Cocos Island
Cocos Island (Spanish: Isla del Coco) is an island in the Pacific Ocean administered by Costa Rica, approximately 550 km (342 mi; 297 nmi) southwest of the Costa Rican mainland. It constitutes the 11th of the 15 districts of Puntarenas Canton of the Province of Puntarenas. With an area of approximately 23.85 km2 (9.21 sq mi), the island is more or less rectangular in shape. It is the southernmost point of geopolitical North America if non-continental islands are included, and the only landmass above water on the Cocos tectonic plate.
| Cocos Island National Park | |
|---|---|
IUCN category II (national park) | |
Cocos Island | |
Location in Central America | |
| Location | Approximately 550 km (340 mi) off the shore of Costa Rica |
| Coordinates | 05°31′41″N 87°03′40″W |
| Established | 1978 |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Criteria | Natural: ix, x |
| Reference | 820 |
| Inscription | 1997 (21st Session) |
| Extensions | 2002 |
Ramsar Wetland | |
| Official name | Isla del Coco |
| Designated | 10 April 1998 |
| Reference no. | 940 |
Isla del Coco | |
|---|---|
Isla del Coco district | |
| Country | Costa Rica |
| Province | Puntarenas |
| Canton | Puntarenas |
| Creation | 27 April 1970 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 23.52 km2 (9.08 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 |
| Postal code | 60110 |
The entirety of Cocos Island has been designated a Costa Rican National Park since 1978, and has no permanent inhabitants other than Costa Rican park rangers. Surrounded by deep waters with counter-currents, Cocos Island is admired by scuba divers for its populations of hammerhead sharks, rays, dolphins and other large marine species. The wet climate and oceanic qualities give Cocos an ecological character that is not shared with either the Galápagos Archipelago or any of the other islands (for example, Malpelo, Gorgona or Coiba) in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Because of the unique ecology of the island and its surrounding waters, Cocos Island National Park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The island can only be reached by sea, which usually takes 36 to 48 hours.