Papahānaumokuākea Hawaii Northwestern Hawaiian Islands coral reef endangered species UNESCO — Papahānaumokuākea (the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands seen from above; the coral atolls and reef systems of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument extending across 2,000 km of the central Pacific Ocean; the shallow turquoise lagoon waters within the atolls; the white sand beaches of the uninhabited islands; the nesting colonies of Laysan albatross on Laysan Island; the green sea turtles hauling ashore on the beaches; the Hawaiian monk seal resting on the coral strand — one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world), Midway Atoll and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Ocean, USA. UNESCO World Heritage Site 2010. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Ocean, USA · 362,061 km² — the world’s largest marine protected area; Hawaiian monk seal; Laysan albatross; Battle of Midway 1942; UNESCO WHS 2010

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

The world’s largest marine protected area and a sacred landscape in Native Hawaiian cosmology — Papahānaumokuākea (pronounced PAH-pah-HAH-nah-oo-moh-oo-KAH-ay-ah; the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and surrounding Pacific Ocean; 362,061 km² — larger than all US national parks combined; inscribed UNESCO World Heritage 2010) is simultaneously one of the most pristine coral reef ecosystems in the world and one of the most significant military historical sites in the Pacific.

At a glance

Papahānaumokuākea (the most precisely Pahana single 362061 km2 largest marine protected area world 7000 species 25% endemic Northwestern Hawaiian Islands uninhabited Hawaii volcanism coral reef UNESCO heritage: the scale and significance: 362,061 km² — this is equivalent in area to the combined area of all the US national parks; the monument contains 10 islands and atolls stretching 2,000 km across the central Pacific; approximately 7,000 marine species have been recorded in the monument; of these, approximately 25% are endemic (found nowhere else on Earth — this is one of the highest endemism rates of any marine ecosystem in the world); the reef systems (the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands have some of the most pristine coral reefs in the US Pacific — the reefs have not been significantly affected by human settlement (all the islands are uninhabited except for research stations and the Midway wildlife refuge staff)); the key species: the Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi; approximately 1,400 individuals remaining; one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals; approximately 90% of the population lives in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands); the Hawaiian green sea turtle (honu; the protected population nesting on French Frigate Shoals; the largest breeding population of green sea turtles in the North Pacific); the Laysan albatross (approximately 70% of the world population nests in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands); the black-footed albatross; 14 species of seabird — the most precisely Pahana single 362061 km2 largest marine protected area world 7000 species 25% endemic Northwestern Hawaiian Islands uninhabited Hawaii volcanism coral reef UNESCO heritage in any UNESCO world heritage site)).

Key facts

The Battle of Midway: the most precisely Pahana single Midway Atoll 1942 June 4-7 Battle Pacific War Japan Imperial Navy US Navy decisive turning point WWII Yamamoto Nimitz Spruance 4 Japanese carriers heritage — the Battle of Midway (4-7 June 1942 CE; fought in the waters around Midway Atoll, within the current boundaries of the Papahānaumokuākea monument): the most decisive naval battle of the Pacific War (World War II in the Pacific Theater); the Japanese Combined Fleet (Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku) attacked Midway Atoll with the intention of luring the US Pacific Fleet into a decisive engagement and destroying it; US Navy cryptographers had broken the Japanese naval code (JN-25B) and Admiral Chester Nimitz knew the Japanese plan in advance; US dive bombers sank four Japanese fleet carriers (Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū, Hiryū) in a 5-minute engagement; one US carrier (the Yorktown) was also sunk; the destruction of Japan’s four front-line carrier air groups was irreplaceable (Japan could not rebuild this expertise); the battle ended Japan’s offensive capability in the Pacific; it is considered the turning point of the Pacific War
Native Hawaiian Cosmology: the most precisely Pahana single Papahānaumokuākea Hawaiian cosmology creation Kumulipo chant Wakea Papa Kanahele sacred ancestral homeland spirits dead ocean UNESCO heritage — in Native Hawaiian cosmology, Papahānaumokuākea (the name means “the great expanse of Papahānaumoku and Wākea” — Papahānaumoku is the Earth Mother; Wākea is the Sky Father; their union in Hawaiian creation cosmology gave birth to the Hawaiian Islands and the Hawaiian people); the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are the sacred ancestral homeland — the place of the origin of the Hawaiian people; the region is known as the “waters of return” (the spiritual pathway of the souls of the dead returning to the ancestral homeland after death); the Native Hawaiian community was actively involved in the UNESCO nomination process (the first UNESCO inscription to combine natural and cultural criteria for a US site)
GPS: 25.7000° N, -171.7300° E

