Isla del Caño

Caño Island (Spanish: Isla del Caño) is a small island and biological reserve in the Bahia de Corcovado (Corcovado Bay) in Osa, Costa Rica. It is on the Pacific Ocean side of Costa Rica, 10 miles (16 km) west of Punta Llorona on Península de Osa. It rises steeply to a flat top of 123 metres (404 ft) in height.

Caño Island Biological Reserve
Reserva Biológica Isla del Caño
View from Caño Island
Map showing the location of Caño Island Biological Reserve
Map showing the location of Caño Island Biological Reserve
LocationCosta Rica
Coordinates8.709°N 83.874°W / 8.709; -83.874
Area3.26 square kilometres (1.26 sq mi) (terrestrial), 52.01 square kilometres (20.08 sq mi) (marine)
Established30 September 1976
Governing bodyNational System of Conservation Areas (SINAC)
Caño Island
Native name:
Isla del Caño
Geography
Area3.2 km2 (1.2 sq mi)
Highest elevation110 m (360 ft)
Administration
ProvincePuntarenas
CantonOsa
DistrictBahía Drake
Demographics
Population0
Isla del Caño Lighthouse
LocationIsla del Caño
Osa
Costa Rica
Coordinates8°42′22.1″N 83°53′23.1″W
Tower
Constructed1940 (first)
Constructionsteel skeletal tower
Height22 metres (72 ft)
Shapesquare pyramidal skeletal tower
Markingsred lantern
Power sourcesolar power Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorReserva Biológica Isla del Caño[1][2]
Light
Focal height63 metres (207 ft)
Range12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi)
CharacteristicFl W 4s.

Biological reserve

Caño Island Biological Reserve (Spanish: Reserva Biológica Isla del Caño), is a protected area in Costa Rica, managed under the Osa Conservation Area, it was created in 1976 by decree 6385-A.[3][4]

The island and surrounding marine area of 52.01 square kilometres (20.08 sq mi) has been established as a biological reserve, with a permanent ranger station on the island. It is a popular tourist destination for ecotourism such as whale watching, attracting visitors for its beaches, coral beds, and sea life. Researchers currently use the coral beds to study the factors surrounding coral death and recolonization. Marine life includes manta rays, dolphins, false killer whales,[5] sea turtles, whales, a wide variety of fish, and possibly manatees as well. The nudibranch Mexichromis tica was described from here and Darwin Island on the Galápagos Islands in 2004. The limited diversity of terrestrial fauna, however, is noticeable, with the island having less than one percent of the insect diversity of the peninsula and an absence of numerous animals native to the nearby mainland.

Archaeology

Evidence of pre-Columbian human activity on the island is substantial, with some of the most interesting artifacts being stone spheres evidently carved by early civilizations.

See also

References

  1. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Costa Rica". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
  2. List of Lights, Buoys and Fog Signals Pacific Coast. Retrieved 7 September 2016
  3. "Reserva Biológica Isla del Caño Map". SINAC. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  4. "Reserva Biológica Isla del Caño". Protected Planet. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  5. ANNIE. 2012. False Killer Whales. Costa Rica Scuba.com. Retrieved on August 25, 2017


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