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The Farallon Islands, Pacific Ocean
On a clear day, with a pair of binoculars (or a telephoto lens), you can see the Farallon Islands 27 nautical miles off the coast of San Francisco. The rocky, uninhabited islands were called the Islands of the Dead by the native Ohlone tribe who believed that their dead souls transmigrated to the sacred islands. The Farallons are home to hundreds of elephant seals, sea lions and a quarter million birds, making it the largest nesting colony of seabirds in America. The islands were declared a bird sanctuary in 1907 and made a National Marine Sanctuary in 1981. Today the Farallons (or Farallones) can be viewed from passing tour and whale-watching boats.
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