| Cozumel | |
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 Satellite image of Cozumel Island in 2001 |
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Caribbean Sea |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Area | 488. For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. 384 km²
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| Administration | |
 Mexico |
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| State | Quintana Roo |
| Municipios (Municipality) | Cozumel |
| Largest city | San Miguel de Cozumel (71,401) |
| Presidente municipal (Municipal president) | Gustavo Ortega Joaquín (PAN) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 73,193 (as of 2005) |
| Density | 149. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Quintana Roo (kinˈtana ˈro is a state of Mexico, on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. Municipalities ( municipios in Spanish) are the second-level administrative division in Mexico (where the first-level administrative division is the A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or San Miguel de Cozumel is the largest town on the island municipality of Cozumel in the Mexican state of A presidente municipal ( English: " municipal president " is the chief of government of Municipios in Mexico The National Action Party ( Spanish Partido Acción Nacional) known by the acronym PAN, is a conservative and Christian democratic 88/km² |
| Indigenous people | Maya |
| Time zone UTC –6 | |
Cozumel (Mayan: Island of the Swallows) (Kùutsmil in Modern Maya) is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. The Maya peoples constitute a diverse range of the Native American peoples of southern Mexico and northern Central America. San Miguel de Cozumel is the largest town on the island municipality of Cozumel in the Mexican state of The swallows and martins are a group of Passerine Birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial Yucatec Maya ("Maaya T'aan" in the revised Orthography of the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala) is a Mayan language spoken in An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The Yucatán Peninsula, in Southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. Playa del Carmen ( Xaman Ha' or Pláaya in Modern Maya) is a city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, in the northeast of the Mexican It is one of the eight municipalities (municipios) of the state of Quintana Roo. The Mexican State of Quintana Roo is made up of 9 municipalities (municipios Tulum is the newest city (2008 Municipalities ( municipios in Spanish) are the second-level administrative division in Mexico (where the first-level administrative division is the Quintana Roo (kinˈtana ˈro is a state of Mexico, on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. Cozumel is a popular tourist destination renowned for its scuba diving. Scuba diving is swimming underwater, or taking part in another activity while using a Scuba set. The main town on the island is San Miguel de Cozumel. San Miguel de Cozumel is the largest town on the island municipality of Cozumel in the Mexican state of
The island is about 48 km (30 miles) north-south and 16 km (10 miles) east-west, and is the largest Atlantic island of Mexico. (It is the third-largest island in Mexico, following Tiburón Island and Isla Ángel de la Guarda. Tiburón Island ( Spanish: Isla del Tiburón or Isla Tiburón; Seri: Tahéjöc (/taˈʔɛxʷk/ is both the largest Isla Ángel de la Guarda, also called Archangel Island, and called Xazl Iimt /ˌχaʃɬ ˈiːmt/ 'homes of the pumas' in the Seri language, ( is a large ) It is about 20 km (12 miles) from the mainland, and some 60 km (36 miles) south of Cancún. Cancún (pronounced as kanˈkun is a coastal city in Mexico 's easternmost state Quintana Roo, on the Yucatán Peninsula. The vast majority of the population of Cozumel lives in the town of San Miguel (pop. 71,401 in 2005), which is on the western shore. The rest of the island is low, flat, and densely vegetated. The island, including offshore islets, has a land area of 477. 961 km² (184. 