1326 US - Papahānaumokuākea (2010)

Brief Description

"Papahānaumokuākea is a vast and isolated linear cluster of small, low lying islands and atolls, with their surrounding ocean, roughly 250 km to the northwest of the main Hawaiian Archipelago and extending over some 1931 km. The area has deep cosmological and traditional significance for living Native Hawaiian culture, as an ancestral environment, as an embodiment of the Hawaiian concept of kinship between people and the natural world, and as the place where it is believed that life originates and to where the spirits return after death. On two of the islands, Nihoa and Makumanamana, there are archaeological remains relating to pre-European settlement and use. Much of the monument is made up of pelagic and deepwater habitats, with notable features such as seamounts and submerged banks, extensive coral reefs and lagoons. It is one of the largest marine protected areas (MPAs) in the world."

帕帕哈瑙莫夸基亚国家海洋保护区

"帕帕哈瑙莫夸基亚（Papahānaumokuākea）由一群线性排列的低海拔小岛和环礁及其附近海域组成，位于夏威夷 主群岛以西约250公里处，跨度超过1931公里。对现存的夏威夷原住民文化来说，该遗址作为祖先生存的环境，深含着宇宙精髓与传统意义，它体现了夏威夷 人概念中的人类与自然世界的亲缘关系。这里是生命的摇篮，也是死后魂灵回归之所。在遗址中的尼豪岛（Nihoa）与马库马纳马纳岛 （Makumanamana）上，人们还发现了欧洲殖民前的人类定居点及其功用的考古遗迹。此外，帕帕哈瑙莫夸基亚主要由远洋和深海生物的栖息地所组成， 其中包括海底山脉和海底沙滩、广阔的珊瑚礁和大面积的泻湖等。它是世界上最大的海洋保护区之一。"

Source UNESCO WH website http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1326

Courtesy of MissDaisy from postcrossing forum