Honolulu

Honolulu is the capital city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is also the largest city in Hawaii and it has the most important harbor. It is on the south-east shore of the island of Oahu. Situated in the Pacific Ocean, Honolulu is the United States' westernmost and southernmost major city and state capital. The closest location in mainland U.S. is the Point Arena Lighthouse in northern California, at 2,045 nautical miles (2,353 mi; 3,787 km). The closest major city is San Francisco, California, at 2,083 nautical miles (2,397 mi; 3,858 km). Etymology The city's name means "sheltered harbor" in the Hawaiian language. No one knows for sure when Honolulu was first settled or when the name was first used. History Honolulu harbor was called Kulolia before foreigners came. The first foreigner was Captain William Brown of the English ship Butterworth, in 1794. He named the harbor Fair Haven. Other foreign captains started calling it Brown's Harbor. The name Honolulu was used some time after that. Honolulu quickly became the most important harbor of Hawaii. At that time, sandalwood was a big export. Honolulu was also an important supply point for whalers. Kamehameha III made Honolulu the capital city of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1850. It was also the capital of the Republic of Hawaii and the Territory of Hawaii. It stayed the capital when Hawaii became a state in 1959. Notable people Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, was born in Honolulu Bette Midler, actress and singer, was born in Honolulu Nicole Kidman, actress and singer, was born in Honolulu Nicole Scherzinger, singer, was born in Honolulu Jason Momoa, actor, was born in Honolulu, currently lives in Honolulu Bruno Mars, singer, was born in Honolulu References