Malpelo Island

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**Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary**^a
**UNESCO World Heritage Site**

State Party	Colombia
Type	Natural
Criteria	vii, ix
Identification	#1216
Region^b	Latin America and the Caribbean
Inscription History
Formal Inscription:	2006 30th Session
a Name as officially inscribed on the WH List b As classified officially by UNESCO

Malpelo Island (Spanish: Isla de Malpelo) is an island located 314 miles off Colombia's Pacific coast at 3°59′N, 81°36′W, 300 km offshore. It has a land area of 0.35 km². It is uninhabited except for a small garrison of the Colombian Army, which was established in 1986. Visitors need a written permit of the Colombian Ministry of Ecology.

The island consists of a sheer and barren rock with three high peaks. The island is surrounded by a number of offshore rocks. Off the northeast corner are the Tres Mosqueteros. Off the southwest corner are Salomon, Saul, La Gringa, and Escuba. Malpelo Nature Reserve, a plant and wildlife sanctuary, is defined as a circular area of radius 6 miles (9.656 km) centered at 03°58′30″N, 81°34′48″W.

Malpelo is home of a unique shark population; swarms of 500 hammerhead sharks and hundreds of silky sharks are frequently seen by diving expeditions, making it a very popular sharkdiving location.

Malpelo has been interpreted as a portion of oceanic crust, probably a local manifestation of a "hot spot". It is composed mainly of pillow lavas, volcanic breccias, and Tertiary basaltic dikes [1]. At first glance, the island seems to be barren rock, devoid of all vegetation. But deposits of bird guano have helped colonies of algae, lichens, mosses and some shrubs and ferns establish, all of which glean nutrients from the guano.