Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park

Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park is a Spanish national park located in the Vigo district, in the province of Galicia, on Spain's northwestern coast. It comprises four island groups guarding the mouths of Galicia's rías: the Cíes archipelago, and the islands of Ons, Sálvora and Cortegada. The park was established in 2002, when the area's earlier status as a nature park was upgraded to that of a national park, marking it out as one of the flagship protected natural areas of Atlantic Galicia.

Where is the park located?

The park stretches along the coast of the province of Galicia, within the administrative area of Vigo. Its geographic coordinates are approximately 42.38° N, 8.93° W, placing it right at the mouths of Galicia's largest rías — the long, deep inlets that cut into the coastline and define this part of Spain. The islands that make up the park act as a natural barrier separating these rías from the open Atlantic Ocean.

Which islands belong to the park?

Four island groups make up the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park:

• The Cíes archipelago — widely regarded as the park's most recognizable feature.
• Ons Island — another protected island area within the park.
• Sálvora Island — an island lying within the national park's boundaries.
• Cortegada Island — the smallest of the protected island groups.

All four island groups fall under the same unified nature-protection regime that governs the national park as a whole.

When was the park created, and what was its earlier status?

For many years, the area now covered by the national park existed as a nature park — a protective designation with a somewhat lower level of legal safeguarding than a national park. It was only in 2002 that the area was formally converted into a national park, placing it under Spain's highest, nationally administered category of nature protection. A change of this kind typically brings stricter rules on visitor access, land use and human interference with local ecosystems, alongside inclusion in the country's national network of national parks.

Why was this area given protected status?

The very fact that a nature park was upgraded to national-park status signals the outstanding natural significance of this region within Spain. Sitting at the junction between the islands and the open ocean, right at the entrance to the Galician rías, the area forms a natural link between marine and terrestrial ecosystems that is characteristic of the Galician coastline.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park located? In Spain, in the province of Galicia, within the Vigo district, at approximately 42.38° N, 8.93° W.

How many islands or archipelagos make up the park? Four: the Cíes archipelago, and the islands of Ons, Sálvora and Cortegada.

Since when has the area held national park status? Since 2002, when the former nature park was converted into a national park.

Is a national park the same protective category as the earlier nature park? No — a national park is a higher, nationally administered category of nature protection than a nature park, and it was this upgrade that took place in 2002.