United States
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary protects the waters surrounding the Florida Keys archipelago, including North America's only barrier coral reef.
The sanctuary covers the waters surrounding the Florida Keys island chain, extending along Hawk Channel toward Dry Tortugas National Park. It contains part of the world's third-largest coral barrier reef system, extensive seagrass beds, and more than 1,700 islands. NOAA describes the sanctuary as home to over 6,000 species of marine life. It was formed in 1990 by unifying the earlier Key Largo and Looe Key national marine sanctuaries.