Profile America: Hawaii 

Friday, July 8 — This week in 1898, the U.S. began absorbing an island paradise en route to making it a treasured part of the nation. President William McKinley signed a resolution annexing the Hawaiian islands, then an independent republic. A short time later, Congress made Hawaii an incorporated territory of the U.S., which it remained until achieving statehood in 1959. For most Americans on the mainland, Hawaii is the ultimate vacation, with its lovely scenery and an average annual temperature of around 75 degrees. Tourism, defense, and raising sugar cane and pineapples are the mainstays of the economy. More than 1.4 million Americans call Hawaii home — about half of them Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. 

You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online.

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