Galapagos

Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of 13 volcanic islands and rocks situated in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 kilometers north-west coast of South America.Politically, the Galapagos are part of Ecuador. The oldest island about 4 million years old and the youngest is still in process of formation. Galapagos is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Galapagos is famous for a large number of endemic species and conducted research that led Charles Darwin discovered the theory of natural selection.

Galapagos designated as a nature reserve in 1959, protecting 97.5% of this archipelago. The remaining given to the human settlements that already existed at that time. In 1986 the sea around it is expressed as a marine reserve.  UNESCO devoted Galapagos as World Heritage Site in 1978 which later extended in December 2001 to include the marine reserve. Charles Darwin Foundation is dedicated to the maintenance of the islands was founded in Belgium in 1959.

Much like the revolutionary scientific idea it’s become synonymous with, the Galápagos Islands may inspire you to think differently about the world. Nowhere else can you engage in a staring contest with wild animals and lose. You can’t help thinking you’ve stumbled upon an alternate universe, some strange utopian colony organized by sea lions – the golden retrievers of the Galápagos – and arranged on principles of mutual cooperation. Don’t come expecting to see bizarre wildlife – there are no half-penguin, half-turtle ‘penurtles, ’ no large mammals with shark fins .You would have encountered the species in the Galapagos, among others

Land iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus); Marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) ,the only type of iguana that ate food from the sea) ; Galapgos giant tortoise (Geochelone elephantopus), known as Galápago in Spanish, is the animal from which the name of these islands ; 13 endemic bird species of finches; Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) ; Sea birds are not flying (Nannopterum harrisi)