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The pristine Galápagos Islands are an ecological wonderland set in the Pacific Ocean off the western coast of South America. Home to some of the world's most fascinating creatures, the Galápagos is teeming with giant tortoises, penguins, sea lions, lizards, and a host of diverse bird species. Charles Darwin found the inspiration for his research here. With turquoise blue ocean views, lava-rock landscapes, and an immeasurable diversity of flora and fauna, it stands to reason that the Galápagos Islands will inspire every visitor who roams their shores.
The islands that make up the Galápagos archipelago are located in the eastern Pacific Ocean, roughly 600 miles off the west coast of Ecuador, the country to which they belong. Straddling the Equator, the islands of Galápagos are located both in the northern and southern hemisphere. Española, the southernmost island and Culpepper, the northernmost, are 137 miles apart.
The largest of the islands, Isabela, measures 1,790 square miles and accounts for more than half of the total land mass of the Galápagos. Volcán Wolf on Isabela is the highest point with an elevation of 5,600 feet above sea level. The archipelago is made up of 15 main islands, three smaller islands, and 107 rocks and islets. The islands are located at the Galápagos Triple Junction, where the Cocos, Nazca, and Pacific tectonic plates meet.
The oldest island, Española, is thought to have formed between 5 million and 10 million years ago. The youngest islands, Isabela and Fernandina, are still being formed. The Galápagos Islands and their surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, a biological marine reserve, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Galápagos Islands were discovered by accident when Spanish Fray Tomás de Berlanga, the fourth Bishop of Panama, was on his way to Peru. The winds died out and his vessel drifted off course, leading him to land on the islands on March 10, 1535. Although Berlanga was amazed at the islands' untouched natural beauty, later archaeological discoveries suggest visitation by South American peoples prior to the arrival of the Spanish.
The islands first appeared on maps in about 1570 and were dubbed the "Islands of the Tortoises." The first English captain to visit the Galápagos Islands was Richard Hawkins, in 1593. Until the early nineteenth century, the archipelago was often used as a hideout by English pirates who intercepted ships carrying precious cargo from South America to Spain. The first crude navigation chart of the Galápagos was done by the buccaneer Ambrose Cowley in 1684. He named the individual islands after some of his fellow pirates or after English noblemen who had helped his cause. More recently, the Ecuadorian government gave most of the islands Spanish names. The original English names were used in Darwin's writings and by many ecologists to this day.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, whalers and maritime fur traders killed and captured thousands of the Galápagos tortoises to extract their fat. The tortoises could also be kept on board ships to provide fresh protein on long voyages as these animals could survive for several months without any food or water. The hunting of the tortoises was responsible for greatly diminishing, and in some cases eliminating, certain species.
Ecuador annexed the Galápagos Islands in 1832 and the first governor of the archipelago brought a group of convicts to populate the island of Floreana. In September 1835, the survey ship HMS Beagle under Captain Robert FitzRoy reached the Galápagos. The ship's team, including young naturalist Charles Darwin, made a scientific study of geology and biology on the islands for about a month before they continued their round-the-world expedition. Darwin noticed that mockingbirds differed between islands, but assumed they were unrelated to each other and did not bother labeling them by island. When the specimens were analyzed on his return to England it was found that many apparently different kinds of birds were really finches with different adaptations. These facts were crucial in Darwin's development of his theory of natural selection explaining evolution, which was presented in The Origin of Species.
During World War II, Ecuador authorized the United States to establish a naval and air force base on Baltra island and radar stations in other strategic locations. Crews stationed at Baltra patrolled the Pacific for enemy submarines and provided protection for the Panama Canal. After the war, the facilities were given to the government of Ecuador. The Galápagos became a national park in 1959, offering international visitors a glimpse at the island's colorful collection of wildlife.
The Galápagos Islands are the ultimate destination for those who live by the credo, "Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures." The matchless array of plant and animal life make this untouched archipelago a nature-lover's dream. The perfect combination of exploration and relaxation, a journey to the Galápagos strikes an ideal balance for travelers in the midst of hectic lives who are looking to get away.
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