• Fantastic view of the city across the water, lots of bars and restaurants.
  • Breakwater for the Panama Canal entrance, using rocks excavated from the Culebra Cut
  • During WWII the islands were the US military Fort Grant and Fort Amador
  • At one time there were a series of 26-inch gun placements and machine guns on Perico Island
  • After the war the aviation threat grew so the US military added anti-aircraft missile systems to Flamenco Island
  • 1999 – islands and Panama Canal turned over to the Republic of Panama as part of the Torrijos-Carter Treaty
  • There are four islands:
    • Naos Island – STRI (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)
    • Culebra Island – Punta Culebra park
    • Perico Island – condos and restaurants
    • Flamenco Island – marina, restaurants and shopping

In WWII the Japanese built two I-401 submarines that were underwater aircraft carriers able to launch up to three short-range bombers. These were the largest submarines of that era. It has been said that if they had launched these submarines just six months earlier they could possibly have damaged the Panama Canal and turned the tide of the war in the Pacific.