The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands located far off the coast of Ecuador. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is known for its abundance of unique wildlife and picturesque coastal landscapes. These amazing Islands are located 1000 km away from the Ecuadorian coastline and are the most visited destination in Ecuador, being the vast majority, tourists coming from abroad.
The Galápagos Islands have been specially known and promoted due to the fact that It was here that Charles Darwin developed part of his famous theory of evolution by natural selection. “Natural selection is that the strongest survive and propagate and therefore increase the strength of the species.”
In 1978 UNESCO recognized the islands as a World Heritage Site, and in 1985 a Biosphere Reserve. In 2007 the islands were put on the UNESCO World in Danger List. (Wikipedia, 2008). These islands are in threat by the non native plants and animals growing population of humans.
The Galapagos Islands are well known for their various native breeds of animals. These different breeds of animals cannot be found anywhere else in the world. One of the animals that are not found anywhere else is the Marine Iguanas is known for its unique ability to swim in the sea. It is typically found on the rocky shorelines basking in the sun, heating its body temperature after a swim. These are the only sea-going lizards in the world and they will often wear distinctive white wigs of salt which are expelled from glands near their noses. One of the theories as to why these creatures are of unique existence to the Galapagos Islands is that they were originally land lizards that came to the islands on driftwood and then evolved to continue living in the sea. Another theory is that the Marine Iguanas are the last remaining descendants of a species of sea lizards that are now extinct in the rest of the world. Many scuba divers that visit the Galapagos Islands observe the vast array of marine life that is found there. The underwater world is just as remarkable. Swimming amongst schools of bright yellow and blue fish is an extraordinary experience, especially when the school surrounds you! And you can swimming with playful sea lions is both frightening and exhilarating, especially when they dart straight at you at top speeds, only to turn away within inches of your face! This island also is the home of many diverse endemic plants and animal cannot be found anywhere else in the world.