Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States on August 21, 1959. It is situated in the North Pacific Ocean, 2,300 miles (3,700 km) from the mainland, at 21°18′41″N, 157°47′47″W. During roughly 1778–1898, Hawaii was also known as the Sandwich Islands. South Point or Ka Laʻe, on the Big Island, is the southernmost tip of Hawaiʻi and the southernmost point in the United States.

An archipelago in the mid-Pacific and, thus, commonly included in Oceania, Hawaiʻi is the southernmost state of the United States; it would be the westernmost, if not for Alaska. It is one of the only two states (Alaska is the other) that are outside the contiguous United States, and do not share a border with another U.S. state. Hawaiʻi is the only state that (1) is without territory on the mainland of any continent; (2) is completely surrounded by water; and (3) continues to grow in area because of active extrusive lava flows, most notably from Kilauea (Kīlauea).