GENERAL INFORMATION

• Area: 136.049 acres (55.059 ha)
• Date of Creation: July 26, 1979
• Altitude: 0 — 2.788 ft (0 — 850 m)

The area of Machalilla National Park covers not only the beaches of Machalilla, but also the islands of La Plata and Salango, the area of ocean between them and land, and the more humid forest that rises up to the mountain range. In this area many native cultures prospered, like the Manteña culture which had a city complex with more than 600 buildings and an intricate political, social and religious system when the Spanish arrived in the sixteenth century.