Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just for fun, what are some obscure facts about Hawai'i that are not widely known?
To start things off...
Hummingbirds are widely considered across the globe to be the glittering jewels of the avian world, but they are not native to Hawai'i, and the State Department of Agriculture considers them an invasive pest.
Why?
Spoiler
Hummingbirds feed on tubular flowers such as the ones that grow all over pineapples, maybe 100 to a fruit. In the process of feeding, the hummingbirds pollinate those flowers, which create large hard seeds all over the fruit, rendering the fruit unpalatable to consumers and thus unsalable.
Hummingbird lovers imported the bird to the islands, and introduced them to the wild, from which they are now officially hunted and trapped, with the intention to eliminate them from the aina.
Okay, I'll try. Since I'm not the Hawaii expert like many on this forum, no judge - here goes.
Many Cities have Sister Cities in other countries. But the islands of Hawaii and Oahu along with two other U.S. States are antipodal (diametrically opposite on the other side of the globe) to inhabited land. Who are the other two states; and which countries are Hawaii and Oahu diametrically opposite?
Spoiler
Colorado and Montana are the other two states. Hawaii and Oahu islands lie exact opposite to the African nations of Botswana and Namibia. So, if you start digging a straight hole in Honolulu and manage to come on the other side of the globe, you will come out in Botswana/Namibia
In case it wasn't obvious... there's also a Show button displayed next to the word "Spoiler" when the Spoiler Alert feature is used. Click on that button to reveal the answer.
All that rice, all that poi, all that Kalua Pork and Huli Chicken and Teriyaki Plate Lunches... Hawai'i must be the most obese state in the country, right?
Spoiler
No, Hawai'i is actually rated as having the lowest obesity rate in the country. Good genes and a lot of outdoor activity seem to be important contributors to that long term ranking.
What did the Pacific Sugar Mill at the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island import in 1883 to try to get rid of the rats that were damaging the sugarcane and why didn't it work?
Spoiler
They imported 72 Asian Mongoose from Jamaica and the reason the mongoose didn't solve the rat problem is because Asian Mongooses were/are diurnal and the rats nocturnal. The same mongooses were shipped to Molokai, Maui, and Oahu.
The mongooses ended up eating ground birds and their eggs. There is debate as to whether or not the mongoose have/had any effect on the rat population. Now days the mongoose number in the thousands and Kauai had it's first documented mongoose capture in May of 2012.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
