The UNESCO World Heritage Site in Hawaiʻi that is a vast marine protected area in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands is Papahānaumokuākea.
Papahānaumokuākea is a remote chain of small islands, atolls, reefs, shoals, and surrounding ocean waters northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands. The area has exceptional marine biodiversity and provides habitat for many species, including the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and large populations of seabirds.
UNESCO inscribed Papahānaumokuākea in 2010 as a mixed cultural and natural site. Its cultural importance is connected with Native Hawaiian traditions, cosmology, navigation, and the spiritual significance of the islands of Nihoa and Mokumanamana. The property is also one of the world’s largest protected marine areas.
The site is not the same as Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, which is located on Hawaiʻi Island and is known for active volcanic landscapes. Papahānaumokuākea is primarily an oceanic and island ecosystem far to the northwest.