Pearl Islands
Encyclopedia
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coast of Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
in the Gulf of Panama
Gulf of Panama
The Gulf of Panama is a gulf in the Pacific Ocean, near the southern coast of Panama. It has a maximum width of , a maximum depth of and the size of . The Panama Canal connects the Gulf of Panama with the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
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Islands
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Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
), known for its resorts. Contadora was said to be used by the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
s as a stop for taking inventory of booty prior to returning to Spain, hence the name (contador means counter or bookkeeper in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
). Contadora is a resort island, with many homes owned by wealthy Panamanians. There is a large hotel and other cabins available. Most of the resort workers live on nearby Isla Saboga. In 1979, the Shah of Iran
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, Shah of Persia , ruled Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979...
briefly took exile on Isla Contadora. Domestic airlines Air Panama
Air Panama
Air Panama is an airline based in Panama City, Panama, which offers scheduled and chartered passenger flights out of its hub at Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport, mostly on domestic routes with a low passenger volume...
and Aero Perlas run frequent flights between Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
and Contadora, Isla San Jose and Isla del Rey.
The largest island, at about 30 square miles (77.7 km²), is Isla del Rey ("Island of the King"), its name probably a religious reference rather than a reference to a secular king. Isla del Rey has several towns, most notably San Miguel. It is easily larger than the other Pearl Islands combined, and is the second largest island in Panama, after Coiba
Coiba
Coiba is the largest island in Central America, with an area of 503 square kilometers, off the Pacific coast of the Panamanian province of Veraguas. It is part of the Montijo District of that province.-History:...
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Other islands are Bolano Island, Buena Vista Island, Cana Island
Cana Island
Cana Island is an island in Lake Michigan in Door County, Wisconsin. The Cana Island Light is on the island. Cana Island is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Located at ....
, Casaya Island, Chapera Island, Chitre Island, Cocos Island
Cocos Island
Cocos Island is an uninhabited island located off the shore of Costa Rica . It constitutes the 11th district of Puntarenas Canton of the province of Puntarenas. It is one of the National Parks of Costa Rica...
to be distinguished from the much larger better known Cocos Island in Costa Rica, Espiritu Santo Island, Galera Island, Gallo Island, Gilbraleon Island, Lampon Island, Marin Island, Mina Island, Mogo Mogo o Pajaro, Pacheca Island, Pachequille Island, Pedro Gonzalez Island, Puerco Island, San Jose Island
Isla San José (Panama)
Isla San José is the second largest island in the Panama area, and has an area of over 14,000 acres.-References:...
, Senora Island, Vivenda Island, Vivienda Island and Viveros Island.
The island of Galera has a facade of very tall coconut palm trees and a white sandy beach. Strong currents, combined with shallows and jagged reefs surrounding the island, make navigation near the island perilous.
History
Three million years ago the Isthmus of Panama was created. Until then North and South America were divided by sea. It was the biggest and most reportedly significant geological event in 60 million years with effects all over the planet. Prior to that date as the Earth's plates began to join the Pearl Islands were created and they emerged from the sea. On Contadora Island and other islands in the group pre-Columbian artefacts have been found.The biggest island is Isla del Rey where more than fifteen pre-Columbian recognised archeological sites of the “Cuevas” and “Cocle” cultures have been identified. However none of the original population remain.
The islands were first occupied by Indians who were (with their leader Terarequí) wiped out within two years of the islands' discovery by the Spanish. Spaniard Vasco Nunez de Balboa named the islands Pearl Islands on his discovery of them in 1513 due to the many pearls which were found there. Another Spaniard, Gaspar de Morales, exterminated 20 local Indian chiefs not long after and gave them to his dogs to tear to pieces. Dites, another local chief, presented Morales with baskets of pearls, but this simply made the Spaniards want more and hastened the destruction of the native population. The Spaniards then needed workers to harvest pearls and imported slave labour in the 16th century from Africa whose descendants now live on the islands, particularly del Rey.
The Islands were frequently used by pirates in the years that followed and were relatively undisturbed until the 1960s and 1970s when the building of the resort on Contadora took place to which the Shah of Iran retreated in 1979.
Sustainability
The Chamber for Sustainable Tourism Law Pearlas http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=815322 aims to preserve the islands' delicate ecological balance.Publicity
The Pearl Islands were featured in three seasons of the reality TV program Survivor, namely Survivor: Pearl IslandsSurvivor: Pearl Islands
Survivor: Pearl Islands is the seventh season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was filmed in 2003 and debuted in the United States on CBS on September 18, 2003....
, Survivor: All-Stars
Survivor: All-Stars
Survivor: All-Stars is the eighth season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was filmed in 2003 and debuted in the United States on CBS on February 1, 2004 after Super Bowl XXXVIII. It was set on the Pearl Islands of Panama, where the previous Survivor: Pearl Islands had just finished...
and Survivor: Panama
Survivor: Panama
Survivor: Panama — Exile Island, also known as Survivor: Exile Island and Survivor: Panama, is the twelfth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed in the Pearl Islands, off the coast of Panama. This location was previously used for Survivor:...
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The Pearl Islands were also featured in season 2 of the Israeli version of the American reality TV program Survivor - "Survivor 10: Pearl Islands
Survivor 10: Pearl Islands
Survivor 10: Pearl Islands is the second season of the Israeli version of the American Reality TV show "Survivor", shot during June and July, 2008, in the Pearl Islands, Panama. It was aired from December 24, 2008 on Channel 10...
", and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV series The Real Swiss Family Robinson
The Real Swiss Family Robinson
The Real Swiss Family Robinson is a four-part BBC television miniseries in which different families leave their regular lives behind and sample life on a desert island.- Episode list :...
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