Hawaii is an entity with statehood.
Hawaii . ogghəˈwaɪ.i , _ - ji , _ - ʔi ] ; Hawai [ - hawhəˈvɐjʔi ] ) is the 50th and most recent state to have joined the United States of America , having received statehood on August 21 , 1959 . Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oahu . Hawaii is the 8th-smallest and the 11th-least populous , but the 13th-most densely populated of the fifty U.S. states . Honolulu ( [ ˌhɒnəˈluːluː ] or [ ˌhoʊnoʊˈluːluː ] [ honoˈlulu ] ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii .