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Honolulu Hawaii

Honolulu ("protected bay" in Hawaiian) is the largest city of Oahu island and the capital of Hawaii. When we hear "Honolulu, Hawaii", sun-drenched beaches, swaying palms, and grass-skirted hula dancers come to mind. But Honolulu is also a center of politics, economy, culture, and tourism and home to the majority of islanders in the archipelago. Honolulu is home to University of Hawaii, that is considered to be one of the best in the Pacific region.

The history of Honolulu is really the history of Oahu. At various times, Honolulu has served as a port town, a whaling center, headquarters for Christian missionaries, and home to the Hawaiian royal family.

By the 1840s, Honolulu Hawaii was a busy port town. First sandalwood was the main export product. Then it gave way to sugar, and laborers from China, Japan, Portugal and the Philippines were brought in to work the plantations.

After Hawaii entered the Union, Pearl Harbor became the centerpiece of U.S. naval operations in the Pacific. On December 7, 1941, a squadron of some 400 Japanese planes attacked the base, killing more than 2,400 people. After the end of the war, Honolulu became the famous resort, and developers built the towering hotels of Waikiki.

Honolulu is often perceived as being less "Hawaiian" than the rest of the state. High-rise office buildings and traffic of Honolulu do not correspond with the common idea of what Hawaii should be: peaceful and rural. But from the other hand, Honolulu Hawaii is a successful conjunction of modern life and old Hawaiian culture.

Honolulu Hawaii is also a beautiful landscape of greenery and ocean, with gorgeous long sandy Waikiki beach, which is bordered by Diamond Head. The mountain was so named by a band of English sailors who found calcite crystals in the rocks and thought they were diamonds.

Honolulu Hawaii attractions

Bishop museum

This museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in honor of his wife, Princess Pauahi, the last descendant of the Royal Kamehameha family. Features rare artifacts and exhibits on Hawaiian and Pacific history, Hawaiian culture, animals and insects.

Honolulu Academy of Arts

Honolulu Academy includes more than 34,000 works of art in its permanent collection plus special exhibitions throughout the year.

Iolani Palace

The official residence of King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani, the last monarchs of Hawaii (1882-1893).

Arizona Memorial Museum

The memorial was erected over the sunken wreck of USS Arizona in 1962 to commemorate the devastating events of the Pearl Harbor day. It is the most visited attraction in Hawaii with an estimated 3,000 visitors each day.