Hawaii is a state in the western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean approximately 2,000 miles from the mainland. It is the only nation that is not located in North America, is an island, and is located in the tropics. Along with Vermont, Texas, and California, Hawaii is one of four US states that were originally separate nations.

Hawaii is almost the whole Hawaiian archipelago, consisting of 137 extinct volcanoes spanning 1,500 miles and belonging to the Polynesian subregion of Oceania physiographically and ethnologically. As a result, at nearly 750 miles, the state's ocean shoreline is the fourth largest in the United States (1,210 km). Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii are the eight primary islands that make up the state; it is commonly referred to as the 'Big Island' or 'Hawaii Island' to prevent misunderstanding with the state or archipelago. The uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands make up the majority of the Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument, the country's and world's biggest protected territory.

Hawaii has the eighth smallest land area and the 11th lowest population among the 50 US states but ranks 13th in population density with 1.4 million persons. On O'ahu, the state's largest and most populated city, Honolulu, two-thirds of the population dwells. Because of its central location in the Pacific and over two centuries of migration, Hawaii is one of the most diversified states in the US. It boasts the nation's sole Asian American plurality, the biggest Buddhist community, and the highest number of multiracial individuals as one of just six majority-minority states. As a result, in addition to its original Hawaiian background, it is a distinctive blending pot of North American and East Asian civilizations.