The Galapagos Islands, officially known as El Archipielago de Colon, is an archipelago of volcanic islands located in Ecuador, about 950 km off the coast. Their most remarkable feature is their biodiversity, within the islands one can see the famous Galapagos Tortoise, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, the land iguanas, lava lizards, frigate birds, sea lions, amongst other species. Furthermore, the islands are also known because Charles Darwin studied them during his voyage on the Beagle. The endemic species residing in these islands contributed to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by natural selection. There are amazing islands, lots of things to do from just lying in the beach to canoeing and exploring the islands. Other features are their volcanoes.
It’s really neat to learn more about the Galapagos as we are studying about islands and how the size of the islands and their distance from other populations are the main factors that determine species composition on the island. Specifically, it is interesting how much we (humans) have been able to learn regarding species, evolution and other areas of science simply through the study of these islands.
I almost got to visit the Galapagos when I was studying abroad in Ecuador. It fell through at the last minute, but I hope to visit sometime in the future. A lot of people are talking about how the species on the island are being impacted by the growing human population. Hopefully this impact is not enough to do serious harm…