Cocos Island, the most isolated national park in Costa Rica and one of the most beautiful, is the summit of a mountain that rises from the seabed to los634 meters, which is the height of Cerro Iglesias.

It was formed by a succession of volcanic processes that led to the lifting of the seabed.

Located in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of Costa Rica, 532 kilometers from the coast. It covers an area of 24 km2 in land area and 972 km2 of ecosystems marine. The average temperature is 25.5 ° C and up to 7,000 mm rain per year. It currently has a dozen people, mostly staff of the National System of Conservation Areas, Environment Ministry, who protect the riches of the place.

Cocos Island served as a refuge for pirates, privateers and whalers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Legend has it that important hid treasures, including the famous Treasure of Lima. More than 400 expeditions characterize the relentless pursuit of the treasures in the last 150 years, important findings unknown

Because of its size and isolation Cocos Island is one of the natural sites less disturbed by man, with high endemism and high biodiversity. Its status as a national park and marine conservation area make it a legally protected habitat for many migratory pelagic species, including the silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), the Galapagos shark (Carcharhinus galapaguensis), whitetip shark (Charcharhinus albimarginatus ) and the flying or black tip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus

Its strategic location gives the country an opportunity to expand its peaceful setting on 200 miles of sea around their small territory. This gives the island a special national and international importance, giving a high scientific, ecological.

Cocos Island, which is the only expression of the Cordillera land Cocos (accompanied by other formations such as Galapagos and Malpelo) is an exceptional example of island located near a center of distribution of species. The combination of high levels of precipitation and its rough topography suggests the formation of many rivers and streams that provide the conditions for the maintenance of a rainforest and coastal forest ecosystems.

The influence of a complex system of currents, of which the most relevant is the North Equatorial Countercurrent, and the resulting atmospheric and oceanographic regimes, allow the retention of ecological processes in tropical forests and coral ecosystems are not found in any place in Southeast Pacific. They also promote the potential of Cocos Island to the conduct of scientific research, recreation and education

The uniqueness of Cocos Island prompted the Government of the Republic to declare a National Park in 1978, especially considering its biological value, historical and stra tegic national sovereignty.

Cocos Island is home to more than 1,300 animal species (marine and terrestrial), of which 228 are known mammals (10 terrestrial and five marine introduced), 600 of marine molluscs, more than 260 marine fish species (27 endemic), 32 corals, 235 species of plants (10 species endemic vascular and 48 nonvascular with 17 endemic species of ferns), 362 insects and 85 species of fungi, among others.

There are five species of terrestrial mammals introduced during the expeditions in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries represent serious threats to the maintenance of terrestrial and marine ecosystems: the wild pig (Sus scrofa), deer (Odocoileus virgianianus), rat (Ratus ratus), goat (Capra hircus) and domésitco cat (Felis catus).

The marine fauna, however, is considered the most exotic and interesting feature of Cocos Island. They were communities and coral reefs were among the most developed of the Eastern Pacific. Of the 30 reported nine coral species occur at depths exceeding 30 meters.