Coiba
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| State Party |  Panama |
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| Type | Natural | |
| Criteria | ix, x | |
| Identification | #1138 | |
| Region2 | Latin America and the Caribbean | |
| Inscription History | ||
| Formal Inscription: | 2005 29th WH Committee Session |
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| WH link: | http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1138 | |
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1 Name as officially inscribed on the WH List |
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Coiba is the largest island in Central America, off the Pacific coast of the Panamanian province of Veraguas.
[edit] History
Coiba separated from continental Panama about 12,000 to 18,000 years ago.
Coiba was home to the Coiba Cacique Indians until about 1560, when they were conquered.
A penal colony was built on the island in 1918.
During the years that Panama was under the Dictatorships of Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega, the prison on Coiba was a feared place with a reputation for brutal conditions, extreme tortures and political murder. Nobody knows exactly how many people were killed in the prison during this period, but sources claim that the number could be close to a hundred. As such, the island was avoided by locals, and other than the prison, was completely undeveloped. After the prison was closed down, its pristine condition made it ideal as a preserve. Unlike most of the adjacent mainland, Jaguars, Ocelots and Margays still roam the island. It is one of the last places in Central America the Scarlet Macaw can be found in the wild. The waters adjacent to the island are teaming with marine life. It is surrounded by one of the largest coral reefs in the pacific coasts of the americas.
The island was declared a National Park in 1992.
Unesco declared the entire Coiba National Park a "World Heritage Site" in July 2005.
The Indo-Pacific current through the Gulf of Chiriqui provides a very unique dive environment. The warm current brings with it coral and many of the pacific tropical underwater life that you would not expect on the Pacific Coast of the Americas. Also with it come the larger fish/mammals such as humpback whales, sharks, whale sharks, orcas and more. Combine this with the fact that Coiba is the beginning of the underwater Cordilera mountain chain that also includes Coco's and the Galapagos. This makes for a unique dive experience that you shouldn't miss.
The island is home to many endemic species, including the Coiba Howler Monkey and the Scarlet Macaw.
[edit] External link
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