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Cocos Island National Park

The Cocos Island it is located in the Pacific Ocean pertaining to Costa Rica discovered in 1526 by the Spanish navigator Joan Cabeças. The island is considered a National Park. It is located to 532 km of the Costa Rican coast. Their coordinates are 5° 31' 00"North, 87° 04' 0" the West. Its terrestrial area is of 23.85 km² and measures 7.6 km in length and 4.4 km wide, being its approximately rectangular form.

By its size, isolation, and state of conservation, Cocos Island constitutes one of the privileged natural sites at world-wide level. With an important endemism and a singular biological diversity, the island can be catalogued like an ideal natural laboratory in to make investigations on the evolution of the species and the monitored of the atmosphere in a long term.

Of 235 species of identified plants, 70 are endemic. Of 362 of insects, 64 are endemic. An endemic species of small lizard it exists and another one of salamander too. Also 3 species of spiders are registered; 85 of birds, 4 of them are endemic; 57 of crustaceans; 118 of molluscs; more than 200 of fish and 18 chorales.

For the same reasons of her exceptional nature, the United Nations for the Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) in 1997, it declared the site as Natural Patrimony of the Humanity. Also in 1998 was declared wetland of international importance the under the International Convention of Ramsar of 1991.

In October 11 of the 2002, the Government of Costa Rica declared the Cocos Island like Architectonic Historical Patrimony of Costa Rica.

This declaration must to the high historical and cultural value that has the Island of the Coco for the town of Costa Rica and the world, forged from the century XVIII by means of the visit and permanence of human groups coming from diverse parts and with different intentions.

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