The Panamanian peninsula containing Punta Mariato is the Azuero Peninsula.
The Azuero Peninsula projects southwest into the Pacific Ocean from Panama. Punta Mariato, at its southwestern tip, is recognized as the southernmost point on the mainland of North America. The cape lies in Veraguas Province and is about 15 kilometers south of Arenas, on the remote Pacific-facing edge of the peninsula.
Punta Mariato is within Cerro Hoya National Park, a large protected area covering rainforest, mangroves and coastal ecosystems. The cape itself is uninhabited, and its isolation helps preserve habitats that are less developed than Panama’s central Pacific coast. Cerro Hoya is also important for the protection of the peninsula’s remaining forest and wildlife.
The Azuero Peninsula is sometimes confused with the Nicoya Peninsula, which lies across the border in Costa Rica, or with Panama’s smaller-looking coastal projections. Paraguaná Peninsula is not Panamanian: it is in Venezuela. Punta Mariato is therefore a useful geographic clue because it identifies both the Azuero Peninsula and Panama’s extreme mainland position.