Updated at 3:37 p.m., Friday, March 2, 2007
Bush gives marine national monument a Hawaiian name
Advertiser Staff
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Pronounced Pa-pa-ha-now-mo-ku-ah-kay-uh, the name comes from an ancient Hawaiian tradition concerning the genealogy and formation of the Hawaiian Islands.
The name is a result of a collaborative effort between state and federal agencies and the Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group, whose members have longstanding interest and involvement in the region.
Bush traveled to Midway Atoll yesterday to visit Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, which represents the largest single conservation area in the nation's history and the largest protected marine area in the world.
The monument, established last year by President Bush, contains 2.7 million acres of coral reef, 14 million nesting seabirds and 250 fish species. In total, it includes about 7,000 species, a quarter of which exist nowhere else on Earth.
After a day of visiting the remote Hawaiian atoll, Bush last night flew to Honolulu for this morning's naming ceremony.
She was joined by Gov. Linda Lingle for a ceremony held at Washington Place.
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