COIBA ISLAND

also spelled Quibo Island, Spanish Isla De Coiba or Quibo, Central American island in the Pacific Ocean, administered by Veraguas province, Panama. Lying 15 mi (24 km) offshore and separated from the mainland by the Gulf of Montijo on the east and the Gulf of Chiriqu on the northwest, the island measures about 20 mi from north to south and 10 mi from east to west. It has an area of 191 sq mi (494 sq km) and rises to a maximum elevation of 1,400 ft (425 m). Coiba is the site of a penitentiary and an observatory. Pop. (1980) 809.