National monument (United States)

A **United States national monument** is a protected area that can be created from any land owned or controlled by the federal government by proclamation of the president of the United States or an act of Congress. In contrast, national parks in the U.S. must be created by Congressional legislation. Some national monuments were first created by presidential action and later designated as national parks by congressional approval.

## List of national monuments

|scope="col"|Name|scope="col"|Location|scope="col"|Agency|scope="col";data-sort-type="number"|Date established|scope="col";data-sort-type="number"|Area|Main focus|scope="col" class="unsortable"|Description|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Alaska <small></small>|USFS|||nature|Occupying most of Admiralty Island, the 7th largest in the United States, this monument is part of Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. The monument protects the densest known population of brown bear on Earth, along with habitat for the Sitka black-tailed deer. Most of the monument has been designated as the Kootznoowoo Wilderness, restricting future development.||||||||
|New York <small></small>|NPS|||Afroamerican|Re-discovered in 1991 during excavations for a new federal building, this former burial ground that contains the remains of more than 400 free and enslaved Africans buried during the 17th and 18th centuries was designated a National Historic Landmark memorial in 1993.||||||||
|Nebraska <small></small>|NPS|||geology: fossils|The valley of the Niobrara River is known for its large number of well-preserved Miocene mammal fossils which date from about 20 million years ago.||||||||
|Arizona <small></small>|BLM|||Native|Located around the canyon of the Agua Fria River, it contains more than 450 distinct Native American structures, including large pueblos with more than 100 rooms.||||||||
|Alaska <small></small>|FWS|||military (20th century)|During World War II Japan briefly occupied Attu Island and Kiska Island in the Aleutian chain. The monument within the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge includes the site of the 19-day battle to reclaim Attu, artifacts of the occupation at Kiska, and the crash site of a U.S. B-24D Liberator on Atka Island. Originally designated as part of World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, which was divided and renamed March 12, 2019.||||||||
|Texas <small></small>|NPS|||Native, geology|Alibates was the quarry site for high-quality, rainbow-hued flint that was distributed throughout the Great Plains in pre-Columbian times. It is jointly operated with the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area and includes the ruins of several Plains Village Indian dwellings.||||||||
|Alaska <small></small>|NPS|||geology: volcano, nature|Mount Aniakchak, which erupted 3,500 years ago, and the surrounding region make up one of the least visited NPS sites. Surprise Lake, within the volcano's  wide,  deep caldera, is the source of the Aniakchak River.||||||||
|Nevada <small></small>|BLM, NPS|||nature, Native|Spirit Mountain (_Avi Kwa Ame_) is the site of creation for the Yuman tribes, who hold the area sacred. Consisting of the Eldorado Valley, Piute Valley, and surrounding mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert, the area is home to expansive Joshua tree forests and provides important habitat for species such as the desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise and Gila monster.||||||||
|New Mexico <small></small>|NPS|||Native|The ruins contain Pueblo structures from the 11th to 13th centuries with more than 400 masonry rooms which were misidentified by early American settlers as Aztec. It has been included in the Chaco Culture World Heritage Site, which also includes Chaco Culture National Historical Park.||||||||