In 2018, Isla del Coco celebrates 40 years of being declared a National Park and one of the many celebrations was made with 700 children from Puntarenas.
The group of minors are from the first school year of the islands of the Gulf of Puntarenas, Chomes, Punta Morales, and the districts of Cóbano, Paquera and Lepanto; and they enjoyed concerts, drawing contests, and educational talks.
One of the objectives was to sensitize the children so that they don’t feel so “distant” from the island; which is the 10th district of the Central Canton of Puntarenas.
This celebration served for the children to identify the island as part of Puntarenas and the importance of protecting it even if it is far from the continent,”
said Geiner Golfin, Park Ranger and Administrator of the Marine Management Area.
Facts about Isla del Coco
• It was declared a National Park on June 22nd, 1978
• In 1997 is was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
• Its borders are Colombia and Ecuador
• It is the highest point of the Cocos Submarine Range.
• It is located 500 km from Cabo Blanco. This is equivalent to walking from San José (Costa Rica) to Tegucigalpa (Honduras).
• Thanks to Cocos Island, Costa Rica has a maritime surface 21 times larger than terrestrial, which makes it the largest country in Central America.
• It has 263 species of plants, and 37 are unique to the island.
• The trip is up to 36 hours.