Papahānaumokuākea: The Northwestern Chain

Beyond Kauaʻi and Niʻihau, the archipelago continues northwest as a line of small islands, atolls, and reefs. Together with the surrounding ocean, this region is known as Papahānaumokuākea.

The name and its meaning

The name honors Papahānaumoku, the earth mother, and Wākea, the sky father, whose union is said to have created the Hawaiian islands. NOAA describes the area as a place of deep cultural importance to Kānaka ʻŌiwi, the Native Hawaiian people, who regard it as a sacred place where all life begins. The Kumulipo creation chant places the emergence of life from Pō, the primordial darkness, within this area.

The region also has a living role in navigation. A researcher quoted by NOAA calls it “a school for voyagers,” where young navigators test their skills by sailing to Nihoa. NOAA also notes significant cultural sites on Mokumanamana and Nihoa.

Map of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. A dotted line marks the original Papahānaumokuākea boundary and a solid line marks the expanded boundary. Each island and atoll is labeled with its genealogy name, Hawaiian Lexicon Committee name, and common name. The main Hawaiian Islands appear at the lower right. — Papahānaumokuākea and the main Hawaiian Islands. The dotted line is the original monument boundary; the solid line is the expanded boundary. Gold names are Kaʻiʻaikawaha genealogy names, light blue names are Hawaiian Lexicon Committee names, and white names are common names.

Names of the islands

Each place has more than one name. The list below follows the map above, from the northwestern end of the chain to the southeast, and adds each place’s land area from the State of Hawaiʻi land-area table.

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands: names and land area
Common name	Kaʻiʻaikawaha genealogy name	Hawaiian Lexicon Committee name	Land area (sq mi)
Kure Atoll	Hōlanikū	Mokupāpapa	0.333
Midway Atoll	Kuaihelani	Pihemanu	—
Pearl & Hermes Atoll	Manawai	Holoikauaua	0.139
Lisianski Island	Kapou	Papaʻāpoho	0.601
Laysan Island	Kamole	Kauō	1.588
Maro Reef	Kamokuokamohoaliʻi	Koʻanakoʻa	Awash
Gardner Pinnacles	ʻŌnūnui, ʻŌnūiki	Pūhāhonu	0.009
French Frigate Shoals	Lalo	Kānemilohaʻi	0.096
Necker Island	Mokumanamana	—	0.071
Nihoa	Nihoa	—	0.271

Swipe sideways to see all columns.

Names as shown on the map. The map shows a single name for Mokumanamana and for Nihoa. The State land-area table does not list Midway Atoll. Maro Reef is listed as awash, meaning it has no dry land.

Protection and recognition

2010. UNESCO inscribed the monument as a mixed natural and cultural World Heritage Site, the first mixed World Heritage Site in the United States.
August 2016. The monument was expanded from 139,818 square miles to 582,578 square miles.
January 2025. NOAA announced its decision to designate Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary within the monument, about 582,570 square miles, to be co-managed by NOAA and the State of Hawaiʻi in partnership with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The waters hold more than 7,000 marine species, and about a quarter of them are found nowhere else but the Hawaiian archipelago.

Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina (KHPA)