Where can the highest number and density of marine lakes in the world be found?

The Rock Islands Southern Lagoon contains 52 marine lakes, the highest number and density of marine lakes in the world. The Rock Islands of Palau are a collection of several hundred small limestone or coral uprises in the Southern Lagoon of Palau.

The marine lakes of the property are at different stages of geological and ecological development, ranging from lakes with high connectivity to the sea to highly isolated lakes with notably different species composition, including unique and endemic species.

The marine lakes are isolated bodies of seawater separated from the ocean by land barriers. They are among the islands’ distinctive features and sustain high endemism of populations which continue to yield new species discoveries. The remains of stonework villages, as well as burial sites and rock art, bear testimony to the organization of small island communities over some three millennia.