Cocos Island National Park protects Cocos Island, a volcanic island of about 23.85 square kilometers in the Pacific Ocean roughly 550 kilometers southwest of mainland Costa Rica, administered as part of Puntarenas Province. Established as a national park in 1978 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, the IUCN category II park has no permanent inhabitants apart from park rangers and can only be reached by a sea voyage of one to two days. It is renowned among divers for the hammerhead sharks, rays, dolphins, and other large marine species that gather in its surrounding waters, and it sits on the only landmass rising above the Cocos tectonic plate.
Facts
Designation Category Established Year Area (sq km) Classification
Governance TypeGovernance by Government 1 International DesignationUNESCO World Heritage Site 2 Governing Body
Governing Body (category)Ministry of the Environment 1 Sources
1. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Cocos Island National Park
UNESCO World Heritage CentreJustification, protection and management requirementsQuote, Justification, protection and management requirements
The entire property is strictly protected by law, state-owned and managed by Costa Rica’s National Park Service under the Ministry of Environment and Energy in cooperation with other governmental and non-governmental institutions, such as the “Friends of Cocos Island Foundation”.
2. Wikidata: Cocos Island National Park
- Wikidata Q6062995, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- Wikidata P2046 (area), preferred/latest rank
- Wikidata P31 (instance of) = Q46169
- Wikidata Q6062995 P1435 heritage designation
- Wikidata Q6062995 P571 inception
- Part Of: Costa Rica, Wikidata item, property P17 (country)
View the SourceWikidata: Costa Rica
On Continent: North America, Wikidata item for Costa Rica, property P30 (continent)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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