UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Panama

UNESCO's Description

Magnificent examples of 17th- and 18th-century military architecture, these Panamanian forts on the Caribbean coast form part of the defence system built by the Spanish Crown to protect transatlantic trade.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

As the village's importance grew, security concerns were addressed by building military fortifications from 1600 till the last fortifications at Santiago and Fernando on the bay in 1753. In all, 10 different fortifications were built on the hills behind Portobelo port, making it the "most heavily fortified Spanish coastal control point in the Americas". Many of the fortifications were attacked and crumbled to heaps of rubble; only the fortifications built in 1753 have survived in good condition, as Admiral Vernon bypassed Portobello during the last battle. Earlier, Sir Francis Drake was unsuccessful in attacking the fort as he succumbed to fever and was buried in the bay. But he had burned Nombre De Dios in 1596. His lead casket buried in the sea bears his name.

Background

In 1502, Christopher Columbus was caught in a severe storm in the sea, and forced to land in a village on the Isthmus of Panama. According to legend, he named it Puerto Bello (Beautiful Port). In 1586, Juan Bautista Antonelli prepared the plans for the first of the fortifications to secure entry to the Bay of Portobelo and the mouth of the Chagres River, and constructed the same by the 1590s. The town of San Felipe de Portobelo, however, was established on 20 March 1597. Over the centuries, Portobelo developed into a strategic Spanish establishment in the New World as it was well-linked with a stone paved road to Panama city.

Location

The Portobelo and San Lorenzo fortifications are situated approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) from each other on Panama's Atlantic coast. Portobelo's military structures provided a security cover on the Caribbean part of the Panama harbour whereas the fortifications at San Lorenzo protected the Chagres River at its mouth. The port was built as an alternate Caribbean terminal to the one at Nombre de Dios to navigate through the Isthmus of Panama. The primary purpose was to avoid the land route which was affected during the rainy months.

UNESCO's Description

Forming a bridge between the two continents of the New World, Darien National Park contains an exceptional variety of habitats – sandy beaches, rocky coasts, mangroves, swamps, and lowland and upland tropical forests containing remarkable wildlife. Two Indian tribes live in the park.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

The Darién National Park is a natural bridge spanning North and South America. It is located in southernmost Panama in Darién province and its southern boundary extends along 90 percent of the Colombia–Panama border. It lies between the Serranía del Darién range, which parallels the Caribbean Sea 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) to the north-east, and the Pacific Ocean coast. It is adjacent to the Los Katíos National Park in Colombia.

In 1972, an area of 700,000 hectares (1,700,000 acres) became part of the Alto Darién Protection Forest. In 1980, the area was declared a national park. In 1983, an area of 859,333 hectares (2,123,460 acres) became a UNESCO biosphere reserve. The park covers 5,790 km2 (2,240 mi2).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q48608 (CC0).

Visiting Darién National Park

The Darien National Park is the largest national park in Panama and one of the most extensive in Central America, known for its incredible biodiversity and remoteness. Located in the eastern province of Darien, it has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Darién National Park (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

Coiba National Park, off the southwest coast of Panama, protects Coiba Island, 38 smaller islands and the surrounding marine areas within the Gulf of Chiriqui. Protected from the cold winds and effects of El Niño, Coiba’s Pacific tropical moist forest maintains exceptionally high levels of endemism of mammals, birds and plants due to the ongoing evolution of new species. It is also the last refuge for a number of threatened animals such as the crested eagle. The property is an outstanding natural laboratory for scientific research and provides a key ecological link to the Tropical Eastern Pacific for the transit and survival of pelagic fish and marine mammals.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

Coiba separated from continental Panama between 12,000 and 18,000 years ago when sea levels rose. Plants and animals on the new island became isolated from mainland populations and over the millennia most animals have diverged in appearance and behaviour from their mainland counterparts. The island is home to many endemic subspecies, including the Coiba Island howler monkey, and the Coiba spinetail.

In 1919, a penal colony was built on the island and during the years that Panama was under the dictatorships of Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega, the prison on Coiba was a feared place with a reputation for brutal conditions, extreme torture, executions and political murders.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q741636 (CC0).

Visiting Coiba

Coiba National Marine Park (Parque Nacional Coiba) is a park in the Gulf of Chiriqui in the Pacific West of Panama that is frequently called the "Galapagos Islands of Central America" for its abundance of rare species in the water and on land. Coiba is known for its superior diving.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Coiba National Marine Park (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

From the 16th century, the isthmus of Panama became a global strategic asset facilitating the transportation of goods and people between the Iberian Peninsula and the colonies of the Kingdom of Spain in America, the archipelago of the Philippines and the Canary Islands. The serial property bears testimony of the crossing of the isthmus including strategic fortified settlements, historic towns, archaeological sites and roads used to connect the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean until the mid-18th century.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).