Sharjah24 – AFP: Volcanic in origin, surrounded by mountains and a haven for whales, Gorgona Island is a natural gem that emerged from the remains of a prison that instilled terror in Colombia. The country's largest island in the Pacific, measuring 44 square kilometres, was famous for the prison it housed for two decades. But today it's a natural park made up of two islands of black gravel, colourful reefs, dense jungle and lush fauna with temperatures in the mid-30s.
Watching whales a few dozen metres from the shore, diving among the fish on the coral reefs, and walking along the marked paths in the forest are just a few of the activities that tourists (about 3,000 a year) can enjoy on the island.
The Gorgon is part of the Eastern Pacific Marine Corridor (EPMC), which includes the famous Galapagos (Ecuador), Malpelo (Colombia), Coiba (Panama) and Cocos (Costa Rica). These protected islands serve as a migration corridor for marine fauna, such as hammerhead sharks and sea turtles, as well as for birds.
But like all natural sanctuaries on the planet, the island inevitably faces various threats, including "coastal erosion of certain beaches, questions about the warming of the surface water, and the rise in sea levels", according to a biologist from the park, Christian Diaz.
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