The United States has ten
protected areas known as national seashores and four known as national lakeshores, which are operated by the
National Park Service, an agency of the
Department of the Interior. National seashores and lakeshores must be established by an act of the
United States Congress. National seashores and lakeshores are
coastal areas
federally designated as being of natural and recreational significance as a preserved area. The first national seashore,
Cape Hatteras, was established in 1953, and the first national lakeshore,
Pictured Rocks, was established in 1966. The newest national lakeshore or seashore is
Canaveral, established in 1975. All of the national lakeshores are on Lakes
Michigan and
Superior, and nine of the ten national seashores are on the
Atlantic Ocean, including two on the
Gulf of Mexico.