The group of islands consists of 18 main islands, 3 small islands, and 107 rocks and islets. The Galápagos Islands were the source of Darwin’s theory of evolution and remain a priceless living laboratory for scientists today. The main language on the islands is Spanish. This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Interesting Galapagos Islands facts – about 97 percent of the entire area of the islands is a national park. We pride ourselves in the wildlife and unique characteristics that you can only find in the Galapagos. 25 Unusual Facts of the Galapagos Wildlife 19 March 2015. 19 Galapagos Islands Animals You Need to See. The Galapagos archipelago, with a population of around 30,000, is a province of Ecuador, a country in northwestern South America, and the islands are all part of Ecuadors national park system. Galapagos Islands, island group of the eastern Pacific Ocean, administratively a province of Ecuador. Six hundred miles off the coast of Ecuador lie the volcanic islands of the Galápagos, famous for a wealth of unique plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. The Galapagos Islands are home to the world's largest cormorant and the only one unable to fly. Click for more kids facts and information or download the worksheet collection. The Galapagos National Park – Galapagos Islands Facts. The abundance of friendly and plentiful wildlife makes the Galapagos Islands a perfect destination for animal lovers. Galapagos is a harsh, remote land, and the species that arrived there did not survive by diversifying, but rather by evolving specific traits to suit a certain niche in the environment. Coat of arms: Divided in four, with representative images of the islands, such as volcanic cones, the blue sea, a sail boat, and of course the iconic Galapagos tortoise. 30 Amazing Galapagos Islands Animals includinding the Blue Footed Booby, Galapagos Tortoise Galapagos Shark, Galapagos Penguin, Galapagos Sea Lion, & more. One of the greatest aspects of a trip to the "Enchanted Isles," from a visitor’s point of view, is the fact that the animals living in the Galapagos are extremely tolerant of our presence; in fact, they have no natural fear of humans and allow us to approach them at close range. Over time these animals … Charles Darwin visited Galapagos in 1835, he wrote about the abundance of the land iguanas. The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands located 563 miles (906 km) directly west of Ecuador. Adaptation, evolution, endemism and fearlessness are probably the concepts that best describe the only animals that complement the natural magic of the Galapagos Islands. The natural value of the Galapagos Islands does not lie in diversity: in fact, it's just the opposite. The Galapagos Islands became famous after Charles Darwin landed there to study the animals of these islands and postulate the theory of evolution. You can see so many of them right outside your hotel room or in town – which is one of the things that makes the Galapagos so special: the almost seamless blending of everyday life and wild animals. The islands became internationally famous as a result of their being visited in 1835 by Charles Darwin; their unusual fauna contributed to his groundbreaking theories on natural selection. Galapagos consists of 13 main islands, 6 smaller islands and 107 rocks and islets (a small island). Our flightless birds, swimming iguanas and dancing boobies make us one of the first stops for all types of travelers who want to experience rare nature up close. Because of a large number of endemic animals, specific climatic conditions on different islands and isolation from the outside world, he could systematically study the impact of specific factors on the morphology […] Official name: “Archipiélago de Colón,” mostly known as the Spanish name ‘Islas Galápagos’, but also known as the Enchanted Islands. However, when whalers and settlers started visiting Galapagos in the early 1800’s, they brought with them goats, pigs, dogs, cats and other domestic animals. Galapagos has one of the world's rarest ecosystems in which the herbivores at the top of the food chain are reptiles.