The Galápagos Islands are a chain of islands, or archipelago, in the eastern Pacific Ocean. They are part of the country of Ecuador, in S America. The Galápagos lie nearly 966 kilometers (600 miles) off of the Ecuadorian coast.

In that location are thirteen major islands and a handful of smaller islands that make up the Galápagos archipelago. The largest of the islands is called Isabela. It is approximately 129 kilometers (80 miles) long. Repeated volcanic eruptions helped to form the rugged mountain landscape of the Galápagos Islands.

The Galápagos are all-time known for their diverse assortment of plant and animal species. Many species are endemic, which means they are not establish anywhere else in the world. These include the giant Galápagos tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra), the marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), the flightless cormorant (Phalacrocoraz harrisi), and the Galápagos penguin. The Galápagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is the simply penguin species to alive in the Northern Hemisphere.

Ecology conditions make the Galápagos a unique island ecosystem. The Galápagos Islands are located nigh the equator, withal they receive cool ocean currents. This makes for a strange mix of tropical and temperate climates. For most of their history, the islands accept been extremely isolated. This combination of factors created a laboratory for the evolution of an unusual mix of plant and animal species.

Scientists have studied this complex ecosystem for more than 180 years. British naturalist Charles Darwin may be the almost influential scientist to take visited the Galápagos Islands. Darwin showtime came to the Galápagos in 1835, on a ship chosen the HMS Beagle. His observations of wildlife on the island inspired his theory of development by natural pick.

Today, scientists study the archipelago's aquatic ecosystems besides. For example, marine ecologist Salome Ursula Burglass works to identify and describe the plant and animal species living on and around the underwater, deep-sea volcanoes, or seamounts, in the Galápagos.

Galápagos Islands

The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) is the simply iguana known to swim in the ocean

aquatic

Adjective

having to practise with water.

Noun

a grouping of closely scattered islands in a large body of h2o.

Substantive

(1809-1882) British naturalist.

Noun

border of state forth the sea or other big body of water.

Noun

steady, predictable flow of fluid within a larger body of that fluid.

diverse

Adjective

varied or having many different types.

ecologist

Substantive

scientist who studies the relationships between organisms and their environments.

ecologist

Substantive

scientist who studies the relationships between organisms and their environments.

Substantive

customs and interactions of living and nonliving things in an surface area.

endemic

Describing word

native to a specific geographic space.

development

Noun

change in heritable traits of a population over time.

isolated

Adjective

lonely or separated from others.

marine

Adjective

having to do with the bounding main.

marine

Adjective

having to practise with the body of water.

naturalist

Noun

person who studies the natural history or natural development of organisms and the environment.

Noun

process by which organisms that are ameliorate -adapted to their environments produce more offspring to transmit their genetic characteristics.

seamount

Noun

underwater mountain.

species

Noun

group of similar organisms that tin reproduce with each other.

temperate

Adjective

moderate.

tropical

Adjective

existing in the tropics, the latitudes betwixt the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the s.

Noun

an opening in the Earth'due south crust, through which lava, ash, and gases erupt, and likewise the cone built past eruptions.

  • Credits

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    Director

    Tyson Brown, National Geographic Gild

    Author

    National Geographic Society

    Production Managers

    Gina Borgia, National Geographic Society
    Jeanna Sullivan, National Geographic Guild

    Program Specialists

    Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Gild
    Margot Willis, National Geographic Society

    Terminal Updated

    Aug. 23, 2019

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