Premise: Hawaii . ogghəˈwaɪ.i , _ - ji , _ - ʔi ] ; Hawai [ - hawhəˈvɐjʔi ] ) is the 50th and most recent state to have joined the United States of America , having received statehood on August 21 , 1959 . At the southeastern end of the archipelago , the eight main islands are -- in order from northwest to southeast : Niihau , Kauai , Oahu , Molokai , Lānai , Kahoolawe , Maui , and the Island of Hawaii . Hawaii is the 8th-smallest and the 11th-least populous , but the 13th-most densely populated of the fifty U.S. states . The island of Maui ( [ ˈmaʊ.i ] Hawaiian : [ - hawˈmɐwwi ] ) is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727.2 square miles ( 1,883 km2 ) and is the 17th-largest island in the United States .
Hypothesis: Hawaii is an independent nation.
Label: CONTRADICTION