54 sq mi). The municipality, which includes two small areas on the mainland enclaved within the Municipality of Solidaridad with a land area of 10. Solidaridad is one of the eight municipalities that make up the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. 423 km² (4. 024 sq mi), has a total land area of 488. 384 km² (188. 566 sq mi). The two areas enclaved on the mainland are Calica, near Playa del Carmen and Xcaret, and the Xel-Há Water Park, near the Xelha archaeological ruins. Calica is a Quarry and a Port on the Quintana Roo coast of Mexico Xcaret is a Maya civilization Archaeological site and an Ecological Park and resort located south of Playa del Carmen in the Xel-Há Water Park ( Parque acuático Xel-Há) is a commercial water theme park located on the Caribbean coast of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico Xelha (or Xelhá in Spanish orthography, ( Xel-Há in Modern Maya)) is an Archaeological site of the Maya civilization
Contents |
History
The Maya are believed to have first settled Cozumel by the early part of the 1st millennium AD, and older Preclassic Olmec artifacts have been found on the island as well. The Maya civilization is a Mesoamerican Civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the Pre-Columbian Americas The Olmec were an ancient Pre-Columbian people living in the Tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in what are roughly the modern-day states The island was sacred to Ix Chel, the Maya Moon Goddess, and the temples here were a place of pilgrimage, especially by women desiring fertility. Ixchel or Ix Chel (ˈiʃtʃel is the 16th-century name of the aged jaguar goddess of midwifery and medicine in the ancient Mayan culture. There are a number of ruins on the island, most from the Post-Classic period. The largest Maya ruins on the island were bulldozed to make way for an airplane runway during World War II. The ruins of San Gervasio are located approximately at the center of the island and are the largest remaining ruins. San Gervasio is an Archaeological site of the Pre-Colombian Maya civilization, located at the approximate center of the island of Cozumel off
The first Spanish visitor was Juan de Grijalva in 1518 , and in the following year Hernán Cortés came with a fleet and destroyed many Maya temples. Juan de Grijalva (born around 1489 in Cuéllar - January 21 1527) was a Spanish Conquistador. Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro 1st Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca ( 1485&ndash December 2, Some 40,000 Maya lived on the island then, but smallpox devastated them and by 1570 only 30 were left alive. Smallpox is an Infectious disease unique to humans caused by either of two virus variants named Variola major and Variola minor. In the ensuing years Cozumel was nearly deserted, used as a hideout by pirates from time to time. In 1848 , the Caste War of Yucatán resulted in resettlement by refugees escaping the tumult. The Caste War of Yucatán (1847&ndash1901 began with the revolt of native Maya people of Yucatán ( Mexico) against the population of European descent A plaque at the Museo Cozumel states Abraham Lincoln as U. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal S. president was close to purchasing the island of Cozumel as a place to send the freed slaves. The continued war in the Yucatan forced him to change his mind.
Late 20th century
In 1959, Jacques Cousteau discovered the extent and beauty of Palancar, the coral reefs at the south of Cozumel and publicized it as one of the best places to go scuba diving in the world. San Miguel de Cozumel is the largest town on the island municipality of Cozumel in the Mexican state of Jacques-Yves Cousteau ( 11 June 1910 – 25 June 1997) was a French naval officer explorer, Ecologist, Coral reefs are Aragonite structures produced by living organisms found in marine waters with little to no nutrients in the water Although the original airport was a World War II relic and was able to handle jet aircraft and international flights, a much larger airport was built in the late 1970s. Cozumel International Airport Is an international Airport located in the island of Cozumel, Quintana Roo located at the Caribbean coast This resulted in much greater tourism to Cozumel.
