Galápagos Islands

:For the novel Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut, see: Galápagos (book)

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The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of some 13 volcanic islands and associated islets and rocks located in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 kilometers west of the coast of South America. The Galápagos archipelago is politically part of Ecuador. The official name in Spanish is Archipiélago de Colón. The oldest of the islands are about 4 million years old and the youngest are still in the process of being formed. Indeed, the Galápagos islands are considered to be one of the most active volcanic areas in the world.

Related Topics:
Archipelago - Volcanic island - Islet - Pacific Ocean - South America - Ecuador

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They are famed for their vast number of endemic species and the studies conducted by Charles Darwin that led to his theory of natural selection.

Related Topics:
Endemic species - Charles Darwin - Natural selection

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The islands are distributed to the north and south of the equator. The equator crosses the northern part of the largest island, Isabela.

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