The Galapagos 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 Galapagos archipelago is politically part of Ecuador. The oldest of the islands are about 4 million years old and the youngest are still in the process of being formed. Indeed, the Galapagos islands are considered to be one of the most active volcanic areas in the world. 

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. 

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

Conservation 

Though the first protective legislation for the Galapagos was enacted in 1934 and supplemented in 1936, it was not until the late 1950s that positive action was taken to control what was happening to the native flora and fauna. In 1955, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature organized a fact-finding mission to the Galapagos. Two years later, in 1957, UNESCO in cooperation with the Government of Ecuador sent another expedition to study the conservation situation and to choose a site for a research station. 

In 1959, the centenary year of Darwin's publication of The Origin of Species, the Ecuadorian government declared 97.5% of the archipelago's land area, except areas already colonized, as a national park. In the same year, the Charles Darwin Foundation was founded, with its international headquarters in Brussels. Its primary objectives were to ensure the conservation of unique Galapagos ecosystems and promote the scientific studies necessary to fulfill its conservation functions. With the establishment of the Charles Darwin Research Station in 1964, conservation work began. During the early years, Station personnel carried out conservation programs, such as eradication of introduced species and protection of native species. Currently, most resident scientists pursue conservation goals; most visiting scientists' work is oriented towards pure research. 

When the national park was established, approximately 1,000 to 2,000 people called the islands their home. In 1972 a census was done in the archipelago and a population of 3,488 was recorded. By the 1980s, this number had dramatically risen to more than 15,000 people. 

In 1986 the surrounding ocean was declared a marine reserve. UNESCO recognized the islands as a World Heritage Site in 1978, which was extended in December 2001 to include the marine reserve. 

Noteworthy species include the land iguana, Marine iguana, Galapagos, Galapagos Green Turtle, Sea cucumber, 13 endemic species of finch, Galapagos penguin, Flightless Cormorant, Galapagos Hawk, and Sea lions. 

Threats 

Introduced plants and animals, which have been brought accidentally or willingly to the islands by humans, represent the main threat to Galapagos. They become plagues that affect the balance of the ecosystem of Galapagos due to the lack of natural enemies that result in their fast propagation. 

Some of the most harmful introduced plants are the Guayaba or Guaba Psidium guajava, avocado Persea americana, cascarilla Chinchona sucsirubra, balsa Ochroma pyramidale, blackberry Rubus glaucus, various citrus (orange, grapefruit, lemon), floripondio Datura arborea, higuerilla Ricinus communis and the elephant grass Pennisetum purpureum. These plants have invaded large areas and eliminated the endemic species in the humid zones of San Cristobal, Floreana, Isabela and Santa Cruz. 

Mainly pirates and buccaneers brought a long list of introduced animals to Galápagos. Heyerdal quotes documents that mention that the Viceroy of Peru, knowing that British pirates ate the goats that they themselves had released in the islands, ordered dogs to be freed there to eliminate the goats. Also, when colonization of Floreana by José de Villamil failed, he ordered that the goats, donkeys, cows, and other animals from the farms in Floreana be transferred to other islands for the purpose of later colonization. 

Non-native goats, pigs, dogs, rats, cats, mice, sheep, horses, donkeys, cows, poultry, ants, cockroaches, and some parasites inhabit the islands today. Dogs and cats attack the tame birds and destroy nests of birds, land tortoises, and marine turtles. They sometimes kill small Galapagos tortoises and iguanas. Pigs are even more harmful, covering larger areas and destroying the nests of tortoises, iguanas, and marine turtles. Pigs also knock down vegetation in their search for roots and insects. This problem abounds in Cerro Azul volcano and Isabela, and in Santiago pigs may be the cause of the disappearance of the land iguanas that were so abundant when Darwin visited. The black rat Rattus rattus attacks small Galapagos tortoises when they leave the nest, so that in Pinzón they stopped the reproduction for a period of more than 50 years; only adults were found on that island. Also, where the black rat is found, the endemic rat has disappeared. Cows and donkeys eat all the available vegetation and compete with native species for the scarse water available. In 1959, fishermen introduced one male and two female goats to Pinta island; by 1973 the National Park service estimated the population of goats to be over 30,000 individuals. Goats were also introduced to Marchena in 1967 and to Rabida in 1971. 

Main Islands 

The archipelago has been known by many different names, including the "Enchanted Islands" because of the way in which the strong and swift currents made navigation difficult. The buccaneer Ambrose Cowley did the first crude navigation chart of the islands in 1684, and in those charts he named the islands after some of his fellow pirates or after the English noblemen who helped the pirates' cause.