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Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of Californi
| Site number: | 1182 |
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| Type of site: | Natural | |
| Date: | - | |
| Date of Inscription: | 2005, 2007 | |
| Location: | North America, Mexico, States of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sinora, Sinaloa, and Nayarit | |
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| Description: | Encompassing 244 islands, islets and coastal areas, the site sits in the Gulf of California in northeastern Mexico. The Sea of Cortez and its islands act as a natural laboratory for the study of speciation; furthermore the property exhibits nearly all major oceanographic processes occurring in the planet’s oceans, giving it particular value for study. Situated in a thrilling setting shaped by rocky islands with high cliffs and sandy beaches contrasting with the gleaming reflection from the desert and the neighboring turquoise waters, the site is one of arresting natural beauty. Housing 695 vascular plant species, the site holds more than any other marine and insular property on the World Heritage List; just as extraordinary is the 891 species of fish (ninety of them are endemic). What is more, the site comprises of 39% of the world’s total number of marine mammal species and a third of the world’s marine cetacean species. --WHMNet paraphrase from the description at WHC Site, where additional information is available. | |
| The Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez or Sea of Cortés; locally known in the Spanish language as Mar de Cortés or Mar Bermejo or Golfo de California) is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland. It is bordered by the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, and Sinaloa. The name "Gulf of California" predominates on most maps in English today. The name "Sea of Cortés" is the one preferred by most local residents. The Gulf opened up 5.3 million years ago, redirecting the flow of the Colorado River. To the Gulf of California also flow the rivers Fuerte, Mayo, Sinaloa, Sonora, Yaqui. --Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. | ||
| Source: | http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1182 | |
| Reference: | 1. UNESCO World Heritage Center, Site Page. | |