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Ben Waggoner:
Some have pointed to Northeast Greenland National Park, which spans 927,000 square kilometers (375,000 square miles). However, the United States boasts an even larger area. Although it isn't officially classified as a National Park, it is recognized as a National Monument. (The key difference being that National Parks can only be established by Congress, whereas a President can designate any federal land as a National Monument. Many National Monuments eventually become National Parks, most of which are managed by the National Park Service, though this one is overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.) So, you may decide if this National Monument qualifies as the largest national park; while its official title is National Monument, it serves as a national park in all practical terms.
Allow me to present the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument—spanning 1,510,000 square kilometers, or 583,000 square miles, the majority of which is water, though it includes 10 islands.
QuoraI don’t often express this, but I must give credit to George W. Bush for establishing this monument in June 2006 (originally called the Northwest Hawaiian Islands National Monument). While most of the area was already part of the State of Hawaii, the islands were uninhabited. It encompasses earlier refuges and memorials, including the Battle of Midway National Memorial. In 2016, it was expanded to the outer limits of the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
The monument safeguards 7000 species of marine life, along with birds and plants, many of which are endangered. It also helps protect fish and shellfish populations that are still recovering from overfishing in the 1980s and 1990s. (For more information, visit the official Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument website.)
It may not appear striking at first glance:
QuoraHowever, the perspective from below is quite impressive:
QuoraThis article was originally published on Quora. Click here to read it.