Scuba diving is still Cozumel's primary draw, mainly due to the healthy coral reef marine communities. These coral reefs are protected from the open ocean by the island's natural geography. In 1996, the government of Mexico also established the Cozumel Reefs National Marine Park, forbidding anyone from touching or removing any marine life within the park boundaries. Despite the importance of healthy reefs to Cozumel's tourist trade, a deepwater pier was built in the 1990s for cruise ships to dock, causing damage to the reefs, and it is now a regular stop on cruises in the Caribbean. ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo
21st century
Singer Kirsty MacColl died on this island, after a tragic accident on December 18, 2000 in which she was hit by a speedboat owned by Mexican supermarket millionaire Guillermo González Nova (owner of Comercial Mexicana). Kirsty Anna MacColl ( 10 October, 1959 &ndash 18 December, 2000) was an English Singer-songwriter. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Comercial Mexicana is a Mexican Hypermarket group which features stores similar to those owned by Wal-Mart in the United States or The original case resulted in minor penalties for a crew hand, but the Mexican authorities have recently agreed to re-open the case due largely to the efforts of the Justice for Kirsty campaign organized by Kirsty's mother. The campaign's supporters include U2's Bono. [1]
2005 Hurricane Season
The island was struck directly by two Category 4 hurricanes during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a classification used for most Western Hemisphere Tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of Tropical depressions A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding First to arrive was Hurricane Emily in July. Hurricane Emily was the fifth named storm, third hurricane second major hurricane and first Category 5 of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season Despite being a powerful storm, it was the slower moving Hurricane Wilma that caused the most destruction when it hit the island in October. Hurricane Wilma was the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. The usually lush rainforest was sheared off. The tops of trees disappeared and no leaves were left on the highest five feet of almost every tree. A significant amount of vegetation was ruined when salt water washed over the island. The sewers of San Miguel were also heavily damaged.
Reconstruction was swift and concerted. Even before Wilma cleared the area, the supplies needed to restore the island were already being gathered on mainland Mexico. Within weeks, the island was receiving cruise ships again, and within months, almost all infrastructure was restored to pre-Wilma conditions or better. Two of Cozumel's three cruise ship piers have reopened: International Pier in May 2006, and Punta Langosta Pier in September 2006. May 2006 was a month with thirty-one days The following events also occurred during the month September 2006 was marked by a controversy surrounding statements made by Pope Benedict XVI regarding Islam, during the same week as the fifth anniversary The Puerta Maya Pier, which took more damage, is not yet open, and may not open before 2008 [2]. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
More significant—and virtually impossible to repair—was the damage to the underwater marine life. Divemasters on the island report that much of the marine life has yet to come back to previous levels. This includes both the coral reefs, which suffered particularly at the shallower dive sites, and the fish that inhabit the reefs.
Culture
Demographics
Cozumel relies solely on tourism for income - online tourist guides generally state that unless you came to the island to scuba dive or charter fish, there is little to do as the ruins and sights are limited. Scuba diving is swimming underwater, or taking part in another activity while using a Scuba set. There are over 100 restaurants on the island and many hotels, some of which run dive operations, have large swimming pools, private docks, multiple dining facilities, and offer complete wedding and honeymoon packages.
All food and manufactured supplies are shipped onto the island.
There are two universities on the island: Universidad de Quintana Roo and Partenon. In addition to teaching English as a degree, they offer five other career options including natural resources research, tourism and commercial systems.
Government
Cozumel is part of the State of Quintana Roo (Q-Roo). The Municipality of Cozumel consists of the island of Cozumel (with its offshore islets) and small pieces of adjacent mainland enclaved within the Municipality of Solidaridad. Solidaridad is one of the eight municipalities that make up the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. They are Calica and the Xel-Há Water Park. Calica is a Quarry and a Port on the Quintana Roo coast of Mexico Xel-Há Water Park ( Parque acuático Xel-Há) is a commercial water theme park located on the Caribbean coast of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico
The "Presidente Municipal" Mayor of Cozumel is elected every 3 years by citizen elections. The current Mayor of Cozumel belongs to the National Action Party (Partido Acción Nacional, PAN) and his name is Gustavo Ortega Joaquín. The National Action Party ( Spanish Partido Acción Nacional) known by the acronym PAN, is a conservative and Christian democratic
Festival of El Cedral in Cozumel
To this day a historic festival is held in the small town of El Cedral, in the south of Cozumel Island at the end of April. This annual event is said to have been started over 150 years ago by Casimiro Cárdenas.
Cárdenas was one of a group that fled to the island from the village of Saban, on the mainland, after an attack during the War of the Castes. The attackers killed many other villagers, but Cárdenas survived whilst clutching a small wooden cross.
