Mariana Trench Marine National Monument | |
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IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)[1] | |
Location | Mariana Archipelago, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam |
Nearest city | Capitol Hill, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands |
Coordinates | 18°N 148°E / 18°N 148°E |
Area | 95,216 sq mi (246,610 km2)[2] |
Designation | National monument |
Designated | January 5, 2009 |
Named for | Mariana Trench |
Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
Website | Marianas Trench Marine National Monument |
The Mariana Trench Marine National Monument is a United States National Monument created by President George W. Bush by the presidential proclamation no. 8335[3] on January 6, 2009.[4][5][6][7] The monument includes no dry land area, but protects 95,216 square miles (246,610 km2) of submerged lands and waters in various places around the Mariana Archipelago, including the Mariana Trench and submerged volcanos. The United States could create this monument under international law because the maritime exclusive economic zones of the adjacent Northern Mariana Islands and Guam fall within its jurisdiction.