastline. Only Alaska, Florida, and California have more.

There are only thirteen letters in the Hawaiian alphabet. There are five vowels: a, e, i, o, and u, and eight consonants: h, k, l, m, n, p, w, and the 'okina, which is a glottal stop similar to the sound between the syllables of "oh-oh." In print, the correct mark for designating an 'okina is the single open quote mark.

Elizabeth Sinclair purchased Ni'ihau in 1864 for $10,000 from the Kingdom of Hawaii. The island's private ownership passed on to her descendants, the Robinsons. During World War II, the island was the site of the Ni'ihau Incident, in which, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese navy fighter pilot crashed on the island and received help from residents of Japanese descent. It is known as "the Forbidden Isle" because it is off-limits to all outsiders except the Robinson family, U.S. Navy personnel, government officials, and invited guests.

Mauna Kea stands 4,207.3 m (13,803 ft) above sea level, about 38 m (125 ft) higher than its neighbor Mauna Loa, and is the highest natural point in the state of Hawaii. Measured from its base on the ocean floor, it rises over 10,000 m (33,000 ft), significantly greater than the elevation of Mount Everest above sea level.

Often referred to as "Madame Pele" or "Tu̅tu̅ Pele" as a sign of respect, she is known in Hawaiian religion as "She who shapes the sacred land."

Settled by Polynesians some time between 124 and 1120 AD, Hawaii was an independent nation until 1898, when it was annexed by the United States. It became the most recent state to join the union on August 21, 1959.

The mongoose was introduced in 1883 by the sugar industry to control rats in sugarcane fields on Maui, Molokai and Oahu. The decision was misguided, however, because while rodents make up a large portion of the mongooses' diet, their substantial negative impact on other desirable birds, insects, and animals outweighed their minor impact on rat control. The mongoose is now widespread on all of the main Hawaiian islands except for Lanai and Kauai.

Although the bite rate is very low considering the thousands of people who swim, surf, and dive in Hawaiian waters every day, the most likely culprit in the event of an attack is the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier). One notable survivor of such an attack is surfing champion Bethany Hamilton, who lost her left arm at age 13 to a tiger shark in 2003.