Galapagos Islands
Archaeology » Heritage sites» Galapagos Islands
Location
San Cristobal

Country
Ecuador

Year of Research
1978

Culture
  • Lies on the Pacific Ocean and it is some 1,000 km from the South American continent.These 19 islands and the surrounding marine reserve have been known as a unique ‘living museum and showcase of evolution’.
  • Situated at the confluence of three ocean currents.The Galápagos are a ‘melting pot’ of marine species.
  • Ongoing seismic and volcanic activity shows the processes that formed the islands.
  • These processes, along with the extreme isolation of the islands develop unusual animal life like the land iguana, the giant tortoise and the many types of finch – that inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection following his visit in 1835.