Kiribati- The 408,250-km Phoenix Islands Protected Area located within Kiribati, a central tropical Pacific country, is the world’s largest and deepest marine protected area. The largely pristine oceanic sanctuary is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has nestled within its eight coral reef islands and multiple submerged extinct volcanic seamounts rising from depths of over 5000m. The PIPA lies roughly 3 degrees south and 170 degrees west half way between Australia and Hawaii.