Galápagos Islands

The Galápagos lie in the eastern Pacific, roughly 1,000 kilometres off Ecuador's coast, and straddle the Equator. Ecuador administers the islands as a province. The archipelago is volcanic: continuing seismic and volcanic activity reflects the forces that formed it. The western islands are younger than those to the east, and the seabed around the archipelago is shaped by the meeting of major tectonic plates. This changing geological setting makes the islands an important natural record of oceanic island formation.

Isolation, varied island habitats and the interaction of several ocean currents have shaped the Galápagos' unusual biodiversity. Its terrestrial and marine environments are closely linked: seabirds, sea lions and marine iguanas depend on the surrounding ocean as well as island habitats. Characteristic wildlife includes giant tortoises, land and marine iguanas, flightless cormorants and numerous finches and mockingbirds. Many species and plant groups are endemic, meaning they occur naturally only in this region. The islands' relative youth and continuing geological change make them a valuable setting for studying how species and ecosystems develop.

Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1835 during the voyage of HMS Beagle. The distinctive forms of Galápagos wildlife became closely associated with his later work on evolution by natural selection. The archipelago's scientific importance, however, rests on more than one celebrated visit: research on its species, geological history and ecological relationships continues to inform evolutionary biology and conservation. The finches, tortoises and other organisms illustrate how related populations can differ across island environments.

The islands are not an uninhabited wilderness. Communities live on several of them, and conservation has to be balanced with local livelihoods and carefully managed tourism. Ecuador established Galápagos National Park in 1959; the islands were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978. A marine reserve was created in 1986 and later expanded. Conservation work addresses threats that include introduced species, illegal fishing and pressures associated with tourism and population growth. Research and management involve Ecuadorian authorities, scientists and local communities.