The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is a group of islands in the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...
in the north-west of
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
.
Geography
The archipelago separates Almirante Bay and
Chiriquí Lagoon
Chiriquí Lagoon is a large lagoon on the northwest coast of Panama covering an area of about . It is separated from the Caribbean Sea by the Valiente Peninsula to the east and from Almirante Bay by islands in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago to ...
from the open
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...
. The archipelago is part of the
Bocas del Toro District which is part of
Bocas del Toro Province
Bocas del Toro (; meaning "Mouths of the Bull") is a Provinces of Panama, province of Panama. Its area is 4,643.9 square kilometers, comprising the mainland and nine main islands. The province consists of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Bahía Al ...
. The area is which is about 60% of the district's area, and the population about 13,000, which is 75% of the district's population. The major city is
Bocas del Toro, also called Bocas Town, on
Isla Colón.
Access
The islands are accessible by water taxis and private boats.
Isla Colón is accessible by airplanes, ferries, private boats, and water taxis.
Bocas del Toro "Isla Colón" International Airport, located just west of Bocas Town, provides air transportation to and from the islands. Ferries serve Bocas Town from
Almirante,
Changuinola, and
Chiriquí Grande.
Environment
The major islands of the archipelago,
Colón,
Bastimentos,
Cristóbal,
Popa,
Solarte, and
Cayo Agua, have been designated an
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) by
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...
because they support significant populations of
white-crowned pigeons and
three-wattled bellbirds.
Islands
*
Cayos Zapatilla
*
Isla Bastimentos
*
Isla Carenero (aka: Careening Cay or Careening Key)
*
Isla Cayo Agua
*
Isla Colón (main island)
*
Isla Cristóbal
*
Isla Popa
*
Isla Solarte
*
Isla Pastores
*
Isla Bagui
*
Isla Split Hill
The archipelago also includes 50 cays and some 200 tiny islets.
Protected Areas
*
Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park
*
Mimi Timbi
* Palo Seco
*
Playa Bluff
*
La Amistad (Pila)
Settlements
*
Bocas del Toro (Bocas Town)
*
Bastimentos (Isla Bastimentos)
*
Salt Creek (Isla Bastimentos)
*
Punta Laurel (Isla Bastimentos)
Climate
See also
*
List of islands of Panama
*
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
*
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
*
Districts of Panama
The provinces of Panama and some of the comarcas are divided into districts (''distrito''). The district are further divided into corregimientos of Panama
In Panama, a corregimiento is a subdivision of a Districts of Panama, district, which ...
*
List of islands in the Caribbean: Panama
*
Outline of Panama
*
Index of Panama-related articles
*
List of cities in Panama
This is a list of cities in Panama.
Largest cities
These are the largest 20 Panamanian cities and towns, listed in descending order. All figures are estimates for corresponding Districts of Panama, districts for the year 2016. The last cen ...
Notes
External links
BocasDelToro.com OFFICIAL WEBSITE - Everything about Bocas del Toro
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bocas Del Toro Archipelago
Archipelagoes of Panama
Important Bird Areas of Panama
Important Bird Areas of the Caribbean
Archipelagoes of the Caribbean Sea
Panamanian coasts of the Caribbean Sea
Bocas del Toro Province
Districts of Panama