[1] It is separated from the Caribbean Sea by the Valiente Peninsula to the east and from Almirante Bay by islands in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago to the northwest, including Cayo Agua and Isla Popa.

[2] The widest and deepest entrance into the bay is the Canal del Tigre in the northeast, which is the main access channel for ships entering the lagoon.

[3] These are protected as part of the Ramsar site of Damani-Guariviara, which covers 240.89 square kilometres (93.01 sq mi) of land between the lagoon and the Caribbean coast.

[2] Native Americans guided Christopher Columbus into the lagoon in 1502 during his search for a connection to the Pacific Ocean.

[7] The lagoon is administratively divided between Bocas del Toro Province in the west and Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca in the east.