Hawaii, nicknamed "The Aloha State" is the 50th U.S. state and entered the Union on Aug. 21, 1959. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. Honolulu is the state capital but other major cities include Hilo, Kailua, Kaneohe, Waipahu, Pearl City, and Waimalu.