Los Katíos National Park


World Heritage Identification Number: 711

World Heritage since: 1994

Category: Natural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇨🇴 Colombia

Continent: Americas

UNESCO World Region: Latin America and the Caribbean

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Los Katíos National Park: A Biodiversity Haven in Northwest Colombia

Los Katíos National Park, officially known as Parque Nacional Natural Los Katíos, is a significant protected area located in the northwest region of Colombia. Established in 1980 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, this pristine wilderness spans approximately 72,000 hectares (178,000 acres), making it one of the largest national parks in the country. The park's geographical location places it within the Darién Gap, a dense forested area shared by Colombia and Panama, and it is adjacent to the Darién National Park in Panama.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Extending over 72,000 ha in north-western Colombia, Los Katios National Park comprises low hills, forests and humid plains. An exceptional biological diversity is found in the park, which is home to many threatened animal species, as well as many endemic plants.

Encyclopedia Record: Los Katíos National Park

Los Katíos National Natural Park is a protected area located in northwest Colombia which covers about 720 km2 (280 sq mi). The elevation ranges between 50 and 600 m. It is a part of the Darién Gap, a densely forested area shared by Panama and Colombia, and is contiguous with the Darién National Park in Panama. The Pan-American Highway, when completed as proposed, would pass near or through Los Katíos. The park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 due to the extraordinary diversity of plant and animal species represented.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 72,000 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (ix) — Outstanding example representing ecological and biological processes
(x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity

Coordinates: 7.803975 , -77.146271

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Image of Los Katíos National Park

© LaggedOnUser, CC BY-SA 2.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Country Information: Colombia

Flag of Colombia

Official Name: Republic of Colombia

Capital: Bogotá

Continent: Americas

Population (2024): 52,886,363

Population (2023): 52,321,152

Population (2022): 51,737,944

Land Area: 1,109,500 sq km

Currency: Colombian peso (COP)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Los Katíos National Park are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Los Katíos National Park, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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