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Cozumel
Satellite photo of Cozumel - April, 2001.
Geography
Location	Caribbean Sea
Coordinates	20°30′N 86°57′W / 20.5, -86.95Coordinates: 20°30′N 86°57′W / 20.5, -86.95
Area	488.384 km²
Administration
Mexico
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	149.88/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. It is one of the eight municipalities (municipios) of the state of Quintana Roo. Cozumel is a popular tourist destination renowned for its scuba diving. The main town on the island is San Miguel de Cozumel. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Image File history File links Cozumel_Location. ... Map of Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea (pronounced or ) is a tropical sea in the Western Hemisphere, part of the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mexico. ... The United Mexican States or Mexico (Estados Unidos Mexicanos or México) is a federal republic made up of 31 states (estados) and one Federal District, (Distrito Federal), which contains the capital, Mexico City. ... Quintana Roo is a state of Mexico, on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. ... A municipio (Spanish for municipality) is a second-level political and administrative division in Mexico. ... A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly referring to a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. ... San Miguel San Miguel is the largest town on the island of Cozumel in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. ... A presidente municipal (Spanish for 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 party and one of the three main political parties in Mexico. ... Maya may refer to: // The Maya, Native American peoples of southern Mexico and northern Central America Maya peoples, the contemporary indigenous peoples Maya civilization, their historical pre-Columbian civilization Mayan languages, the family of languages spoken by the Maya Yucatec Maya language, specific and most widespread Mayan language, frequently referred... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... UTC redirects here. ... “Maya language” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Swallow (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Map of Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea (pronounced or ) is a tropical sea in the Western Hemisphere, part of the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. ... The Yucatán peninsula as seen from space The Yucatán Peninsula, in Southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. ... Church in Playa del Carmen Playa del Carmen is a city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in the north east of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, located at 20. ... The Mexican State of Quintana Roo is made up of 8 municipalities (municipios): Category: ... A municipio (Spanish for municipality) is a second-level political and administrative division in Mexico. ... The United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos or Mexico) comprises 31 states (estados) and one federal district (Distrito Federal), which contains the capital, Mexico City. ... Quintana Roo is a state of Mexico, on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. ... Scuba diving is swimming underwater while using self-contained breathing equipment. ... San Miguel San Miguel is the largest town on the island of Cozumel in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. ...

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.) It is about 20 km (12 miles) from the mainland, and some 60 km (36 miles) south of Cancún. 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 10.423 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. Tiburón Island (Spanish: Isla del Tiburón; Seri: Tahéjöc) is the largest island in the Gulf of California. ... Isla Ángel de la Guarda () is a large island in the Gulf of California east of Bahía de los Ángeles. ... Giant Mexican flag in the Hotel Zone Cancún (pronounced as IPA: ) is a coastal city in Mexicos easternmost state, Quintana Roo, on the Yucatán Peninsula. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Solidaridad is one of the eight municipalities that make up the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. ... Calica is a quarry and a port on the Quintana Roo coast of Mexico. ... Xcaret is a Maya civilization archaeological site and a ecological park and resort located south of Playa del Carmen in the Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico. ... The Path of Consciousness at Xel-Ha Water Park. ...

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 island was sacred to Ix Chel, the Maya Moon Goddess, and the temples here were a place of pilgrimage, especially by women desiring fertility. 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. This article is about the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. ... Monument 1, one of the four Olmec colossal heads at La Venta. ... In Maya mythology, Ixchel was an earth and moon goddess, patroness of weavers and pregnant women. ... The ruins of San Gervasio were made by anciant Mayans at the approximate center of the island of Cozumel. ...

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. Some 40,000 Maya lived on the island then, but smallpox devastated them and by 1570 only 30 were left alive. 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. A plaque at the Museo Cozumel states Abraham Lincoln as U.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. Juan de Grijalva (born around 1489 in Cuéllar - January 21, 1527) was a Spanish conquistador. ... Hernán(do) Cortés Pizarro, 1st Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca (1485–December 2, 1547) was the conquistador who became famous for leading the military expedition that initiated the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) is a contagious disease unique to humans. ... The Caste War of Yucatán (1847–1901) began with the revolt of native Maya people of Yucatán (Mexico) against the population of European descent (called Yucatecos) in political and economic control. ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ...

Late 20th century

Looking south towards San Miguel.

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. 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. This resulted in much greater tourism to Cozumel. San Miguel San Miguel is the largest town on the island of Cozumel in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. ... Jacques-Yves ousteau in 1976. ... Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef, in this case the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. ... Cozumel International Airport (IATA: CZM, ICAO: MMCZ) Is an international airport located in the island of Cozumel, Quintana Roo located at the Caribbean coast near Cancún, it receives thousands of tourists all year. ...

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. Seaport, a painting by Claude Lorrain, 1638 A port is a facility at the edge of an ocean, river, or lake for receiving ships and transferring cargo and persons to them. ...

