| Mona and Monito Islands | |
|---|---|
| Reserva Natural Islas de Mona y Monito | |
 Higo chumbo (Harrisia portoricensis) in Mona Island. | |
  | |
| Location | Puerto Rico |
| Nearest city | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico |
| Coordinates | 18°5′12″N 67°53′22″W / 18.08667°N 67.88944°W |
| Area | 40,045 cuerdas (38,893 acres) |
| Established | 1986 |
| Governing body | Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) |
| Designated | 1975 |
Mona and Monito Islands Nature Reserve (Spanish: Reserva Natural Islas Mona y Monito) consists of two islands, Mona and Monito, in the Mona Passage off western Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. Mona and Monito Islands Nature Reserve encompasses both land and marine area, and with an area of 38,893 acres[1] it is the largest protected natural area in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (El Yunque National Forest, with 28,434 acres,[2] is the largest in the main island of Puerto Rico). Much like the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean, the Mona and Monito Islands reserve represents a living laboratory for archaeological, biological, geological, oceanographical and wildlife management research.[3][4][5]
- ^ "Reserva Natural Islas de Mona y Monito". DRNA. July 9, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. "El Yunque National Forest".
- ^ "Isla de Mona – Aquí Está Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ "Isla de Mona to become the Galapagos of the Caribbean". Ciencia Puerto Rico. November 10, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Estado Libre Associado de Puerto Rico, Officina del Gobernador, Junta de Calidad Ambiental (1973). Las Islas de Mona y Monito: una evaluación de sus recursos naturales e históricos (in English and Spanish). San Juan: IUCN.