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Cocos Island National Park 1
Cocos Island National Park 2
© UNESCO World Heritage Centre
UNESCO WHCNaturalInscribed 1997

Cocos Island National Park

Overview

Cocos Island National Park, located 550 km off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, is the only island in the tropical eastern Pacific with a tropical rainforest. Its position as the first point of contact with the northern equatorial counter-current, and the myriad interactions between the island and the surrounding marine ecosystem, make the area an ideal laboratory for the study of biological processes. The underwater world of the national park has become famous due to the attraction it holds for divers, who rate it as one of the best places in the world to view large pelagic species such as sharks, rays, tuna and dolphins.

About Cocos Island National Park

Cocos Island is a volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean administered by Costa Rica, approximately 550 km 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 roughly 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.

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Selection Criteria

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Components(1 location)

Details

Countries
Costa Rica
ISO Codes
CR
Area
199,700 ha
Coordinates
5.5333, -87.0667
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Cocos Island National Park

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Cocos Island National Park

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Cocos Island National Park