At Global Alliance, we take the “Worldwide” in our company name very seriously. We pride ourselves in offering premium limousine services to our clientele not only in our home base of Toronto but around the globe. Through our sophisticated network of trusted worldwide affiliates, Global Alliance can provide professional chauffeured services in hundreds of international cities. We will discuss many of the major worldwide destinations served via our affiliate network on this blog. In the first of three pieces on the Pacific paradise of Hawaii, today we say aloha to the Island of Hawaii.

The U.S. state of Hawaii is comprised of an archipelago of volcanically-formed islands located in the mid-Pacific Ocean over 3000 km southwest of the continental United States. It is the newest state in the union, having joined as the 50th state in 1959. Prior to that, Hawaii was annexed by the U.S. from its original Polynesian inhabitants, who had dwelled on the islands for centuries after arriving from across the open ocean. The native Hawaiians build a unique culture which is still honoured and celebrated in the state today, and were ruled by kings and queens whose names grace various locations in the modern state.

Hawaii became a major centre for fruit plantations (in particular pineapple, not a native fruit but imported to be grown in the sunny climate) as an American territory, as well as a key Pacific military base. Tourism came later, and in the post-war period saw a huge expansion in the tourist industry as a key component of Hawaii’s economy. In recent years, Hawaii has welcomed over 7 million visitors per year, who come to seek its mild weather year-round as well as to visit its natural wonders, historic sites, and popular beaches.

The largest and geologically newest of the islands of the Hawaiian archipelago, Hawaii is often referred to as the Big Island to avoid confusion with the state to which it has given its name. It is the newest due to its active volcanoes, namely Kilauea, which has been erupting continuously since 1983 and is at the cente of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The island’s topography is dominated by the great cones of its non-erupting volcanoes (some of which are tipped in snow in winter): Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Mauna Kea (only the latter is dormant, the others remain active volcanoes). The island of Hawaii’s volcanoes have made it four times larger than any other island in the archipelago.

The Big Island is the second most-populated island in the state after Oahu with state capital Honolulu, although there is no incorporated city on the island. Most of the major resorts and hotels, as well as the best beaches, are clustered along the west side of the island, the Kona Coast. Also a well-known coffee-growing region, the Kona area is centred around the former Hawaiian royal capital of Kailua-Kona, still home to historic sites from the pre-statehood period. The other larger settlement on the Big Island is Hilo on the lushly-foliaged east coast, nearer to the Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park. Both Kona and Hilo have commercial international airports welcoming travellers from other islands as well as from abroad.

Please feel free to contact Global Alliance Worldwide Chauffeured Services for all of your transportation needs on the Island of Hawaii.