Hawaii is an island state located in the Pacific Ocean southwest of North America, consisting of eight main islands including Oahu where the capital Honolulu is located. The earliest settlers were Polynesians in 300 BCE, and Hawaii has had increasing contact with Europeans since 1778, becoming a U.S. state in 1959 after being an independent republic. Traditional Hawaiian culture includes hula dancing, luaus (feasts), foods like lau lau (pork wrapped in taro leaves), and lomi salmon (salmon salad).