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). 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] Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was an English singer-songwriter. ... is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Comercial Mexicana Logo Comercial Mexicana is a Mexican hypermarket group, which features stores similar to those owned by Wal-Mart in the United States or Carrefour in France. ... For other uses, see Bono (disambiguation). ...

2005 Hurricane Season

Cozumel seen through the eye of Hurricane Wilma.

The island was struck directly by two Category 4 hurricanes during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. First to arrive was Hurricane Emily in July. Despite being a powerful storm, it was the slower moving Hurricane Wilma that caused the most destruction when it hit the island in October. 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. Image File history File links Wilma_in_cozumel_island-109920_m. ... Image File history File links Wilma_in_cozumel_island-109920_m. ... Lowest pressure 882 mbar (hPa; 26. ... The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a scale classifying most Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms, and thereby become hurricanes. ... Cyclone Catarina, a rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone viewed from the International Space Station on March 26, 2004 Hurricane and Typhoon redirect here. ... The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, shattering previous records on repeated occasions. ... Lowest pressure 929 mbar (hPa; 27. ... Lowest pressure 882 mbar (hPa; 26. ...

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. The Puerta Maya Pier, which took more damage, is not yet open, and may not open before 2008 [2]. May 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → May 1, 2006 (Monday) Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association outraged Vatican by planning to ordain another bishop, Liu Xinhong in Anhui Province. ... September 2006 is the ninth month of 2006 and has begun on a Friday. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ...

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

Looking north from the top of the Punta Sur lighthouse.

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. 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. Early ideas of autonomous under-water systems appear in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Scuba Diving is the use of independent breathing equipment to stay underwater for long periods for recreational diving and professional diving. ...

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. They are Calica and the Xel-Há Water Park. Solidaridad is one of the eight municipalities that make up the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. ... Calica is a quarry and a port on the Quintana Roo coast of Mexico. ... The Path of Consciousness at Xel-Ha Water Park. ...

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 party and one of the three main political parties in Mexico. ...

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. 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. 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. For other uses, see Limestone (disambiguation). ... Karst topography is a three-dimensional landscape shaped by the dissolution of a soluble layer or layers of bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite. ... Sacred Cenote, Chichén Itzá Cenote in Quintana Roo, Mexico Cenote (pronounced in Spanish seh-no-teh and in English say-no-tay, plural: cenotes) is the name given in Central America and southern Mexico to a type of freshwater-filled limestone sinkhole. ...

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 Vireo.
• the Cozumel Wren.
• the Cozumel Great Curassow, which is highly endangered.
• the Cozumel Emerald

Endemic dwarf mammals are found on the island: Binomial name Toxostoma guttatum (Ridgway, 1885) The Cozumel Thrasher, Toxostoma guttatum, is a bird from the Mimidae family, which is found only on the island of Cozumel off the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. ... In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ... Binomial name (Vieillot, 1809) The House Wren, Troglodytes aedon, is a small songbird of the wren family. ... Binomial name Crax rubra Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Crax rubra rubra Linnaeus, 1758 Common Great Curassow Crax rubra griscomi Nelson[], 1926 Cozumel Great Curassow Synonyms Crax chapmani (barred morph female) Crax globicera Crax hecki (barred morph female) Crax panamensis The Great Curassow, Crax rubra is a large - up to 92cm long... 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, primarily islands. ...

• the Cozumel Island Raccoon, which is endangered.
• the Dwarf Coati, which is endangered.
• the Cozumel Fox, which is nearly, if not already, extinct.

Endemic marine life: This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Binomial name Nasua nelsoni The Cozumel Island Coati (Nasua nelsoni) is a coati from the island of Cozumel. ... Binomial name Urocyon sp. ... In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ...

• the Splendid toadfish

Binomial name Sanopus splendidus Collette, Stark & Phillips 1974 The Splendid Toadfish (Sanopus splendidus), also known as the Coral Toadfish, is a species of toadfish entirely endemic to the island of Cozumel. ...

Photo Gallery

Barracuda at Paradise Reef. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (999x750, 412 KB) Barracuda hovering in the strong current at the Paradise Reef, Cozumel, 2003. ... For other uses, see Barracuda (disambiguation). ...	Windward shoreline at Coconuts Bar & Grill.	Swimmers at the beach. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 828 KB) Summary Beach on Cozumel. ...	Punta Sur lighthouse.
Sunrise over the windward shore.	Snorkelers swim with fish. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1132x756, 521 KB) A group of snorkelers observing undersea wildlife. ...	Tidal pool and reef.	Cruise ships docked at the port in San Miguel. A cruise ship or a cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ships amenities are considered an essential part of the experience. ... San Miguel San Miguel is the largest town on the island of Cozumel in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. ...

Panoramic view of a Cozumel sunrise.

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

san luis rio colorado ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Cozumel (category)

• 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
• Cozumel Mexico - latest news and information.
• Viva Cozumel - Maps & Multimedia for the virtual tourist.
• (English) Cozumel, Mexico vacation information, news and photos
• Water Sports in Cozumel - Tours, excursions, activities and attractions.