This name was in use until the 1840s, when the local name Hawaii gradually began to take precedence. The Hawaiian Islands have a total land area of 6,423.4 square miles (16,636.5 km2). Except for Midway, which is an unincorporated territory of the United States, these islands and islets are administered as the state of Hawaiiâthe 50th state of the United States of America.