The Coiba National Park is the most spectacular place of the Panamanian Pacific and the most inaccessible. The park was created in December 1971. It covers more than 270 thousand hectares, mainly marine land where you can find many islands. The most important ones being Coiba, Jicaron, Rancheria, the Contreras and Canal de Afuera. At Coiba National park it is very common to find groups of dolphins, big manta rays and sometimes even hunchbacked or pilot whales and killer whales (orcas) that pass through the region in their annual migrations.

Coiba National Park (CNP), located off the Pacific coast of Panama, contains untouched tropical forests and a unique ecosystem. CNP has the second largest coral reef in the Central-Eastern Pacific Ocean. Coiba is one of the largest marine parks in the world and is composed of more than 2,701 square kilometers, including Coiba Island and 38 smaller ones.

Some of the richest waters and spectacular tiny islets of Central America's Pacific coast may be found surrounding Isla de Coiba, Panama's largest island and one of its newest parks. The waters are ideal for snorkeling, and expert staff provide lessons and help you discover the stunning diversity of the most extensive coral reef in the region. Snorkelers will seek white-tipped reef sharks, manta rays and the comical-looking puffer fish.

HISTORY
The Cacique Coiba Indians first inhabited the park until they were conquered around 1560. In 1918 the state of Panama acquired the island and converted it into a penal colony. During the 70s and 80s the penal population would reach up to 3,000 prisoners. INRENARE created the Coiba National Park in 1992, with an extension of up to 270,125 hectares. It included the Islands of Rancheria, Jicaron, Jicarita, Canal de Afuera, Uva, Contreras, Pajaros, and Brincanco. In 2001 H. L. Freidi Torres presented a new project of Law in which a co-management system was implemented for administering the protected area. It also started incentives for the tourist development along the southern coast of Veraguas. The Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI), Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), and other organizations raised their interests in the parks as well. Coiba is now considered one of the biggest marine parks in the world.

FLORA &FAUNA
Coiba separated from continental Panama about 12,000 to 18,000 years ago, isolating many endemic species (unique animals or plants of an area). Of the 147 species of birds found on Coiba, one specie and 20 subspecies are endemic. The agouti of Coiba Island (Dasyprocta coibae), a subspecies of the howler monkey (Alouatta palliata coibensis), a subspecies of possums (Didelphis marsupials battyi), and a subspecies of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus rothchildi) are species found no where else in the world. It is estimated that about 1450 species of plants on the island, of which only 758 have been identified, that amongst the ones unidentified could be the cure for diseases like AIDS, cancer, and diabetes. CNP contains the second largest coral reef in the Central-Eastern Pacific Ocean. Its marine fauna include 23 species of whales and dolphins, including humpback, sperm and killer whales, which habitat its waters year round. (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute).

AREA OF COIBA
CNP is one of the largest marine parks in the world and is composed of more than 2,701 kilometers squared, including the island of Coiba and 38 smaller ones. Coiba is located in the Republic of Panama, off the southern coast of the province of Veraguas. Some of its islands are Brincanco Island, Uva Island, Canal de Afuera Island, Rancheria Island, Jicaron Island, and Jicarita Island.