When you travel to Hawaii, learning what continent Hawaii is on is interesting. Hawaii’s continent is not always a straight and easy answer.
Politically, Hawaii is considered part of the North American continent as it is one of the States of America. But location-wise, many people believe it is part of the Oceana continent as it is located within the area known as Polynesia.
The main problem in defining what continent Hawaii is on is that Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and quite far away from other inhabited islands or countries of the world.
Table of Contents
- Politically Hawaii Is Located In The Continent Of North America
- Hawaii Is Located Closer To The Oceania Region Or The 7th Continent.
- The Confusion Of What Continent Hawaii Is Part Of
- Virtually Travel The Road Of Hana With Conquer Virtual Challenges
- Related Questions
Politically Hawaii Is Located In The Continent Of North America
Hawaii is a state of the United States of America; it is politically part of the North American continent. Most countries consider it part of America and the American continent.
Hawaii is over 2300 miles west of San Francisco; it is 3900 miles east of Tokyo and 4500 miles northeast of Australia. Even though it is closest to the U.S. west coast, it is still quite a distance from any part of America.
Hawaii is in the ocean by itself, and it is not near any large land mass; many people say that the state of Hawaii does not belong to any continent. But as Hawaii is a part of the United States of America, politically speaking, we must say it is part of the North American continent.
Hawaii Is Located Closer To The Oceania Region Or The 7th Continent.
Hawaii is not close to any part of the North American continent, but it is still considered part of the United States. Hawaii is in the middle of the Oceania region of the world.
Many consider the Oceania region to be the seventh continent. But still, Hawaii does not lie in the Oceania continental crust, meaning it is barely part of Oceania. Oceania includes Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Papua New Guinea.
Some people will place the U.S. state of Hawaii into the island region of Polynesia because the U.S. state of Hawaii is closer to many of the smaller Polynesian islands. Hawaii’s culture, landscape, and climate are closer to this region.
The Confusion Of What Continent Hawaii Is Part Of
There can be quite a bit of confusion about which continent Hawaii is part of. Sometimes the world atlas will list Hawaii as part of the Oceania continent. Still, many other times, Hawaii is listed as part of the North American continent as part of the United States.
Whenever you look at a map of the United States, you will see the state of Hawaii always shows off the west coast of California in the Ocean by itself.
Location-wise, as Hawaii is closer to the Oceania continent, specifically the Polynesia area, it will get grouped into parts of Polynesia.
Add to this confusion, many of the smaller islands around the Hawaiian islands, such as the Palmyra Atoll, Kingman Reef, Baker Island, Johnston Atoll, Midway Atoll, Wake Islands, Northern Marian Islands, Saipan, and Guam, are U.S. territories or part of the U.S. Commonwealth and are closer to Hawaii than the west coast of the United States.
Many of these islands have no permanent residents and are run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; any people who live or visit there are usually employees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mainly Guam and Saipan have people living on the islands.
Because all of these islands, which are also U.S. territory or the U.S. Commonwealth, would be considered to be in the Oceania continent, many people consider Hawaii to be located in the Oceania continent but politically part of the North American continent.
Virtually Travel The Road Of Hana With Conquer Virtual Challenges
If you cannot visit Hawaii, you can virtually travel with the Conquer Virtual Challenge through some of the most scenic parts of Hawaii or the scenic road on Maui called “The Road To Hana.”
Every time you swim, bike, cycle, run or walk, you can put those miles into the Conquer Virtual Challenge app to virtually travel through Hawaii’s Road to Hana.
When you pass an important landmark, the Conqueror Virtual Challenge will email you a postcard to tell you about the area you have just traveled to and why it is an important landmark. This is a great way to get a feel for Hawaii and the Hawaiian islands.
You could travel alone or with friends and go as fast or slow as you want. I love to go onto Google Maps to see where I am traveling.
Once you have completed the challenge, the Conqueror Virtual Challenge will send you the Road To Hana medal to show you completed the journey.
To get 10% off your first Conquer Virtual Challenge, you can discover more by clicking on the link below:
At A Bus On A Dusty Road, we talk about travel, life, and ex-pat living. We are all about “Living Life As A Global Citizen.” We explore social, cultural, and economic issues and travel.
We would love to have you be part of our community. Sign up for our newsletter to keep up-to-date by clicking here. If you have any questions, you can contact me, Anita, by clicking here.
Listen to our Podcast called Dusty Roads. You can find it on all major podcast platforms. Try out listening to one of our podcasts by clicking here.
Subscribe to our A Bus On A Dusty Road YouTube Channel with great videos and information by clicking here.
Related Questions
Is Hawaii In One Or Two Time Zones?
Hawaii has a one-time zone. It is in the Hawaii – Aleutian time zone, which means it shares a time zone with part of Alaska. Hawaii has never changed its time for daylight savings time because Hawaii is near the equator, so the sunrise and sunsets do not fluctuate significantly throughout the year.
By clicking here, you can discover Is Hawaii In One Or Two Time Zones?
How Do You Say “Hello” In Hawaiian And How It Is Traditionally Used?
In Hawaii, people will greet you by saying hello or aloha. They may also use the word aloha to say goodbye. Aloha is the traditional greeting in the Hawaiian language for greedy people that are friends, family, or even strangers. But the word aloha means much more than just hello or goodbye; there are many traditional and cultural meanings inside the word.
By clicking here, you can discover How Do You Say “Hello” In Hawaiian And How It Is Traditionally Used
Are Hawaiians And Samoans The Same Thing?
Hawaiians and Samoans are not the same groups of people; they are very different. Native Hawaiians are considered to be Americans. Most native Hawaiians do not speak the Hawaiian language. On the other hand, Samoans consider themselves from the archipelago of Samoa. Most Samoans speak Samoan and English. Culturally the two places are very different.
By clicking here, you can discover Are Hawaiians And Samoans The Same Thing?.
