UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Micronesia
Micronesia has 1 site on the UNESCO World Heritage List (1 cultural), the first inscribed in 2016 (Nan Madol). 1 site is on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The map below plots it alongside the rest of the List, and each site is written up in full further down the page.
- World Heritage Sites
- 1
- Cultural
- 1
- Natural and Mixed
- 0
- First Inscribed
- 2016
Map of World Heritage Sites in Micronesia
CulturalNaturalMixedIn DangerLarge dots are in Micronesia. Click a dot to read about the site.
Nan Madol
Micronesia · 6.8419° N, 158.3322° E · 1 km² · 22 km from Palikir
Nan Madol is an archaeological site adjacent to the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei, now part of the Madolenihmw district of Pohnpei state in the Federated States of Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean. Nan Madol was the capital of the Saudeleur dynasty until about 1628. The city, constructed in a lagoon, consists of a series of small artificial islands linked by a network of canals. The site core with its stone walls encloses an area approximately 1.5 by 0.5 kilometres (0.93 mi × 0.31 mi) and it contains 92 artificial islets—stone and coral fill platforms—bordered by tidal canals.
The name Nan Madol means "within the intervals" and is a reference to the canals that crisscross the ruins. The original name was Soun Nan-leng, "Reef of Heaven", according to Gene Ashby in his book Pohnpei, An Island Argosy. It is often called the "Eighth Wonder of the World", or the "Venice of the Pacific".
Adapted from Wikipedia: Nan Madol (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Nan Madol Is Listed
- (i)
- A masterpiece of human creative genius.
- (iii)
- A unique testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.
- (iv)
- An outstanding example of a type of building or landscape.
- (vi)
- A direct association with events, ideas or beliefs of universal significance.
More about Nan Madol
UNESCO's Description
Nan Madol is a series of more than 100 islets off the south-east coast of Pohnpei that were constructed with walls of basalt and coral boulders. These islets harbour the remains of stone palaces, temples, tombs and residential domains built between 1200 and 1500 CE. These ruins represent the ceremonial centre of the Saudeleur dynasty, a vibrant period in Pacific Island culture. The huge scale of the edifices, their technical sophistication and the concentration of megalithic structures bear testimony to complex social and religious practices of the island societies of the period. The site was also inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to threats, notably the siltation of waterways that is contributing to the unchecked growth of mangroves and undermining existing edifices.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
History
Nan Madol was the ceremonial and political seat of the Saudeleur dynasty, which united Pohnpei's estimated population of 25,000 people until about 1628. Set apart between the main island of Pohnpei and Temwen Island, it was a scene of human activity as early as the first or second century AD. By the 8th or 9th century, islet construction had started, with construction of the distinctive megalithic architecture beginning 1180–1200 AD.
Polish ethnographer and oceanographer John Stanislaw Kubary made the first detailed description of Nan Madol in 1874.
Little can be verified about the megalithic construction.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Nan Madol (CC BY-SA 4.0).
World Heritage in Micronesia: Quick Answers
- How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in Micronesia?
- Micronesia has 1 World Heritage Site: 1 cultural.
- What was the first World Heritage Site in Micronesia?
- Nan Madol, inscribed in 2016.
- Are any World Heritage Sites in Micronesia in danger?
- Yes: Nan Madol is on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.