Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Contact: hawaiireef@noaa.gov
Phone: 808-397-2660

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument is the single largest conservation area under the U.S. flag, and the largest marine conservation area in the world. It encompasses 137,792 square miles of the Pacific Ocean - an area larger than all the country's national parks combined. The extensive coral reefs found in the NWHI - truly the rainforests of the sea - are home to over 7,000 marine species, one quarter of which are found only in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Many of the islands and shallow water environments are important habitats for rare species such as the threatened green sea turtle and the endangered Hawaiian monk seal.

The NWHI are also of great cultural importance to Native Hawaiians with significant cultural sites found on the islands of Nihoa and Mokumanamana.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument was created by Presidential proclamation on June 15, 2006.

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The Monument includes all federally owned or controlled emergent and submerged lands of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the waters that surround and lie atop them. They begin approximately 115 nautical miles (140 miles) northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands, and extend northwest for more than 950 nautical miles (1,200 miles). The outer boundaries of the Monument include marine waters in the NWHI extending out approximately 50 miles on both sides of the chain of islands. The terrestrial habitats within the Monument are part of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, established by President Theodore Roosevelt, or the Midway National Wildlife, established in 1996 by transfer from the Navy.

More info at http://www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov/

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