This state includes nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which is made up of hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles. At the southeastern end of the group of islands, the eight 搈ain islands?are Niihau, Kauai, Oatahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii. The last by far the largest, and is often called the 揃ig Island?or 揃ig Isle?to avoid confusion with the state as a whole.

　　Hawaiitern’s tallest mountain, Mauna Kea stands at 13,796 ft (4,205m) but is taller than Mount Everest if followed to the base of the mountain梠n the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

　　All of the Hawaiian islands were formed by svolcanoes erupting from a magma(岩浆) source described in geological theory as a hot spot. The theory maintains that as the plate beneath much of the Pacific Ocean moves in a northwesterly direction, the hot spot remains quiet, slowly creating new volcanoes. This explains why only volcanoes on the southern half of the Big Island, and the Loihi Seamount deep below the waters off its southern coast, are presently active, with Loihi being the newest volcano to form.

　　The last volcanic eruption outside the Big Island occurred at Haleakala on Maui in the late 18th century, though recent research suggests that Haleakala’s most recent eruption could be hundreds of years earlier.

　　Because of the islands’volcanic formation, native life before human activity is said to have arrived by the “3W’s”: wind (carried through the air), waves (brought by ocean currents), and wings (birds, insects, and whatever they brought with them). The complete separation of the Hawaiian Islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean from any continent, and the wide range of environments to be found on high islands located in and near the tropic (回归线), have resulted in a vast variety of plants and animals. Hawaii has more endangered species per square mile and has lost a higher percentage of its local species than anywhere else on Earth.

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