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Cozumel[kOzu´mel] Pronunciation Key, Mexican resort island, c.190 sq mi (490 sq km), in the Caribbean Sea off the E coast of the YucatAn Peninsula. It is famed for its beaches and coral reef (declared a national park in 1996). The island was inhabited by the Maya before the arrival of the conquistador HernAn Cortes in 1519. Long a favored destination for sports diving, the island was not extensively developed for tourism until the 1960s. It is now a popular cruise port.
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