It was declared a national park on August 23 2002, with the collaboration of Brazil's government and the WWF.
It has an area of 38.874 km˛. It is an uninhabited region and is of high ecological value: Most of its animal species, mainly fish and aquatic birds, are not found in any other place in the world. It is a habitat for jaguars, primates, aquatic turtles, eagles and the rare agutí.
See also: National parks (Brazil), Geography of Brazil.