Hawaii Quiz
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128 free Hawaii trivia questions with answers — geography quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
50 free Hawaii trivia questions with answers. Discover how much you really know about the Aloha State! Our Hawaii trivia quiz puts your island expertise to the test with challenging questions about history, culture, geography, and more. Whether you're a Hawaii enthusiast or just curious, this quiz will entertain and educate you.
30 of 128 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is the state bird of Hawaii?
Nene
The Nene, or Hawaiian goose, has been the official state bird of Hawaii since 1957. It is believed to have evolved from the Canada goose about 500,000 years ago.
Q 02Which Hawaiian island is nicknamed 'The Garden Isle'?
Kauai
Kauai is nicknamed 'The Garden Isle' for its lush rainforests, dramatic cliffs and abundant greenery. At about five million years old it is one of the oldest of the main islands.
Q 03How many main islands make up the Hawaiian archipelago?
Eight
Beyond the eight main islands, the state includes the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and around 130 small rocks and islets, 137 volcanic islands in all.
Q 04What year did Hawaii become the 50th U.S. state?
1959
Hawaii was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, becoming the 50th state, seven months after Alaska became the 49th.
Q 05What is the capital city of Hawaii?
Honolulu
Honolulu is both the state capital and the largest city in Hawaii, and roughly two-thirds of the state's residents live on its island.
Q 06What is the only official royal residence on U.S. soil?
Iolani Palace
Iolani Palace served as the residence of the Hawaiian monarchy from 1882 to 1893 and was restored and opened to the public as a museum in 1978.
Q 07Which monarch united the Hawaiian Islands into one kingdom?
King Kamehameha I
King Kamehameha I, Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii, unified in 1810 after years of campaigns.
Q 08What type of outdoor advertising is banned throughout Hawaii to preserve natural beauty?
Billboards
Hawaii's ban took effect in 1927, decades before Vermont, Alaska and Maine followed, making it one of only four U.S. states without billboards.
Q 09What is the Hawaiian word that serves as both a greeting and a farewell?
Aloha
Aloha is used as both hello and goodbye in Hawaiian. It also means love, affection, and compassion, and is central to Hawaiian culture. Hawaii is nicknamed 'The Aloha State.'
Q 10Which of the five volcanoes forming Hawaii Island has been its most active since the islands were settled?
Kilauea
Kilauea erupted nearly continuously from its eastern rift zone from January 1983 to April 2018, one of the longest eruptions ever documented.
Q 11Measured from its base on the ocean floor, which Hawaiian mountain is taller than Mount Everest?
Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea rises about 33,500 feet from its base on the ocean floor to its summit, making it taller than Mount Everest's 29,032 feet when measured from base to peak.
Q 12What is the official state fish of Hawaii?
Humuhumunukunukuapuaa
The humuhumunukunukuapuaa (reef triggerfish) was named state fish in 1985, lapsed in 1990 when the law expired, and was permanently reinstated in 2006. Its name means 'triggerfish with a snout like a pig.'
Q 13Besides English, what other language is an official language of Hawaii?
Hawaiian
The 1978 state constitution made Hawaiian co-official with English. The language nearly died out but has been revived through immersion schools in which every subject is taught in Hawaiian.
Q 21Which Hawaiian island is known as 'The Forbidden Isle' because access is restricted?
Niihau
Niihau, purchased by Elizabeth Sinclair from King Kamehameha V in 1864 for $10,000, is privately owned by the Robinson family. Access is restricted to preserve Hawaiian culture and language.
Q 22By tradition, from which island group did Hawaii's first Polynesian settlers sail?
Marquesas Islands
Early studies put the Marquesan arrival around 300 CE, with a later wave from Tahiti bringing new chiefs and the kapu system, though the dating is still debated.
Q 23Approximately how far are the Hawaiian Islands from the nearest continental shore?
2,400 miles
Hawaii lies about 2,400 miles from California, the nearest continental shore; that isolation is why so much of its plant and animal life evolved nowhere else.
Q 14Which island is home to Pearl Harbor?
Oahu
Pearl Harbor is located on the island of Oahu, near Honolulu. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, led to the United States entering World War II.
Q 15What is the Hawaiian state flower?
Yellow Hibiscus
The yellow hibiscus, Hibiscus brackenridgei or maʻo hau hele, is a native shrub of Hawaii's dry lowland forests and is threatened by habitat loss and grazing animals.
Q 16What natural disaster struck the historic town of Lahaina, Maui in August 2023?
Wildfire
In August 2023, devastating wildfires destroyed much of the historic town of Lahaina on Maui. It was one of the deadliest wildfires in modern U.S. history, claiming over 100 lives.
Q 17Which British captain, on his third voyage, made the first documented European contact with Hawaii in January 1778?
James Cook
James Cook returned the following year and was killed at Kealakekua Bay.
Q 18What name did the British explorer who reached Hawaii in 1778 give the archipelago?
Sandwich Islands
The name honored John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, the explorer's sponsor and then First Lord of the Admiralty.
Q 19Which Hawaiian goddess is believed to live in the Halemaumau crater?
Pele
Pele, goddess of volcanoes and fire, is said to have fled her sister Namaka from Tahiti; her body was destroyed but her spirit lives on in the crater.
Q 20Hawaii dominated the international trade in which crop until the 1960s?
Pineapple
Pineapple canned in Hawaii was about 80 percent of world output in the 1960s; production then declined against cheaper Asian growers, and Del Monte left the islands in 2008.
Q 24Which of the Hawaiian Islands is the largest by area?
The Big Island
The Big Island, Hawaii Island, covers about 4,028 square miles, 63 percent of the archipelago's land but only 13 percent of its people, and lava from Kilauea keeps adding new ground.
Q 25What traditional Hawaiian garland of flowers is given as a symbol of greeting and affection?
Lei
The lei is a garland or wreath of flowers, leaves, shells, or other materials traditionally given as a symbol of greeting, love, or celebration in Hawaiian culture.
Q 26What is the meaning of the Hawaiian word 'mahalo'?
Thank you
Mahalo means thank you or gratitude; the Pukui-Elbert Hawaiian dictionary also gives it the senses of admiration, praise and esteem.
Q 27Which Hawaiian island is nicknamed 'The Valley Isle'?
Maui
Maui's 'valley' is a roughly six-mile-wide isthmus joining Haleakala and the West Maui Mountains; the towns of Kahului and Wailuku sit on it.
Q 28Along with Hawaii, which state was an internationally recognised sovereign nation before joining the US?
Texas
Texas was the independent Republic of Texas from 1836 to 1845, recognised by the United States, France and Britain; the Kingdom of Hawaii was sovereign from 1810 until 1893.
Q 29What undersea volcano growing off the southeast coast of Hawaii Island may one day become a new island?
Loihi
Loihi, renamed Kamaʻehuakanaloa in 2021, rises more than 10,000 feet from the seafloor but its summit is still about 3,200 feet underwater; it may surface in 10,000 to 100,000 years.
Q 30Which famous North Shore reef break is known for massive winter waves and pro surf contests?
Pipeline
The Banzai Pipeline (or simply Pipeline) on Oahu's North Shore is one of the most famous surfing spots in the world, known for its powerful, hollow waves that break over a shallow reef.