GALAPAGOS ISLANDS : Birthplace of Evolution Theory By Sir Charles Darwin.

Galapagos Islands

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

Sitting right atop the Equator, approximately 600 miles directly west of Ecuador the Galapagos Islands had no original inhabitants. They were discovered in 1535 by Tomas de Berlanga, the Spanish Bishop of Panama,when his ship drifted by the islands.

Landscape Picture of  Galapagos-Islands

The Galapagos Islands first appeared on maps in the late 16th century, and were named "Insulae de los Galapegos" (Islands of the Tortoises) in reference to the giant tortoises found there.

The first navigation chart of the Galapagos islands was done by the buccaneer Ambrose Cowley in 1684, and he reportedly named the individual islands after some of his fellow pirates, as well as European nobility.

Until the early 19th century the islands were used as a hideout by pirates who pilfered Spanish galleons carrying gold and silver from South America, back to Spain.

In 1793, James Colnett, an officer of the British Royal Navy, and explorer, suggested the islands could be used as base for the whalers operating in the Pacific Ocean as they offered fresh water, and an almost endless supply of meat.

Consequently, thousands of the Galapagos tortoises were captured and kept on board whale ships as a means of providing of fresh protein. That hunting orgy almost brought the indigenous tortoise close to extinction.

Over the next few decades, whale ships continued to exploit the new whaling ground and the Galapagos Islands became a frequent stop for the whalers.

Ecuador annexed the Galapagos Islands in 1831, and named them the Archipelago of Ecuador. A year later a group of convicts were shipped in to populate the island of Floreana; Spanish name Isla Santa Maria.

The islands became famous around the world after the survey ship HMS Beagle, arrived in the Galapagos on September 15, 1835. On board was a young naturalist named Charles Darwin.
Darwin's subsequent studies of local wildlife noted that almost all of the animals and plants here were endemic to the islands, which of course contributed to his famous theory of natural selection, and put these special islands on the map for the rest of the world to experience.

In 1920's and 1930's, a group of Norwegian settlers arrived in the islands. Ecuador provided them with free land, and no taxation for the first ten years. When word of this deal spread to America and Europe, additional settlers arrived.

Origin:
The Galapagos Islands were formed by accumulating lava oozing upward from beneath the ocean floor. This geological process reached sea level nearly 4 million years ago.

The islands became Ecuador's first national park in 1959, and these now aggressively-protected islands and the surrounding marine reserve were both declared World Heritage sites.

Travel to these islands is strictly controlled by Ecuador and a visit to the home of the giant tortoise, marine iguanas, and Darwin's finches must (should) be done through a professional tour operator, of which there are many operating through Quito and Quayaquil.

WILDLIFE of Galapagos Island:

Galapagos-Giant-Tortoise

There are thirteen species of Darwin's finches endemic to the islands. As noted by the great naturalist, these birds are famous for their beaks.

Picture of Various Finch species in Galapagos Islands

Marine iguanas are only found in the Galapagos region. These are the only marine-going retiles found anywhere in the world.

Marine iguanas of Galapagos Island

Iguanas of Galapagos Island

The Galapagos penguin is the only tropical penguin in the world.

The Galapagos penguin is the only tropical penguin in the world.

The endemic Flightless Cormorant is the largest of the world's 29 cormorant species, and the only one to have lost its power of flight.

Flightless Cormorant of Galapagos Island

Flightless Cormorant of Galapagos Island

Most experts consider the Waved Albatross to be endemic to the Galapagos Islands. They are only found at Punta Suarez on Espanola Island between April and December.

Waved Albatross of Galapagos Islands

Charles Darwin and Galapagos Island:

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands in September 1835, first landing on San Cristobal. He spent a total of 5 weeks in Galapagos.. His observations about life on the islands eventually led to his famed theory of evolution. His On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was published in 1859.

Finches which are perfectly Preserved by Sir Charles Darwin.

Darwin's subsequent studies of local wildlife noted that almost all of the animals and plants here were endemic to the islands, which of course contributed to his famous theory of natural selection, and put these special islands on the map for the rest of the world to experience.