Ch 17 - Hawaii and the Pacific Islands

In our last chapter, we will talk about Hawaii, and other Islands in the Pacific Ocean. These are known for their absolutely breathtaking scenery and tropical climate. These together make Hawaii a popular tourist destination. 

Geographically Hawaii has some interesting characteristics. Due to its isolation, it developed a unique flora and fauna. Today, it is threatened by human impact. In this light, we will discuss the ways that Philadelphia has been altered by humans. 

Philadelphia, because it was the first planned city, had more man-made geographic changes than other cities along the Eastern coast. Philly's location on the coast meant that historically there were several natural waterways leading to the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers.  As the city became a bustling industrial hub, waste was put into all the natural water ways until the mid-nineteenth century. Adverse health reactions and epidemic outbursts caused city engineers to change all these natural waterways into piped sewage. This way, the city could continue developing in the patterned planned without interference to polluted waterways. 

Image from Philadelphia Water Department

As shown, the amount of waterways that still exist today are very minimal! Of the 283 linear miles of streams that once existed in Philadelphia to carry runoff to the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers, only 118 miles still remain today. The historic erasing of surface creeks and streams has transformed hydrological conditions over time (Philadelphia Water Department). 

Philadelphia has been heavily altered by human activity. Today, urbanization continues to degrade the waterways and ecosystems. The Eastern coast has been industrialized for much longer than Hawaii. But the beautiful island continues to face environmental damage caused because of human interaction. 

Other things that Hawaii and Philly have in common are increased real estate and land values due to tourism. Apartments, houses and condos in the city are extremely expensive. So although Hawaii and the Pacific Islands and the city of Philadelphia are on the very opposite sides of our country, there are a few similar characteristics.