Interesting Facts about Honolulu Hawaii
Location - Our strategic Mid-Pacific location makes Hawaii an ideal bridge to serve
lucrative markets on both sides of the Pacific. As a diversified hub of
trans-pacific fiber optic cables, satellite links and cellular and
wireless networks. Hawaii offers a full range of telecommunications
services to all domestic and foreign destinations. Our time zone
advantage enables any business to connect to the Americas and Asia in
the same working day. HAWAII is the ideal place to conduct your business
with any part of the world.
Physical Description - Discovered by Polynesian settlers between the 3rd and 7th centuries A.D.
and later by British Captain James Cooke in 1778. Hawaii became the 50th
state on August 21, 1959.
Honolulu, the capital city, is on the island of Oahu. Hawaii's 8 Major Islands
Hawaii is a string of 137 islands encompassing a land area of 6,423.4
square miles in the north central Pacific Ocean about 2,400 miles from
the west coast of the continental United States. Stretching from
northwest to southeast, the major islands are NIA, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai,
Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii. Hawaii's climate features mild
temperatures, moderate humidity and cooling trade winds
Labor Force - Unemployment rate (1998): 6.2% Oahu (5.4); Hawaii (9.7); Maui (6.6);
Molokai (15.0); Lanai (3.5); Kauai (9.8) Civilian labor force (1998):
597,050 Composition of labor force (1998): Male, 53%; Female, 47%
Civilian employment (1998): 559,750 Annual wages per private employee
(1997): $26,978 In 1997, 8.7% of employed persons held multiple jobs.
Hawaii's economy is service-oriented with hotels and other service
providers accounting for more than one-fourth of the jobs. About three
in ten civilian workers are professional or managerial. Government and
retailing account for half the number of employees. Hawaii's workforce
is skilled in Asian languages and business protocol.
Government - Governor: Linda Lingle
Lieutenant Governor: James Duke Aiona, Jr.
Legislature: 51-member House and 25-member Senate which meets annually. There are four counties with mayors and councils:
City and County of Honolulu (the Island of Oahu and the Northwest
Hawaiian Islands excluding Midway) Hawaii County (Hawaii Island) Maui
County (Islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe) Kauai County
(Islands of Kauai and and Niihau) Hawaii has only two levels of
government; state and county. Counties perform most services usually
assigned to cities and towns (fire protection, refuse collection,
construction and maintenance of streets and other public works). There
is only one school district which is administered by the State. Congressional Members -
U.S. Senate: Daniel K. Inouye, Daniel K. Akaka
US Representative: Ed Case, Neil Abercrombie
Higher Education - The University of Hawaii's English as a Second Language and Linguistics
programs are ranked among the top programs in the world, and the College
of Business Administration's international business program was ranked
an impressive 24th out of the whole of the US. The University's School of Travel Industry Management is respected
worldwide for training and research in hotel, restaurant, tourism and
transportation management, as designated by the World Tourism
Organization as one of 14 international tourism education and training
centers in the world. The University of Hawaii teaches more Asian languages than any other US
university. Approximately 2,000 students are studying Japanese, the most
popular language at the university. Additionally, the university is one
of only two in the US to offer a master's degree for Korean language
studies.
Workforce - One out of every five adults in Hawaii are fluent in another language,
including Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese and Filipino. Oahu is one of the world's leaders in multicultural education and
training. Hundreds of students graduate annually from one of the many
University of Hawaii's cultural training programs.
Economic Opportunities - Hawaii has the second largest military base in the nation, and adds $4.7
billion to the local economy annually. Hundreds of Oahu-based companies
do business with Hawaii's military, providing a full range of goods and
services. In March 2000, hundreds of Asian and US business leaders will visit Oahu
to attend the Pacific Basin Economic Council's annual meeting, which
will be held at Oahu's Convention Center. Asia's leading business
organization, PBEC's membership collectively employs 10 million people
and generates $4 trillion in annual revenues.
Foreign Investment - Hawaii is one of the few states designated by the US Federal Government
as a Regional Center, which benefits foreign investors interested in
becoming US citizens. In fact, Hawaii has one of the biggest immigrant
investor programs in the entire United States.
Technology - Oahu has the most advanced telecommunications infrastructure in the
world. Its location at the center of the Pacific Ocean gives it a
virtual monopoly on traffic between Asia and the US. By locating your operations on Oahu, you can do business with New York
in the morning and Tokyo in the afternoon, all in the same business day. Unlike most places that offer only one or two communications technology
options, Oahu-based businesses can choose from fiber optic or copper
land lines, digital switching, trans-Pacific cable, or satellite access
to do business around the world. According to the Pacific Telecommunications Council, Oahu is one of the
best places from which to serve Asian markets, especially if it involves
the Internet. Dr. Ryuzo Yanagimachi's successful cloning of three generations of mice
brought international honor and prestige to the University of Hawaii's
biotechnology program. The University of Hawaii is among the top sites for breakthrough
research in reproductive biology, oceanography, astronomy and
volcanology. Developing a genetically-engineered, disease-free papaya,
and a caffeine-free coffee bean are just two of dozens of recent
technological developments engineered at the University of Hawaii.
People and Land - Educated. Intelligent. Hardworking. Family-oriented. These are some of
the ways to describe Hawaii residents, who have chosen to live and work
here because this is where they want to raise their children. Beautiful
beaches surround our residential communities and organized
infrastructure. Businesses and people thrive together in this excellent
environment. And Hawaii is an island "paradise" blessed with a
year-round temperature climate, pristine environment, beautiful beaches,
clear waters, abundant marine life and surf ranging from gentle to
awe-inspiring. Population - 1,193,001 - (State Resident Population)
Honolulu content reprinted with permission from chamber
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