Galapagos
The Galápagos Islands form an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean located 972 km off the coast of Ecuador. It comprises 13 large islands with an area greater than 10 km², 6 medium-sized islands with an area from 1 km² to 10 km², and another 215 small islets and rocky promontories of a few square meters distributed around the equator.
The islands were declared a World Heritage Site in 1978. The archipelago's main source of income is tourism, receiving 200,000 tourists a year. Additionally, eco-tourism has been developed to preserve the species. Galápagos is known for its numerous endemic species and for Charles Darwin's studies that led him to establish his theory of evolution by natural selection. They are called The Enchanted Islands, a name the archipelago earned in the 16th century due to its grand biodiversity of flora and fauna, passing the name down through generations.
The region was the habitat of Lonesome George, the last specimen of the Pinta Island tortoise race, which became extinct on June 24, 2012. The islands are also home to species such as sea turtles, iguanas, lizards, cormorants, albatrosses, sea lions, and penguins.
It is estimated that the formation of the first island took place over 5 million years ago as a result of tectonic activity. The most recent islands, called Isabela and Fernandina, are still in the process of formation (the most recent volcanic eruption was recorded in 2009). Like the mainland of Ecuador, the archipelago is also crossed by the equator, mostly in the north of Isabela Island.
Galápagos is the second most volcanically active archipelago on the planet, surpassed by Hawaii, falling into the category of hot spots. The most active volcanoes are Cerro Azul, Sierra Negra, Marchena, and La Cumbre volcano on Fernandina Island, which is the most active in the archipelago and one of the most active in the world.
Administratively, Galápagos has been a province of Ecuador since 1973, comprised of three cantons, which in turn are islands: San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, and Isabela. On February 12, 1832, under the presidency of Juan José Flores, the Galápagos Islands were annexed to Ecuador.
