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By Diego Delso – Wikimedia

Top 10 Facts about the Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands attracts millions of tourists annually. The islands are home to unique wildlife and magnificent landscapes.

These Islands are also popular partly because of Charles Darwin who was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution.

Now a UNESCO Heritage site, the Galapagos Islands have more than 400 species of fish, some of the most unique birds on the planet.

A visit to these islands is so surreal that it feels like a nature documentary series. Its natural beauty has not been destroyed since they are a protected area.

Read our top 10 interesting facts about the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.

1. The entire island is a National Park

By Eric Gaba – Wikimedia

Besides being a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, the entire archipelago that makes Galapagos Islands is a National Park.

This includes the islands that are occupied by the people too. When visiting the Park, one must be accompanied by a park-certified guide.

The Islands is home to about 28,000 inhabitants. Most of them live on San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Isabela, and Floreana islands.

This park has greatly contributed to scientific research. It became a park following a presidential decree. Important studies have been carried here and have guided the conservation and protection efforts of the region.

2. Galapagos is home to the largest tortoise on earth

The Islands are home to the only remaining Giant Pinta tortoise. It has a name, Lonesome George. Lonesome is over 90 years old. All attempts to reproduce other Pinta tortoises had been futile.

The average tortoise to have lived on the Islands was aged about a century. They have the longest lifespan of land-living animals.  

These Islands were named after the tortoise, Galapagos means tortoise in Spanish. They have lived longer on these islands longer than the humans that occupy them.

Scientists believe the tortoise arrived on the Islands more than 3 million years ago.

3. There are more than 19 islands in total

by Storpilot – Wikimedia

The Galapagos is an archipelago of more than 20 islands in the Pacific Ocean. These islands are found at the junction of three tectonic plates. About 13 of the islands are active volcanoes.

Each of the Islands has a unique factor about it. There are unique landscapes, wildlife and activities. People live on five of the islands such as San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Isabela, Floreana and Baltra.

Due to the constant volcanic activities on the Islands, they keep changing; some sink while new ones emerge.  

Other than the main islands, there are more than 42 islets and 250 rocks. The oldest island is Espanola which is about 3.5 million years old. Fernandina is the youngest and is still forming one million years later.

4. The islands are active volcano

The Galápagos Islands are among the most volcanic active areas in the world. These Islands are found in the western Pacific and have experienced several volcanic eruptions over the years.

These islands were created over several volcanic activities where magma broke through the seafloor forming layers of rocks.

In 2018 alone, the islands had 13 active volcanoes. These happened in Fernandina and Sierra Negra islands. The animals on the Islands were not endangered.  

One may even experience a volcanic eruption during their visit since it is very common.  

The last reported tectonic shift of the Cocos and Nazca was in 2009.

5. It is home to unique animals

By P.Kurmelis – Wikimedia

The Galapagos Islands are home to the Galapagos Penguin. These are the only of its kind in the Northern Hemisphere. There is also the Galapagos Marine Iguana.

You will also find the only non-flying cormorants in the world. This is because of evolution resulting in them being bigger.

The carnivorous 30 cm long centipede are found on this island too. Marine life includes; snails, octopus, cuttlefish, oysters, squid, and a remarkable variety of fish species.

One can see these by snorkelling in the Galapagos National Park.

6. The first European on the island was Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was the first to explore these Islands in the 1800s. He lived on the island for a short time but did great research here. His findings inspired the paper on The Origin of the Species and the theory of evolution.

Visitors get to learn about how the theory of natural selection was first conceived. There is a monument that pays homage to Charles Darwin.

Darwin observed that the birds on the islands had varying beaks depending on local conditions and food sources on the islands.

7. The temperature at the island is constant throughout the year

The climate in the Galapagos Islands is reliant on ocean currents. Little rainfall is experienced on the Islands there is therefore low humidity.

While the archipelago is located in the tropics, the climate across the islands is very dry. This could be attributed to it being close to the equator.

It is one of the few places on earth that enjoy equal hours of day and night.

8. The Galapagos Islands is home to the blue-legged boobies

By Marc Figueras – Wikimedia

Boobies are a type of seabird that is part of the Sulidae family of birds. Three kinds of these birds are found in the Galapagos.

These are blue-footed, red-footed, and Nazca boobies. They are all characteristically different in behaviour and appearance. The one characteristic they share is plunging into the ocean to get food.

Red-footed boobies are the smallest of the trio, the blue-footed boobies flaunt their strikingly-hued feet to attract mates while the Nazca booby has brilliant white plumage and black-tipped feathers.

Their typical diets are responsible for the pigmentation in their feet.

9. The Iguanas on this island are the only species that swim

By David Adam Kess – Wkimedia

The marine iguanas found on the island are the only known lizards on earth that can swim.

Scientists believe that these iguanas from South America drifted out to sea millions of years ago. They landed in Galapagos and changed from being land reptiles to sea reptiles.

They would dive into the sea to eat algae and seaweed. This has become the only diet they feed on.

10. The island’s tide is unpredictable

The islands of the Galapagos are host to a merging current. Approximately four currents intersect in the archipelagic region. The Equatorial, Humboldt, Cromwell, and Panama currents converge in this region.

It is always difficult to predict the waves. The water temperatures differ too, as well as water visibility, and marine life.