Phoenix Islands Protected Area World Heritage Site

Official name

Phoenix Islands Protected Area | UNESCO

Country

Kiribati | Map

Continent

Australia

Location

-3.8644° Lat, -172.6502° Lon | Map

Code

1325

Time Zone

Pacific/Tarawa (+12, +1200)

Current Time

Category

Natural

Description

Inscribed 2010. The Phoenix Island Protected Area (PIPA) is a 408,250 sq.km expanse of marine and terrestrial habitats in the Southern Pacific Ocean. The property encompasses the Phoenix Island Group, one of three island groups in Kiribati, and is the largest designated Marine Protected Area in the world. PIPA conserves one of the world's largest intact oceanic coral archipelago ecosystems, together with 14 known underwater sea mounts (presumed to be extinct volcanoes) and other deep-sea habitats. The area contains approximately 800 known species of fauna, including about 200 coral species, 500 fish species, 18 marine mammals and 44 bird species. The structure and functioning of PIPA's ecosystems illustrates its pristine nature and importance as a migration route and reservoir. This is the first site in Kiribati to be inscribed on the World Heritage List.