The Galapagos Islands

. . . . . perhaps the one place in the world that requires almost no introduction. They hold a special fascination for people from around the world. Thankfully the importance of the natural world is becoming apparent to more and more people, and the Galapagos have a very special place in that appreciation.  It is impossible to over-emphasise the sense of excitement these islands generate. Their remoteness, and consequently unique wildlife, have an irresistible attraction for those of us who value the natural world.       

Charles Darwin's visit to the Galapagos in 1835 is one of the most famous few weeks in the history of science. Darwin said - "'The natural history of this archipelago is very remarkable: it seems to be a little world within itself.' . The rest, as they say, is history. But "the rest" completely changed our view of the world.  

Darwin's main interest was in the geology of the islands, which is still one of the most active volcanic regions on Earth. He also collected many wild flowers and plants, and his observations on the differences between the same species on different islands gave birth to his ideas on evolution. Darwin realised that because these very remote islands were so recently "new and sterile" (when they first emerged from the ocean), the many unique, but related, species of animals he encountered had to have evolved from just a few colonizing species.  

Visitors can see the same phenomenon, like the variations in the species of finch from island to island, the very observations that led Darwin to his landmark conclusions. Although Darwin would have observed some of the marine life, modern technology now enables you to see what Darwin couldn't.  

Darwin's Enchanted Islands, with their unspoilt beauty, are often said to look like "another world". Although small specks in the huge Pacific Ocean, these stark, volcanic islands are recognised as one of the most significant natural wonders on Earth. Due to their geographical isolation and relative youth, a unique and fascinating diversity of plant and animal life has evolved. Visiting the Galapagos is like a journey back in time, to the Age of Reptiles, before the ascendancy of mammals and man.  

The Galapagos Archipelago is seven major islands: San Cristobal, Espanola, Floreana, Santa Cruz, Santiago, Isabela and Fernandina, and six smaller ones: Darwin, Wolf, Pinta, Marchena, Genovesa and Baltra, plus dozens of islets.   The archipelago is 270 miles (430 km) from Darwin in the northwest to Espanola in the southeast. The nearest land is Ecuador, mainland South America, 600 miles (960 km) to the east. The islands are truly remote and only recently felt the footsteps of man. The islands are the tips of mighty volcanoes that, 1 to 3 million years ago, rose 10,000 feet (3,000m) from the ocean floor to cut the surface of the Pacific Ocean.  

Visitors are often surprised by the stark barren look of the islands. On closer inspection, life has expanded into every crevice, testifying to its tenacity and showing how these islands were first colonized. The higher elevations of some of the larger islands are covered with a green carpet of lush vegetation, though often punctuated by a raw steaming volcanic crater.  

Darwin may be the Galapagos' most famous visitor, but the islands were first discovered in 1535 when a Panamanian bishop's becalmed ship drifted there en route to Peru. The Galapagos were annexed by Ecuador in 1832, and given one of their many names; "Archipelago del Ecuador." They are also known as the Enchanted Islands (the "Encantadas" ). The official name is "Archipelago de Colon," named in honour of Christopher Columbus' (in Spanish Cristobal Colon).  

But everyone knows them as the Galapagos Islands, the Islands of the Tortoises, because of the huge land tortoises that inhabit the islands. The profusion and confusion of names continues to the individual islands. Many have two or even three names; Spanish, English and whatever. For example : Floreana Island is also called Charles (after King Charles II), but its official name is Santa Maria.  

Only four islands (Isabela, Floreana, Santa Cruz and San Cristobal) are occupied. The rest of the islands are as uninhabited today as they were in Darwin's time. The Galapagos Islands have been an Ecuadorian National Park since 1959 and in 1979 was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.