Galápagos Islands

Galápagos Islands or Archipiélago de Colón, group of islands, Ecuador, in the Pacific Ocean, constituting a province of the country, about 1,050 km (650 mi) off the western coast of South America. The archipelago consists of 15 large and several hundred small islands lying on or near the equator, scattered over about 59,500 sq km (23,000 sq mi) of ocean. The principal islands are Isabela (English, Albemarle), San Cristóbal (Chatham), San Salvador (James), Santa María (Charles), and Santa Cruz (Indefatigable). The total land area is 7,844 sq km (3,029 sq mi).

The islands are volcanic in origin, with level shorelines and mountainous interiors culminating in high central craters, some of which rise to more than 1,520 m (5,000 ft). Several volcanoes are active. The islands are fringed with mangroves; farther inland, although still in coastal regions, where little rain falls, the vegetation consists chiefly of thorn trees, cactus, and mesquite. In the uplands, which are exposed to a heavy mist, the flora is more luxuriant. The climate and the temperature of the waters surrounding the islands are modified by the cold Humboldt Current from the Antarctic.

The Galápagos group is noted for its fauna, which includes numerous animals found only in the archipelago and different subspecies on separate islands. Unique to the archipelago are six species of giant tortoise (Spanish, galápago—thus the islands' name). Other reptiles on the islands include two species of large lizards in the iguana family: a burrowing land lizard and an unusual marine lizard that dives into the ocean for seaweed. The islands contain as many as 85 different species of bird, including flamingos, flightless cormorants, finches, and penguins. Sea lions are numerous, as are many different shore fish.

The islands have a total population of 27,976 (2008 estimate), mainly Ecuadorians. The administrative centre is Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristóbal. Vegetables, tropical fruits, and coffee are grown. Fishing for tuna, groupers, and spiny lobsters is important.

The islands were uninhabited at the time of their exploration by the Spanish in 1535. During the 17th and 18th centuries they were used as a rendezvous by pirates and buccaneers. British and US warships and whaling vessels landed frequently at the Galápagos in the 19th century. The islands were not settled until after they were annexed by Ecuador in 1832. In 1835 Charles Darwin, travelling on the HMS Beagle, spent six weeks studying the fauna of the Galápagos. His observations furnished considerable data for his publication The Origin of Species. A satellite tracking station has been on the Galápagos since 1967.

The Ecuadorian government established Galápagos National Park in 1959 to protect large parts of the islands from exploitation. In 1978 the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the islands a World Heritage Site, of such outstanding interest that they should be preserved for all humanity (the site was extended to include the surrounding marine reserve in 2001). In 2000 the Ecuadorian government enacted a law that prohibits further settlement on the islands and controls tourism and fishing in the area. The law also discourages the introduction of foreign plant and animal species into the Galápagos ecosystem. However, considerable damage to wildlife occurred when an oil tanker ran aground a few hundred metres off the coast of the Galápagos in January 2001. Numerous species, especially marine creatures and plants, were affected. A complete environmental disaster, on the scale of the Exxon Valdez in Alaska, was only averted by fortuitous winds and tides. Various concerned international organizations have since asked for limits, or a complete ban, on shipping around the islands. In 2007 the islands were placed on the World Heritage in Danger List, following a surge in tourism, an increase in inter-island traffic, and the resulting introduction of more invasive species.