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Landmark: Earth

National Monuments

Like National Parks, these areas are protected by the government. However, they receive less funding and are not as protective of wildlife, as the original idea was to protect small, historical areas. The president can declare an area a National Monument without Congressional approval. National monuments may be managed by the National Park Service, but many are managed by other agencies such as the USDA Forest Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service or the Bureau of Land Management.

Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Philadelphia Pennsylvania Located in the the Franklin Institute Science Museum, the National Memorial features a 20 feet (6m) tall statue of Benjamin Franklin sculpted by James Earle Fraser between 1906 and 1911.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument Grizzly Ridge Colorado This unique and spectacular landscape was formed slowly by the action of water and rock scouring down through hard Proterozoic crystalline rock. No other canyon in North America has such narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths.

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument Saint Augustine St. John's County Florida Built between 1672 and 1695, Castillo de San Marcos was the first masonry fort constructed to defend Saint Augustine. It was known as Fort St. Mark from 1763 until 1784 while under British control and Fort Marion from 1821 until 1942.

Colorado National Monument Mesa County Colorado A semi-desert environment high on the Colorado Plateau, the area hosts a wide range of wildlife, including pinyon pines, juniper trees, ravens, jays, Desert Bighorn Sheep, and coyotes.

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve Idaho The protected area's features are volcanic and represent one of the best preserved flood basalt areas in the continental United States. It is composed of encompass three major lava fields and about 400 square miles (1,036 km2) of sagebrush steppe grasslan

Ellis Island New York New York Between 1892 and 1954, over 12 million European immigrants passed through the processing station at Ellis Island. Today, the island is home to a museum dedicated to immigration and the idea of seeking a new and better life in America.

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Baltimore MaryLand 21230 During the Battle of Baltimore in 1814, a lawyer named Francis Scott Key was watching the U.S. flag wave over Fort McHenry. He was inspired to write a poem called the "Star-Spangled Banner."

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Crow Agency Montana This monument is dedicated to the men who died in the battle of the Little Bighorn. It was build in 1881 making it the oldest national monument in the country.

White Sands National Monument New Mexico This New Mexico site comprises the southern part of a 275 square miles (710-km²) field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. Gypsum is rarely found in the form of sand because it is water-soluble.