Colón Island (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Isla Colón'') is the northernmost and main island in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago located in

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 ...

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 ...

. The capital city of the province, Bocas del Toro, is located on the island and is one of Panama's main

tourist attractions A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beau ...

with over 150,000 visitors per year and an 8% annual rate of growth in tourism.

Facilities

Beachfront hotels, restaurants, night clubs, discothèques and residential districts are prominent on Colón Island. *Beaches: Itsmito Beach, also known as ''La Feria'', Big Creek, Bluff, Mimitibi, Bocas del Drago, Starfish. *Important locations: Main Park, Governor's Building, Hotel Bahia, Airport, Hospital, Cemetery, La Feria, Bluff, ''La Gruta'' bat cave, Bocas del Drago.

Access

The island has a strong boating community. Access to the other nearby islands in the archipelago requires either a private boat or rental of a water taxi. By air, the island can be reached from

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

via

Air Panama Air Panama is a regional airline based at Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport in Panama, and is currently the second-largest air carrier in the country, surpassed only by Copa Airlines. The carrier offers both scheduled and charte ...

. From Almirante you may take a

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

water taxi A water taxi or a water bus is a boat used to provide public transport, public or private transport, usually, but not always, in an Urban area, urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a simil ...

service. The island has several

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

s available for international boaters. Local taxi service is provided mainly by yellow pickup trucks with ''1T-'' followed by a number on the doors, and by 15 passenger mini-buses marked as ''Transporte Colectivo''.

Geography

Environment

The island is part of the Bocas del Toro

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), designated as such 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 it supports significant populations of

white-crowned pigeon The white-crowned pigeon (''Patagioenas leucocephala'') is a fruit and seed-eating species of bird in the dove and pigeon family Columbidae. It is found primarily in the Caribbean. John James Audubon painted these pigeons, including the waterco ...

s and

three-wattled bellbird The three-wattled bellbird (''Procnias tricarunculatus'') is a Central American migratory bird of the cotinga family. The sexes are very dissimilar in appearance. The male has a white head and throat and the remaining plumage is chestnut brown. ...

Climate

Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Colon Island has a tropical wet climate. Temperatures remain constant throughout the year, averaging around .

Image Gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colon Island Caribbean islands of Panama Important Bird Areas of Panama Important Bird Areas of the Caribbean