Calling all travel quiz fans – try to answer the following questions:

1. Which is the largest national park in the USA and one of the largest in the world?

2. Which US national park was the site of a major battle that decided the course of World War II?

3. Which US national park has the most wildlife species?

4. Which US national park is closed to people without special permission?

The answer to all four questions is the same: Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii.

Most people have never heard of this vast nature reserve that stretches across the western half of the Hawaiian Islands. And even fewer can probably pronounce the name correctly.

The name Papahānaumokuākea honors two legendary Hawaiian ancestors – the earth mother goddess Papahānaumoku and her husband, the sky god Wākea. According to the Hawaiian creation story, they created the islands and their indigenous people, as well as the first taro plant.

Established in 2006 and created by President Bush, the reserve is jointly managed by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).

Park Supervisor Eric Roberts adds: “The Native Hawaiian people, the original inhabitants of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands … continue to maintain their cultural connections and are actively involved in the management of the preserve and monument.”

Papahānaumokuākea is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a designation given to the reservation in 2010 because of its pristine habitats and “deep cosmological and traditional significance to the living culture of Native Hawaiians.”

How big is it?

Huge. Papahānaumokuākea covers an incredible 583,000 square miles (1.5 million square kilometers), an area roughly the size of Alaska or Germany and more than all other national parks and monuments in the United States combined.

This makes it the fourth largest protected area in the world after the Cook Islands Marine Reserve in the South Pacific and two huge reserves in Antarctica.

The reserve stretches approximately 2,170 km between Kaui and the Midway Islands and includes coral islands, seamounts, banks, shoals, shallow water areas and deep marine canyons.

The park is also huge in terms of wildlife – an estimated 7,000 animal and plant species. That’s about seven times more than the next most species-rich national park. And a quarter of them are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else on earth. Like the Laysan duck, the rarest and most endangered duck species in the world.

More than 14 million seabirds breed, nest and raise their chicks on the islands of the national monument. The reserve is also home to Hawaii’s most important monk seal colony, the state’s largest green sea turtle nesting area and important resting areas for dolphins.

“Overall, water quality parameters throughout the monument indicate relatively good conditions, largely due to the remoteness of the monument and current regulations restricting access,” says Ivan Vincente of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. “Due to the remoteness and protection of the monument, there are relatively few human impacts.”

However, this does not mean that Papahānaumokuākea has not been influenced by humans.

“Some areas have been permanently altered by past activities and, in some cases, habitat degradation has occurred,” adds Vincente.

“Human activities outside the monument, such as the dumping of marine debris, can lead to degradation of living resources, habitat and water quality. Other issues, including climate change and coral bleaching, disease and invasive species, can threaten native biodiversity and habitats.”

Can you ever visit us?

In order to protect the delicate marine and terrestrial ecosystems as well as the historical and cultural treasures of the reserve, visits to the National Monument (by sea or air) are strictly prohibited to persons without appropriate permits.

“This can only be done with a permit issued by the monument’s co-managers,” Roberts says, and most of them relate to “research, education, conservation and management, Native Hawaiian practices, special marine uses and recreation (at Midway Atoll).”

“These restrictions apply regardless of whether the vessel is public or private, with very few exceptions – mainly innocent passage, military and police activities and forces beyond our control.

“Innocent Passage” is a maritime tradition that allows vessels to sail through restricted waters as long as they do not anchor, disembark, fish, dive or otherwise come into physical contact with the reserve or its flora and fauna.

One way to get around these restrictions is to volunteer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“The service offers volunteer opportunities for anyone who wants to contribute to the recovery of these species and the restoration of their habitat,” explains Vincente.

“Service volunteers typically work for a minimum of six months, assisting with seabird monitoring, invasive species control, and habitat restoration. Volunteers are a critical part of the Service’s mission and provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience given the unique cultural, historical, and ecological resources of the preserve and monument.”

You can also visit the National Monument website virtually.

How did it change the course of World War II?

In June 1942, just six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese sent a large fleet to destroy the American base on Midway Atoll, dealing a devastating blow to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Four days of intense fighting during one of the largest naval and air battles in history culminated in an overwhelming American victory and losses so heavy (including four aircraft carriers) that the Imperial Japanese Navy never recovered.

Today, the small island is home to both the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and the Battle of Midway National Memorial. Neither is open to the public, but like the national memorial, there are several ways to tour it virtually.

Although Papahānaumokuākea made headlines around the world during World War II, the archipelago’s human history has a much longer history.

The ancient Polynesians arrived around 1000 AD and established settlements on the islands of Nihoa and Mokumanamana. Stone terraces and other relics suggest that they stayed for about 700 years.

After the “discovery” of the Hawaiian Islands by Captain Cook and his crew in 1778, the islands were exploited for guano, bird eggs, and bird feathers to such an extent that President Teddy Roosevelt established a nature reserve to protect the seabirds in 1909. This was the beginning of a centuries-long journey that culminated in the creation of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

In addition to the lush coral reefs beneath the surface, the reserve also features the remains of the many ships that have been shipwrecked over the years, from the 19th century to the present.^th-century whalers and a side-wheel sloop used in the Civil War, to ships from the Battle of Midway, including Japanese aircraft carriers and the USS Yorktown.