Legend has it that Cárdenas vowed to start an annual festival wherever he settled, to honor the religious power of this crucifix. Today, the original Holy Cross Festival forms part of the wider Festival of El Cedral, which includes fairs, traditional feasts, rodeos, bullfights, music and competitions. The celebrations last about 5 days in all and are held every year at the end of April or beginning of May. [3]
Nature
Geology
Cozumel is a flat island based on limestone, resulting in a karst topography. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Karst topography is a landscape shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble Bedrock, usually Carbonate rock such as Limestone The highest natural point on the island is less than 15 meters above sea level. The Cenotes are deep water filled sinkholes formed by water percolating through the soft limestone soil during thousands of years. A cenote (pronounced in Mexican Spanish and in English, plural cenotes; from Yucatec Maya dzonot) is a type of Sinkhole Cenotes can be explored by snorkeling, swimming or diving, in which several marine species can be appreciated. Ancient inhabitants of the island also used the large holes in the rocks for shelter, particularly to escape the heat, by digging out small caves in the ground.
Biodiversity
Cozumel has a number of endemic species and subspecies of bird including:
- the Cozumel Thrasher, which is nearly, if not already, extinct. The Cozumel Thrasher, Toxostoma guttatum, is a Bird from the mockingbird family ( Mimidae) which is endemic to the In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa.
- the Cozumel Vireo. UserPolbot. -->The Cozumel Vireo ( Vireo bairdi) is a species of Bird in the Vireonidae
- the Cozumel Wren. The House Wren, Troglodytes aedon, is a very small Songbird of the Wren family, Troglodytidae
- the Cozumel Great Curassow, which is highly endangered. The Great Curassow ( Crax rubra) is a large black Pheasant -like bird with a yellow knob on its bill, curly black feather crests and white below
- the Cozumel Emerald
Endemic dwarf mammals are found on the island:
- the Cozumel Island Raccoon, which is endangered. UserPolbot. -->The Cozumel Emerald ( Chlorostilbon forficatus) is a species of Hummingbird in the Insular dwarfism is the process and condition of the reduction in size of large animals – almost always Mammals – when their gene pool is limited to a very small environment The Cozumel Raccoon ( Procyon pygmaeus) also called Pygmy Raccoon, is an Endangered species of raccoon endemic on Cozumel
- the Dwarf Coati, which is endangered. The Cozumel Island Coati (Nasua nelsoni is a Coati from the Mexican Island of Cozumel.
- the Cozumel Fox, which is nearly, if not already, extinct. The Cozumel Fox ( Urocyon sp nov) is an unnamed Species of Fox which is apparently close to Extinction or even already extinct In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa.
Endemic marine life:
Photo Gallery
 Barracuda at Paradise Reef. The splendid toadfish, Sanopus splendidus, also known as the coral toadfish, is a species of Toadfish entirely endemic to the island of Cozumel The barracuda is a Ray-finned fish known for its large size (up to 16 ft in length and up to a foot in width for some species) and fearsome appearance |
 Windward shoreline at Coconuts Bar & Grill. |
 Swimmers at the beach. |
 Punta Sur lighthouse. |
 Sunrise over the windward shore. |
 Snorkelers swim with fish. |
 Tidal pool and reef. |
 Cruise ships docked at the port in San Miguel. A cruise ship or cruise liner is a Passenger ship used for pleasure voyages where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience San Miguel de Cozumel is the largest town on the island municipality of Cozumel in the Mexican state of |
References
- Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
- Coleman, Michael "Cozumel rebounds from Hurricane Wilma", Marco Island Sun Times, April 9, 2007. Accessed May 4, 2005.
- Land area of islands in Mexico INEGI
- Geographical extent of Cozumel Ayuntamiento de Cozumel
External links
- Cozumel at the Open Directory Project
- Ayuntamiento de Cozumel Official website
- Cozumel travel guide from Wikitravel
- Cozumel Parks and Museums official site for the Quintana Roo State Foundation that manages Chankanaab Park, Punta Sur, San Gervasio and the Island Museum
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