Hawaii Quarter: The fifth and final commemorative quarter coin released in 2008 honors Hawaii, and is the 50th and last coin in the United States Mint's 50 State Quarters® Program.
Hawaii was admitted into the Union on August 21, 1959, becoming our Nation’s 50th State. Hawaii's quarter features the Hawaiian monarch, King Kamehameha I, stretching his hand toward the eight major Hawaiian Islands. The inscriptions include: "UA MAU KE EA O KA'AINA I KA PONO" ("The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness"), "Hawaii" and "1959".
King Kamehameha I unified the governance of the Hawaiian Islands into one kingdom in the early 1800's, navigated changes in the state while maintaining the native practices and the islands' traditions. He is a revered figure in the history of Hawaii.
Additional details
Largest Cities: (by population) Honolulu, Hilo, Kailua, Kaneohe, Waipahu, Pearl City
Name: There are couple of theories regarding the origin of the name Hawaii. The first is the name came from a combination of the words "Hawa" and "ii" and means a small or new homeland; "Hawa" is defined as a traditional homeland and "ii" means small and raging. The other theory is that the name came from the traditional discoverer of the islands, Hawaii Loa.
