Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California
This site is inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Overview
The site comprises 244 islands, islets and coastal areas that are located in the Gulf of California in north-eastern Mexico. The Sea of Cortez and its islands have been called a natural laboratory for the investigation of speciation. Moreover, almost all major oceanographic processes occurring in the planet’s oceans are present in the property, giving it extraordinary importance for study. The site is one of striking natural beauty in a dramatic setting formed by rugged islands with high cliffs and sandy beaches, which contrast with the brilliant reflection from the desert and the surrounding turquoise waters. It is home to 695 vascular plant species, more than in any marine and insular property on the World Heritage List. Equally exceptional is the number of fish species: 891, 90 of them endemic. The site, moreover, contains 39% of the world’s total number of species of marine mammals and a third of the world’s marine cetacean species.
About Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California
The Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortés or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea, is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja California peninsula from the Mexican mainland. It is bordered by the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, and Sinaloa with a coastline of approximately 4,000 km (2,500 mi). Rivers that flow into the Gulf of California include the Colorado, Fuerte, Mayo, Sinaloa, Sonora, and the Yaqui. The surface of the gulf is about 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi). Maximum depths exceed 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) because of the complex geology, linked to plate tectonics.
Read more on WikipediaSelection Criteria
(vii)(ix)(x)
Components(12 locations)
- •Cabo Pulmo1182-006
- •Isla Isabel1182-009
- •Islas Marias1182-008
- •Cabo San Lucas1182-007
- •Bahía de Loreto1182-005
- •Islas Marietas1182-011bis
- •Isla San Pedro Martir1182-003
- •Archipelago of San Lorenzo1182-010bis
- •Islands of the Gulf of California1182-001
- •Upper Gulf of California - Colorado River Delta (marine portion)1182-002
- •El Vizcaíno (marine and coastal belt in the Gulf of California)1182-004
- •Balandra Zone of Ecological Conservation and Community Interest1182-012ter
Details
- Countries
- Mexico
- ISO Codes
- MX
- Area
- 688,558 ha
- Coordinates
- 27.6267, -112.5458
Stay Nearby
Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California
Attractions & Tickets
Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California
Getting Here
Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California