Hawaii became officially known as the "Aloha State" in 1959. Aloha is an acknowledgment that can be used to say hello or goodbye.

Maui

In the waters off the Wailea Resort area, on Maui's southern coast, lies the marine preserve of Molokini, the exposed rim of a submerged, extinct volcano. Molokini's clear, protected waters attract more than 250 species of colorful and curious pelagic fish-and the equally curious divers and snorkelers who sail out to meet them each day.

In 1992, Congress established the waters surrounding the islands of Maui County as a marine sanctuary-an act that is helping Maui's biggest endangered species pull back from the brink of extinction.

Humpback whales migrate each year between Hawaiian waters and the Arctic Circle. The Arctic provides a rich feeding ground, but it's here in Hawai'i that the whales mate and bear their young. In 1900, an estimated 15,000 humpback whales existed in the North Pacific. By 1968, when a ban was finally placed on hunting them, only about 1,000 humpbacks remained.

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