# Where is Hawaii **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 8, 2000, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783 "2000-06-08T19:01:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rweiland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ba0ec/32.png) [@rweiland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rweiland)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2000, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/1 "2000-06-08T19:01:53Z")
I’ve been reading this book of short mystery stories set all over the world. The editors’ sense of geography is obviously a little lame, since they put a Tahiti-based story in the “Caribbean” section of the book. However, one of their selections has got me curious: They’ve put a story set in Hawaii in the “North America” section of the book. Clearly Hawaii is part of the U.S., but is it part of North America? And if not, what continent, if any, is Hawaii part of? Is every place part of some continent, or are there free agent chunks of land out there? And while we’re at it, why do clothes shrink when you wash 'em? Rick in Evanston ---
**Author:** ![saeren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@saeren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saeren)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2000, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/2 "2000-06-08T19:11:53Z")
I’m not sure, but I think Hawaii is considered part of North America, simply because of it’s affiliation with the U.S. I could be wrong though. Also, I was under the impression that clothes shrink, not because of the washing, itself, but because of over-drying. The heat does something to the wet fibers(especially cotton). I’ve found that by hanging my shirts up while they’re still damp limits shrinking. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2000, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/3 "2000-06-08T19:21:42Z")
Geographically/geologically, Hawaii ain’t part of North America. Different plate, WAAAy far away, etc. It’s an independent island chain. V. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2000, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/4 "2000-06-08T19:22:04Z")
Since Hawaii is one of the most remote places on earth (if you measure by how far away it is from one of the big continental land masses), you would be hard pressed to say that the Hawaiian Islands are in North America. What really matters is if you are talking politically or geographically about the continent of North America. I would say politically Hawaii is, but geographically it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2000, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/5 "2000-06-08T19:26:46Z")
Hawaii is on the Pacific Plate and North America is on the North America Plate. Hence, Hawaii is not ‘technically’ part of North America. It’s just considered such it’s ‘owned’ by a North American country. This link should clear things up pretty well (picture of the several ‘plates’ comprising the earth’s surface): [http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/pubinfo/images/mg06.gif](http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/pubinfo/images/mg06.gif) FYI: Did you know that technically Hawaii is the Earth’s tallest mountain? If measured from its tip to the base (far under sea) it holds that title. ---
**Author:** ![KeithB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@KeithB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KeithB)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2000, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/6 "2000-06-08T19:49:06Z")
Hey, wait a minute! Since I am sitting near the beach in the LA Basin, (to the west of the San Andreas Fault,) I believe that _I_ am on the Pacific Plate, too. Does that mean that I am not in North America? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2000, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/7 "2000-06-08T19:59:14Z")
> [@](#): > > Hey, wait a minute! > Since I am sitting near the beach in the LA Basin, (to the west of the San Andreas Fault,) I believe that _I_ am on the Pacific Plate, too. Does that mean that I am not in North America? Dunno…looks that way doesn’t it. Always knew Angelinos were somehow different. Now it’s proved! ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2000, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/8 "2000-06-08T20:05:54Z")
It’s not just Southern California that’s not on the North American plate, it’s a sizeable chunk that runs through the Bay Area. I would imagine that over 75% of the population of California lives to the west of the San Andreas Fault. That number is just a guess, but L.A., San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose are all in the same boat. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2000, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/9 "2000-06-09T01:43:23Z")
Oakland is East of the San Andreas fault, but not the Hayward Fault. ---
**Author:** ![spartacist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@spartacist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spartacist)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2000, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/10 "2000-06-09T04:51:30Z")
I sit on top of the subduction zone of the Jaun de Fuca plate and the North American plate. Does that mean I live on both? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2000, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/11 "2000-06-09T07:07:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > I sit on top of the subduction zone of the Jaun de Fuca plate and the North American plate. Does that mean I live on both? > \*\* Yes, but not for long! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2000, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/12 "2000-06-09T09:38:40Z")
Geology aside, I would like to add that the only country in the world (that I know of) to be in two different continents, is Turkey. The west banks of the Bosporus are considered European, and the eat banks Asian. Of course, the frontier is arbitrary, and a lot of people use this very example to argue that we should just call it Eurasia. After all, it IS on the same plate. But still, a nice bit of trivia for those late night pub discussions, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2000, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/13 "2000-06-09T15:42:35Z")
You forgot about Russia. The Ural Mountains are traditionally the dividing line between Europe and Asia. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2000, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/14 "2000-06-09T15:44:30Z")
D’oh!! Well, it IS friday, and it HAS been a long week. Will you guys refrain from laughing at me over this? Please? ---
**Author:** ![Indiana\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/0ea827/32.png) [@Indiana\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indiana_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2000, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-hawaii/21783/15 "2000-06-09T16:20:19Z")
Definitions of continents are arbitrary things. Usually Hawaii is considered as part of North America because of its affiliation with the United States, also the Hawaiian archipelago is a long way from the islands considered as Oceania. Turkey isn’t the only ‘bicontinental country’. The obvious one is the Russian Federation which stretches from Kaliningrad on the Baltic to Petropavlosk on the Pacific. Also Kazakhstan, which has a small portion of territory east of the Urals (the usual dividing line between Europe and Asia). However, these three all depend on calling Europe and Asia separate continents. Egypt could also qualify depending on whether the Sinai is considered part of Asia or Africa. Then there is the case of Spain which owns two chunks of territory in Africa surrounded by Morocco called Ceuta and Mellila which are part of the Spanish metropole. Also Greece owns the Dodecanese Islands which are physically closer to Anatolian Turkey and could be considered as part of Asia.