NATGEO | INTERVIEW | BARACK OBAMA | 09.02.2016

|| PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT ||

President Barack Obama was on Midway Atoll to tour its 1100-acre Sand Island and view the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument , a pristine expanse of coral reefs and seamounts that Obama expanded by executive order last week , home to millions of seabirds , endangered turtles , monk seals , and more than 7000 species .

Obama highlighted concerns about the future of the oceans and the planet , and outlined what Obama hopes will be one of Obama's proudest accomplishments as President .

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NATGEO | NEWS | BARACK OBAMA | 08.26.2016

|| THE WORLD'S LARGEST MARINE PROTECTED AREA ||

President Barack Obama created the largest protected area anywhere on Earth — a half-million-square-mile arc of remote Pacific waters known for both exceptional marine life and importance to native Hawaiian culture .

The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument , established by President George W Bush , already covered 140000 square miles of ocean around the uninhabited northwestern islands of Hawaii , Obama's home state .

Obama more than quadrupled Papahanaumokuakea's size , to 582578 square miles , an area larger than all the national parks combined .

Using executive authority under the US Antiquities Act , Obama extended most of the monument's boundary — and its prohibition of commercial fishing — out to the 200-mile limit of the exclusive economic zone ( EEZ ) .

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