The most populous city as well as the capital city of the state of Hawaii is the city of Honolulu. It is the most southern major city in the USA. The name "Honolulu" refers to an urban region situated on the southeastern shore on Oahu island. In the Hawaiian language, the word Honolulu translates to "sheltered bay" or "place of shelter". Since 1845, the city of Honolulu has been the capital of the Hawaiian Islands. During the attack of the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, near the city of Honolulu on December 7, 1941, the city of Honolulu gained historical recognition.
The government of the county and city have just been consolidated into the County and City of Honolulu. The consolidated government includes the entire island. At the time of the 2000 Census, the population of the urban section of Honolulu, which is considered to be the census-designated place by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes, was 377,357. The city of Honolulu is a major financial center of the islands of the Pacific Ocean. In the 2010 Census, the population of the county and the city was 953,207. Relative to state population, the city of Honolulu is the most populous state capital.
The vary first settlements of Honolulu appear to be Polynesian migrants who have been shown to be the original settlers of the island through several accounts of oral histories and artifacts. These records show that as early as the 11th century, there was a settlement where the city of Honolulu is now situated. In the year 1804, in the Battle of Nu'uanu at Nu'uanu Pali, after Kamehameha I conquered Oahu; he moved his royal court from Hawaii Island to the island of Waiki-ki. During 1809, his court relocated to what is currently considered to be downtown Honolulu. In the year 1812, the capital was moved back to Kailua-Kona.
There are a lot of museums and landmarks erected to celebrate the rich history of the island, making Honolulu the cultural center of the state of Hawaii. The King Kamehameha statue and the Lolani palace located within downtown, honor the royalty of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The Polynesian Cultural Center in close proximity to Brigham Young University, located outside of the city of Honolulu provides an outdoor representation of villages from New Zealand, Hawaii, Tahiti and Fiji as well as other Pacific cultures. There are native dancers, Hula dancing as well as interactive demonstrations performed. Two events are held on an annual basis during June and July.
Bishop Museum is one more famous Honolulu place, sitting just north of downtown. It offers an insight into the rich history with live performances, costumes, documents and canoes.
Honolulu's economy is mainly dependent upon the industries of defense contracting, tourism and the military, manufacturing and research and development. Tourism usually brings Honolulu approximately 10 billion dollars each and every year. Other important economic factors are provided by agriculture and aqua-culture. The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, the Marine Base Kaneohe and the Schofield Barracks are other factors that contribute to the economy.
There are some diversifying economical sectors emerging within Honolulu like for instance information and communication technologies, alternative energy, astronomy and space sciences, defense-dual use technologies, marine sciences and science-biotech. The Kapolei area also houses among the largest industrial parks in Hawaii. There are various huge shipping firms that serve the port, and the Honolulu Harbor has a well-known Foreign Trade Zone.