Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection World Heritage Site

Official name

Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection | UNESCO

Country

Panama | Map

Continent

North America

Location

Provinces of Veraguas and Chiriquí
7.4330° Lat, -81.7660° Lon | Map

Code

1138

Time Zone

America/Panama (EST, -0500)

Current Time

Category

Natural

Description

Inscribed 2005. Coiba National Park, off the southwest coast of Panama, protects Coiba Island, 38 smaller islands and the surrounding marine areas within the Gulf of Chiriqui. Protected from the cold winds and effects of El Niño, Coiba’s Pacific tropical moist forest maintains exceptionally high levels of endemism of mammals, birds and plants due to the ongoing evolution of new species. It is also the last refuge for a number of threatened animals such as the crested eagle. The property is an outstanding natural laboratory for scientific research and provides a key ecological link to the Tropical Eastern Pacific for the transit and survival of pelagic fish and marine mammals.