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Galapagos Archipelago
 The
Galapagos Archipelago is a cluster of some 13
volcanic islands
and associated islets and rocks located just under the equator, about 600
miles west of Ecuador in South America. The oldest of the islands are about
4 million years old and the youngest are still in the process of being
formed. Indeed, the Galapagos islands are considered to be one of the most
active volcanic areas in the world. The islands were discovered by chance in
1535 when father Tomas Berlanga, the bishop of Panama sailed to Peru to
settle a dispute between Francisco Pizarro and his lieutenants after the
conquest of the Incas.
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The bishop's ship stalled when the winds died and strong
currents carried him out to the Galapagos. In his account of the adventure,
he described the harsh, desert-like condition of the islands and their
trademark giant
tortoises. He wrote about the
marine iguanas, the
sea lions and the many types of birds. He also noted the remarkable tameness
of the animals that thrill and delight modern visitors.
Following the bishop, the islands were rarely visited and became the refuge
for pirates and privateers preying on Spanish galleons and coastal towns.
Subsequently they became the haunts of whalers and sealers.
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 The
biggest attractions to these visitors were the fur seals and the giant
tortoises. Tortoises could be kept alive in the hold of ships for up to a year
with no food or water so, needless to say, the tortoise populations were
decimated.
Each island has its own unique variety of tortoise and the depredations caused
the extinction of several and placed most of the others on the endangered list.
Today, the Pinta island tortoise is survived by a single male, named "Lonesome
George".
Charles Darwin was the
first to make a scientific study of the islands in 1835. He was a young student
just out of university and was the naturalist on a round-the-world scientific
and geographical voyage on board HMS Beagle (1831 - 1836).
The islands are jointly operated by the
Galapagos National Park Service
and the Charles Darwin Research Station. The Park Service provides rangers and
guides, and is responsible for overseeing the many tourists who visit each year.
The Darwin Station conducts scientific research and conservation programs. It is
currently breeding and releasing captive tortoises and iguanas.
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