Colón Island

Colón Island
Isla Colón
Bocas del Toro Archipelago
Bocas del Toro Archipelago
Flag of Colón Island
Colón Island is located in Panama
Colón Island
Colón Island
Location of Isla Colón in Panama
Colón Island is located in Caribbean
Colón Island
Colón Island
Colón Island (Caribbean)
Coordinates: 9°23′15″N 82°15′30″W / 9.38750°N 82.25833°W / 9.38750; -82.25833
Country Panama
StateBocas del Toro Province
DistrictBocas del Toro
CapitalBocas del Toro
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern Standard Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (No DST)

Colón Island (Spanish: Isla Colón) is the northernmost and main island in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago located in Bocas del Toro Province, Panama. The capital city of the province, Bocas del Toro, is located on the island and is one of Panama's main tourist attractions 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 via Air Panama.

From Almirante you may take a ferry or water taxi service.

The island has several marinas 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 (IBA), designated as such by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of white-crowned pigeons and three-wattled bellbirds.[1]

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification, Colon Island has a tropical wet climate. Temperatures remain constant throughout the year, averaging around 26.5 °C (79.7 °F).

Climate data for Isla Colón (1972–2013)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 34.4
(93.9)
34.2
(93.6)
32.8
(91.0)
34.4
(93.9)
36.0
(96.8)
38.2
(100.8)
33.2
(91.8)
35.6
(96.1)
33.6
(92.5)
33.0
(91.4)
33.0
(91.4)
32.6
(90.7)
38.2
(100.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 17.6
(63.7)
18.0
(64.4)
17.6
(63.7)
17.4
(63.3)
17.6
(63.7)
17.6
(63.7)
17.0
(62.6)
15.9
(60.6)
17.6
(63.7)
18.0
(64.4)
19.6
(67.3)
17.0
(62.6)
15.0
(59.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 29.3
(1.15)
10.1
(0.40)
13.1
(0.52)
64.7
(2.55)
225.1
(8.86)
235.0
(9.25)
168.5
(6.63)
219.9
(8.66)
253.9
(10.00)
330.7
(13.02)
252.3
(9.93)
104.6
(4.12)
1,907.2
(75.09)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) 2.9 1.3 1.4 4.9 15.0 16.0 14.0 15.0 17.0 20.0 16.0 7.5 131.0
Mean monthly sunshine hours 228.9 245.2 183.9 173.1 108.5 116.3 106.1 118.1 99.2 103.9 139.8 120.5 1,743.5
Source: ETESA (sunshine data recorded at Bocas del Toro International Airport)[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bocas del Toro Archipelago". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  2. ^ "Datos Históricos : Estación Aeropuerto Intl. Bocas del Toro". Empresa de Transmisión Eléctrica S.A. Retrieved August 16, 2013.