Bahía de Loreto National Park
# Bahía de Loreto National Park

Bahía de Loreto National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto) is a national park on the east coast of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico, about 203 kilometres (126 mi) north of the city of La Paz in the state of Baja California Sur. The park protects 2,065.81 square kilometres (797.61 sq mi) of relatively pristine marine ecosystem in the central Sea of Cortez, including five large uninhabited islands and many smaller islets in Loreto Bay. It is known for its great variety of coastal environments, such as sandy beaches, sea cliffs, submarine canyons, and marine terraces, and is home to an exceptionally high biological diversity, especially of marine mammals.

The national park was created by federal decree on July 19, 1996, and is administered by the Natural Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP), an agency of Mexico's Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources. In 2004, it joined the Ramsar list of Wetlands of International Importance, and in 2005, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site collectively with many other protected areas in the Gulf of California.

## Description

Bahía de Loreto National Park protects Loreto Bay, located in northwest Mexico off the coast of Loreto Municipality in the state of Baja California Sur; the city of Loreto abuts park territory. The park covers an area of 206,580.75 hectares (510,472.2 acres), 88% of which is ocean surface; the islands, islets, and coastal regions that comprise the remaining 12% are mostly uninhabited.

Five main islands serve as the park's chief focal points and tourist destinations: Isla Coronados, Isla del Carmen, Isla Danzante, Isla Monserrat, and Isla Santa Catalina. Though the municipality of Loreto is not within park boundaries, it is the primary starting point for tours of the park and is considered a major influence on the area's ecology. The municipality had a population of 11,812 at the 2000 census.

