 Partial view of Ballesta Centro Island. | |
  Ballestas Islands | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 13°44′09″S76°23′47″W / 13.73583°S 76.39639°W |
| Major islands | Ballesta Norte, Ballesta Centro, Ballesta Sur |
| Administration | |
| Region | Ica |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
The Ballestas Islands [1] [2] [3] (Spanish: Islas Ballestas) [4] are a group of small islands near the town of Paracas within the Paracas District of the Pisco Province in the Ica Region, on the south coast of Peru.
Composed largely of rock formations and covering an estimated area of 0.12 km², these islands are an important sanctuary for marine fauna like the guanay guano bird, the blue-footed booby and the tendril. Other notable species include Humboldt penguins and two varieties of seals (fur seals and sea lions), amongst other mammals.
These islands are accessible from the resort town of Paracas (near Pisco) by tour boat which typically lasts 2 hours. During the visits it is not uncommon for the sea lions to approach the tourist boats and make spectacles for the visiting tourists. [5]
On the way to the islands, on the Paracas Peninsula, visitors will notice El Candelabro, a large-scale geoglyph that may have served as a beacon to mariners. The mystery as to the origins of this particular geoglyph is ongoing with much speculation. The visit to the Ballestas Islands is, from an ecotourism point of view, probably the best known along the Peruvian coast.
The Humboldt penguin is a medium-sized penguin. It resides in South America, its range mainly contains most of coastal Peru. Its nearest relatives are the African penguin, the Magellanic penguin and the Galápagos penguin. The Humboldt penguin and the cold water current it swims in both are named after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt. The species is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN with no population recovery plan in place. The current population is composed of 32,000 mature individuals and is going down. It is a migrant species.
Pisco is a city located in the Department of Ica of Peru, the capital of the Pisco Province. The city is around 9 metres above sea level. Pisco was founded in 1640, close to the indigenous emplacement of the same name. Pisco originally prospered because of its nearby vineyards and became noted for its grape brandy or pisco which was exported from its port. Pisco has an estimated population of 104,656.
Ica is a department and region of Peru. It borders the Pacific Ocean on the west; the Lima Region on the north; the Huancavelica and Ayacucho regions on the east; and the Arequipa Region on the south. Its capital is the city of Ica.
Sea Lion Island is the largest of the Sea Lion Island Group of the Falkland Islands. It is 9 km2 (3 sq mi) in area. and lies 14 km (9 mi) southeast of Lafonia. It was designated a Ramsar site on 24 September 2001, and as an Important Bird Area. In 2017 the island was designated as a National Nature Reserve.
New Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying north of Beaver Island. It is 238 km (148 mi) from Stanley and is 13 km (8.1 mi) long with an average width of 750 m (820 yd). The highest point is 226 metres (741 ft). The northern and eastern coasts have high cliffs but the eastern coasts are lower lying, with rocky shores and sandy bays. There are several smaller offshore islands in the group; North Island and Saddle Island have high cliffs but Ship Island and Cliff Knob Island are lower lying.
Lobos is a small island of the Canary Islands (Spain) located just 2 kilometres north of the island of Fuerteventura. It belongs to the municipality of La Oliva on the island of Fuerteventura. It has an area of 4.68 square kilometres (1.8 sq mi). It has been a nature reserve since 1982.
Barunguba / Montague Island is a continental island contained within the Montague Island Nature Reserve, a protected nature reserve that is located offshore from the South Coast region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The nearest town located onshore from the 81-hectare (200-acre) reserve and island is Narooma, situated approximately 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) to the northwest.
Seal Bay Conservation Park is a protected area located on the south coast of Kangaroo Island in the Australian state of South Australia. It is the home of the third largest Australian sea lion colony in Australia.
The Paracas Peninsula is a desert peninsula within the boundaries of the Paracas National Reserve, a marine reserve that extends south along the coast of Peru. The only marine reserve in the country, it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is to mark and preserve the archeological sites of the Paracas culture, in addition to the marine habitat.
Paracas National Reserve is a protected area located in the region of Ica, Peru and protects desert and marine ecosystems for their conservation and sustainable use. There are also archaeological remains of the Paracas culture inside the reserve.
Kidney Island so called due to its shape, is a small island with a land area of 33 hectares, to the east of East Falkland, not far from Stanley. It lies is at the east end of Berkeley Sound near Kidney Cove, and is separated from Port William by Menguera Point. It is a nature reserve and, unlike most of the main islands, is still covered in tussac grass. Its wildlife includes penguins and sea lions. It is one of only three places in the archipelago where king penguins breed; the others are Saunders Island and Volunteer Point on East Falkland.
Cape Maclear or Chembe is a town in the Mangochi District of Malawi's Southern Region. The town, on the Nankumba Peninsula, is on the southern shore of Lake Malawi and is the busiest resort on Lake Malawi. Cape Maclear is close to the islands of Domwe, Thumbwe and Mumbo Island on Lake Malawi, and is in Lake Malawi National Park.
Isla Blanca or Blanca Island is a volcanic island located at the mouth of Chimbote Bay, near Chimbote, Peru. Administratively it is in Chimbote District, Santa Province, Ancash Region. The island is approximately 3200 m long and 920 m wide. It rises to an altitude of 204 m. Its relief is very rough and rocky. The contours are very steep, especially on the west side of the island. The island is white in appearance due to the deposition of guano by seabirds.
Peru has some of the greatest biodiversity in the world. It belongs to the select group of mega diverse countries because of the presence of the Andes, Amazon rainforest, and the Pacific Ocean. It has the fourth-most tropical forests of any country and the ninth-most forest area. The country is ranked among the five countries with the greatest biodiversity in the world according to various studies.
Hotel Paracas, part of The Luxury Collection, is a five star luxury hotel and resort located near Pisco, Peru, 240 kilometres south of Lima. The hotel was established in 1944 by Emilio Guimoye and is a luxury resort surrounded by desert at Paracas Bay on the Pacific coast. It has 120 rooms, two pools, a lounge bar, three restaurants and a spa.
Ko Libong (เกาะลิบง) is one of 550 islands in the Andaman Sea. Lying off the coast of Thailand, it is a sub-district of Kantang District, Trang Procince, which includes Mu Ko Libong Archipelago and a small section of the shoreline near Kantang.
The Palomino Islands, also called Palominos Islets are a group of small islands off the coast of Callao, Peru. Home to a large population of sea lions and seabirds, it has become a popular tourist area.
Don Martin Island, also known as Don Martin Islet or San Martín Island, is an island belonging to Peru located in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of the department of Lima. It is located one kilometer southwest of Vegueta Point and has an area of approximately 16.50 hectares. The island is very important because it is a guano deposit and the habitat of numerous species of marine birds, which have found a feeding, breeding and resting area on Don Martín Island. For this reason, in 2009 the island was protected by law within the National Reserve System of Islands, Islets and Puntas Guaneras, a natural reserve that protects and preserves representative samples of the biological diversity of the marine-coastal ecosystems of Peru.
The Guano Islands, Islets, and Capes National Reserve System is a protected area of the Peruvian State that includes 22 islands, islets and groups of islands as well as 11 points along the Peruvian coast from Piura to Tacna. It has a discontinuous area of 140,833.47 hectares.
The Pachacámac Islands, also known as Cavillaca Islands or as Whale Islands, are a group of islands located in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Lurín District, in Lima Province, Peru. Its formed by two main islands and three islets.
Media related to Ballestas Islands at Wikimedia Commons
