Definition of Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands are famous for their beautiful and unique fauna as well as for their beautiful landscapes and the unspoilt nature of the territory, sparsely populated and visited by tourists in a limited way in order to protect and preserve its spectacular nature. The Galapagos Islands are located in the Ocean Pacific, almost a thousand kilometers from the coast of Ecuador, a country to which they belong politically. East archipelago of islands is made up of numerous large islands, other smaller islands and more than one hundred islets or rocks that rise above sea level. The origin of the Galapagos Islands is volcanic, which means that they are the product of solidified volcanic eruptions.

The Galapagos Islands are politics and legally part of the state of Ecuador, forming one more province of those that make up the territory (the province of Galapagos). The total area of ​​all these islands, including the islets and small rock formations, is 7,880 square kilometers and today they have less than twenty thousand inhabitants between them. The three most important islands in terms of size are Isabela Island, Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal, while on the other hand they are find hundreds of other smaller islands such as Pinta, Marchena, Genovesa, Santa Fe, Floreana, Española, Culpepper, Wenman and many others.

The Galapagos Islands are recognized worldwide for having endemic flora and fauna, which means that they can only be found on those islands and hence the importance of their preservation. In the fauna group, the giant tortoises (the largest in the world and which give the islands their name), various species of iguanas, seagulls, Galapagos penguins, herons and cormorants should be mentioned.

These islands became known worldwide due to the work of investigation made by Charles Darwin in them on the evolution of the species. Today they are considered Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, institution in which they were registered in 1978. Since 2007 the situation of danger for the islands and especially for some of its species.