Cayos Cochinos

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Cayos Cochinos
Waters Caribbean Sea
Geographical location 15 ° 58 ′  N , 86 ° 28 ′  W Coordinates: 15 ° 58 ′  N , 86 ° 28 ′  W
Cayos Cochinos (Honduras)
Cayos Cochinos
Number of islands 16
Main island Cochino Menor and Cochino Mejor
Total land area approx. 2 km²
Residents 108 (2001)

The Cayos Cochinos are a group of islands belonging to Honduras in the Caribbean Sea . They consist of two islands ( Cochino Menor and Cochino Mejor ) and 14 small coral islands . Some of these are uninhabited or belong to private individuals. The archipelago is around 30 kilometers northeast of La Ceiba ; the islands have a total area of ​​just over 2 km². According to the 2001 census, the population was 108. The larger settlements are Lower Monitor (46), East End (35) and Cayo Redondo ( Round Cay ) (17 inhabitants). The archipelago is closer to the Honduran mainland coast than to the Islas de la Bahía , but administratively belongs to the municipality of Roatán in the Department of Islas de la Bahía.

Beach on the Cayos Cochinos

On Cochino Menor there is a research station for the implementation of research and observation of the coral reefs and the fauna and flora found in them. The islands are visible from the coast in clear weather. The Cayos Cochinos are part of the second largest barrier reef , also known as the Meso-American Barrier Reef .

The Smithsonian Institution , The Nature Conservancy , the World Wildlife Fund and the World Bank have made the cayos an important part of the barrier reef, the protection of which has priority. The reefs in it are considered to be the most pristine in the ecosystem of the Honduran Bay Islands .

In 1993 the Cayos Cochinos were declared a nature reserve for the first time by a presidential decree . In 2003, the area was also designated as a marine reserve ( Monumento Natural Marino, literally “marine natural monument ”) by the state of Honduras .

See also