| Las Perlas archipelago | |
.jpg/210px-San_Miguel_(1).jpg) | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Panama |
|---|---|
| Area | 329,2 km² |
| Location | |
 8 ° 20 ′ 0 ″ N 79 ° 7 ′ 0 ″ W | |
THE'pearl archipelago (Las Perlas) is located on the Pacific coast of Panama and formed by more than 200 islands and islets, the largest of which is the Isla del Rey.
Understand
It owes its name to the exploitation in the XVIe, by the Spaniards of the numerous natural pearls, of small size, which the Amerindians fished in the oyster beds and which lined the seabed. The Spaniards discovered them thanks to the adornments worn by Indian women.
For a few years, before 1530, production reached a value of 800,000 piastres. These pearls were the best known in Europe. The British pirate John Oxenham lived there for some time in 1576, after crossing the Isthmus of Panama on foot and by canoe.
The archipelago has superb beaches and beautiful coral seabed. There are no more pearls, but the waters are rich in fish. Between July and September, you can see humpback whales there. The archipelago has two seasons, one dry which extends from December to April, the rest of the year is very rainy.
It is accessible from a domestic flight between Panama and the main island, Isla Contadora, in 20 minutes of flight. The population is concentrated in the southern islands of the archipelago. The other islands are very sparsely populated, the villages are confined to Pedro Gonzales and Isla del Rey and the rest of the islands remain wild.