History

Human history of the monument (the most precisely Pahana single ancient Hawaiian settlement French Frigate Shoals Nihoa Necker Island petroglyphs 1st millennium CE US annexation 1898 territorial disputes Japan guano heritage: archaeological evidence shows that ancient Hawaiians settled some of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (Nihoa and Mokumanamana (Necker Island)) — the ruins of stone structures, agricultural terraces, and religious platforms (heiau) on these islands date to approximately the 1st millennium CE; the islands were also visited by voyagers from the Marshall Islands and other Pacific cultures; in 1826 CE, the American commercial ship Courier wrecked on Midway (the first known Western contact with the atoll); the guano mining companies exploited the islands from approximately 1859 CE; the USA annexed the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in 1898-1909 CE (as part of the Hawaiian annexation); the Midway Naval Air Station was established in 1941 CE (a key forward operating base in the Pacific); the Battle of Midway in June 1942 CE transformed the military and strategic significance of the site — the most precisely Pahana single ancient Hawaiian settlement French Frigate Shoals Nihoa Necker Island petroglyphs 1st millennium CE US annexation 1898 territorial disputes Japan guano heritage in any UNESCO world heritage site)).

What you see

Access and visitor options (the most precisely Pahana single Midway Atoll Wildlife Refuge visitor permit USFWS Midway Seabird Experience tours Laysan albatross Hawaiian monk seal sea turtle heritage: Papahānaumokuākea is almost entirely off-limits to casual visitors: the only part of the monument with regular visitor access is Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge; access requires: a permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS; the permit is free but the logistics are difficult — there are no commercial flights to Midway; charter flights or research vessel berths are required); the Midway Atoll Visitor Program (the wildlife refuge conducts occasional group tours (the “Seabird Experience” and “Tern Island Experience” programs) for wildlife photographers and researchers; check the USFWS Midway page for current availability; the Battle of Midway National Memorial (Midway Atoll; the remnant structures of the 1942 naval air station; the memorial to the sailors and aviators who died in the battle) is accessible within the wildlife refuge permit — the most precisely Pahana single Midway Atoll Wildlife Refuge visitor permit USFWS Midway Seabird Experience tours Laysan albatross Hawaiian monk seal sea turtle heritage in any UNESCO world heritage site)).

Practical information

Getting there: there is no commercial passenger air service to Midway Atoll or any other part of the monument; the practical visitor options are: (1) charter flights to Midway organized by the Midway Atoll wildlife refuge (seasonal; limited availability; apply at fws.gov/refuge/midway); (2) research vessel berths (occasionally available on NOAA research vessels; competitive application); (3) yacht passages (private yachts may apply for permits to transit the monument; strictly controlled); for the vast majority of visitors, Papahānaumokuākea is experienced through documentary film (the BBC Blue Planet II, the National Geographic series on the monument, and Werner Herzog’s film documentation) rather than in person; the monument is most visible from the main Hawaiian Islands on the island of Kauai — on a clear day, the direction of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands chain can be traced on the horizon

Getting there

No commercial flights. USFWS permit + charter flight required. Apply at fws.gov/refuge/midway. Battle of Midway memorial accessible within wildlife refuge. GPS: 25.7000, -171.7300.

Nearby

Kauai (Kaua’i) — 2,400 km southeast; the northernmost major Hawaiian island (the Na Pali Coast (the dramatic sea cliffs; the impossibly green fluted ridges of the Kalalau Valley; accessible by sea kayak from Ke’e Beach (summer) or by helicopter); the Waimea Canyon (the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”; 16 km long; 1,100m deep; carved by the Waimea River in the red basalt of Kauai; a visual spectacle that surprises most visitors); Kauai was the last Hawaiian island to submit to Kamehameha I’s unification of the Hawaiian Kingdom (1810 CE)
Haleakalā National Park, Maui — 2,500 km southeast; the dormant shield volcano (the summit caldera at 3,055m; one of the most remarkable sunrise views on Earth (watching the sunrise from above the clouds, surrounded by the volcanic crater); the silversword plant (Argyroxiphium sandwicense — the most striking endemic plant of Hawaii; found only on the cinder slopes of Haleakalā above 2,100m))

Sources

Wikipedia, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument; Battle of Midway; Hawaiian monk seal, accessed June 2026
UNESCO, Papahānaumokuākea, WHS reference 1326, inscribed 2010

Find it on the map

See this place and what’s around it →

Google Maps See the location on a full map → Street View Walk around the place virtually → OpenStreetMap Free community cartography →

📷 Diventa un fotografo di Cultural Heritage Online

Condividi le tue foto dei luoghi: restano pubblicate con la tua firma come autore. Più vengono viste, più ti fai conoscere — e presto un concorso premierà le foto più apprezzate.

Accedi o registrati gratis per aggiungere una foto