COSTA RICA

COSTA RICA.

Visit of the President of the Republic to Cocos Island on June 24, 1978.
View of the island from the sea.
Airmail. First stamp in a set of 5, issued in minisheet on 30.04.1979.
Face value: 90 cents of Costa Rican colón.
Printed by Casa Gráfica, San José.
Printing: Offset lithography.
Size: 38 x 28 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1019.
- Scott No. C737.
- StampWorld No. 1024.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1121.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA727.

Cocos Island (Spanish: Isla del Coco) is an island in the Pacific Ocean administered by Costa Rica, approximately 550 km (342 mi; 297 nmi) southwest of the Costa Rican mainland. It constitutes a district of Puntarenas Canton of Puntarenas Province. With an area of approximately 23.85 km² (9.21 sq mi), the island is more or less rectangular in shape, measuring about 8 km × 3 km (5 mi × 2 mi) with a perimeter of around 23.3 km (14.5 mi). The landscape is mountainous and irregular; the highest point is Cerro Iglesias, at 575.5 m (1,888 ft). The entirety of Cocos Island has been designated a Costa Rican National Park since 1978, and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. In addition, it is included in the list of Wetlands of International Importance. It has no permanent inhabitants other than Costa Rican park rangers. Access by civilians is very limited; tourists are allowed ashore only with permission of island rangers, and are not permitted to camp, stay overnight or collect any flora, fauna or minerals from the island. Cocos Island was annexed by Costa Rica in 1832 by decree of the Constitutional Assembly of the newly independent country.