More than 233 islands, islets and rocks born of volcanoes make up the Galápagos Islands. Thanks to millions of years of evolution and (isolation), today the Galapagos islands have a variety of the most unique and virgin ecosystems in the world. This jewel of nature was visited often in the eighteenth century by countless pirates and whalers; their actions generated negative effects on the fragile ecosystems which are still being restored to this day. In 1959 the Ecuadorian State recognized the important ecological value of the Galapagos Islands and announced Executive Decree No. 17. The Decree established 97% of the land surface of the islands as a National Park.

The Galapagos Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean, with an area of 7,970 square kilometers. The equatorial line crosses the Wolf Volcano, its highest elevation, located north of Isabela Island. San Cristobal Island, the easternmost of the archipelago, is located at a distance of 928 kilometers from Cape San Lorenzo, in continental Ecuador. The largest island of the archipelago, with more than half of the total area is Isabela. Isabela and its neighbor, Fernandina, are the youngest and most dynamic islands, with 5 of the 6 active volcanoes that exist in the archipelago.

Galapagos is famous for the biodiversity of the flora and fauna, unique in the world, which inspired English naturalist Charles Darwin to develop his Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection of Species. For this reason, Galapagos is considered the capital of biodiversity and conservation, still containing 95% of the diversity of species between plants and animals originally registered in the (1800s?), thanks to the efforts executed by the Ecuadorian State and other organizations for their protection.

The Galapagos Islands are divided into two protected areas: The Galapagos National Park and The Marine Reserve.

 

Geography

Galápagos is a group of islands situated 1,000 kilometers from the Ecuadorian coast, with seven major islands: Isabela, Santa Cruz, Fernandina, Santiago, San Cristóbal, Floreana and Marchena. Also has, fourteen minor islands: Española, Pinta, Baltra,

Santa Fe, Pinzón, Genovesa, Rábida, Seymour Norte, Wolf, Tortuga, Bartolomé, Darwin, Daphne Mayor and Plaza Sur; and 64 islets and 136 rocks, too.

These land masses in the middle of the sea are the result of volcanic eruptions, formed by a phenomenon known as “Hot Spot” (“Punto Caliente”), which consists of a specific site of the earth’s crust where the magma constantly drills and forms volcanoes on the seabed. With each eruption the volcanoes grow slowly, until they emerge on the surface and form islands. The hot spot is located in the Nazca tectonic plate, and here a fascinating feature happens: it moves towards the east, so that the islands’ volcanoes move away from their source of magma and at some point lose their activity.  At that point they stop growing and yield to the continuous attrition of the water. For this reason, the islands positioned to the east, such as San Cristóbal and Española, are the oldest and most eroded. 

There are some islands that are underwater again and form what is known as the Submerged Range of Carnegie, further east. 

The youngest islands are in the west, and they have active volcanoes: Isabela, with 1 million years and Fernandina, with just 600 thousand years old.

Cultural Aspects

The human presence in Galapagos is recent, although there is some evidence of pre-Columbian visits. The first permanent settlements began in the 19th century with several failed tries, some quite tragic, and with a number of extravagant characters.

Initially, the Galapagos colonists turned to an agrarian production of the highlands. Then came fishing, and finally the boom in tourism, which is now the main economy livelihood of the island.  

Important chronological events in the Galapagos Islands:

  • First contacts. The discovery of ceramic remains in the islands would indicate the arrival of pre-Columbian navigators. However, more research is needed to determine the origin and context.
  • 16th-19th Centuries. During this time the islands were used as a strategic base by pirates and whalers who conducted an excessive hunting of turtles, whales and sea lions.
  • 1832. Official incorporation of the Galapagos Islands into the Republic of Ecuador, during the presidency of Juan José Flores.
  • 1835. Charles Darwin, on board “The Beagle” visits Galapagos.
  • 1942 – 1947. During World War II, US military bases were established.
  • 1959. Creation of Galapagos National Park.
  • 1970. Tourism starts in Galapagos.

Biodiversity

One characteristic that makes the flora and fauna of the archipelago unique is the existence of species that are not found anywhere else in the world, and whose ancestors arrived millions of years ago from the continent. The process of adaptation and change suffered by these species is what captivated the English naturalist Charles Darwin and continues to amaze thousands of scientists and tourists who visit each year.


The arrival of organisms to the islands has been a slow but constant process. You can find species of recent migration (a few thousand years) that still do not differ from their continental equals, such as palo santo, muyuyo and the short-eared owl. However there are also those whose presence is older and have that over the years differentiated so much from their ancestors that they are now different species, as is the case of iguanas, turtles, finches and cactus.

The first characteristic that distinguishes the biodiversity of the islands is its domination by groups that derived some advantage from arriving, such as birds, plants (whose seeds are dispersed by the wind) and reptiles (thanks to their ability to resist long periods without food or fresh water). For others, such as terrestrial mammals, the ocean was a difficult obstacle to overcome. That’s why only a few arrived, possibly dragged in wood trunks.

In Galápagos there are only eight species of mice – four extinct and all endemic – and two species of bats. The islands, because they are far from the continent and because of their predominantly dry climate, do not present impressive figures of biodiversity, but of endemism. There are many species that are not found anywhere else: 32% of plant species, 27% of mammals, 25% of land birds and 86% of reptiles. Some of the most famous are:

Reptiles: Giant tortoises with 14 originals and 4 extinct species; land iguanas with 3 species and marine iguana with 1 species; lava lizards with 7 species, and snakes with 4 species.

Birds: Tortola of Galápagos, flycatcher, glued foot or petrel of Galápagos, cucubes with 3 species, and of course, 13 species of Darwin´s finches.

Plants: The three groups of Galapagos cactus are: lava cacti, candelabra cacti and several opuntias species. In addition, there are other plant species of their own, such as milky plants with 14 species and Darwin’s daisy.