Galapagos Islands summary highlights

About the ‘GALAPAGOS NATIONAL PARK‘

On May 4th, 1936 the Galápagos National Park (GNP) was established by Executive Decree #31. The Galápagos National Park decree was then ratified on July 4th, 1959, making it Ecuador’s first national park. The Park’s boundaries were ratified on July 20th, 1959 by decree #17 to include all islands except those colonized. These boundaries were finally established in 1968 and the Park administration began.

In 1971, the Galápagos National Park Service had its first Superintendent, 2 officers and 6 park rangers on Santa Cruz Island. In 1974, the Galápagos National Park Service had its first management plan and a team of officials in accordance with the organic structure issued in 1973, with a Superintendent, 2 conservation officers, 40 park rangers to comply with management objectives.

In 1979 UNESCO declared the Galápagos Islands Natural Heritage for Humanity, making the Park Service through the Superintendent of the Park responsible for performing permanent park conservation and guarding the islands.

The Galápagos Marine Reserve was created in 1986. Additionally the same year the Galápagos National Park was included in the list of Biosphere Reserve because of its unique scientific and educational worth that should be preserved for perpetuity.

In 2007, the UNESCO added the Galapagos National Park to its List of World Heritage Sites in Danger, reflecting the dangers posed by a fast pace of human development in all its areas: inmigration, tourism and trade, all increasing the likelihood of introduction of invasive species to the islands. This represents the gravest danger to the fragile ecosystems which have evolved over millions of years in natural isolation.

For more information on the Galapagos National Park

INTRODUCTION

The islands are located in the eastern Pacific Ocean, 973 km (525 nmi; 605 mi) off the west coast of South America. The closest land mass is the mainland of Ecuador to the east (the country to which they belong), to the north is Cocos Island 720 km (389 nmi; 447 mi) and to the south is Easter Island and San Felix Island at 3,200 km (1,730 nmi; 1,990 mi).

The islands are found at the coordinates 1°40′N–1°36′S, 89°16′–92°01′W. Straddling the equator, the islands in the chain are located in both the northern and southern hemisphere with Volcan Wolf and Ecuador on Isabela being directly on the equator line. Española the southernmost island and Darwin the northernmost island are spread out over a distance of 220 km (137 mi). The Galápagos Archipelago consists of 7,880 km2 (3,040 sq mi) of land spread over 45,000 km2 (17,000 sq mi) of ocean. The largest of the islands, Isabela, measures 4,640 km2 (1,790 sq mi) and making up half of the total land area of the Galápagos. Volcán Wolf on Isabela is the highest point with an elevation of 1,707 m (5,600 ft) above sea level.

The group consists of 15 main islands, 3 smaller islands, and 107 rocks and islets. The islands are located at the Galapagos Triple Junction. It is also atop the Galapagos hotspot, a place where the Earth’s crust is being melted from below by a mantle plume, creating volcanoes. The oldest island is thought to have formed between 5 million and 10 million years ago. The youngest islands, Isabela and Fernandina, are still being formed, with the most recent volcanic eruption in April 2009 where lava from the volcanic island Fernandina started flowing both towards the island’s shoreline and into the center caldera.

The Galápagos are located on the very northern edge of the Nazca plate, which is bounded by the Cocos (north), the Pacific (west), the South American (east), and the Antarctic (south) plates (see map below). The Nazca plate itself is currently drifting southeast. The absolute motion of the Nazca Plate has been calibrated at 3.7 cm/yr east motion (88°), some of the fastest absolute motion of any tectonic plate.

View Galapagos Islands – SANGAY TOURING in a larger map

RABIDA ISLAND

ALTERNATIVE NAME(S): JARVIS / JERVIS / PHILLIP'S
WILDLIFE: DUCKS / STILITS / BLUE-FOOTED BOOBIES / NAZCA BOOBIES / SEA LIONS / FUR SEALS / FLAMINGOS
SITE(S): TRAIL HIKE
SNORKEL: YES


GALAPAGOS ISLANDS SNORKEL SITES

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS SCUBA DIVING SITES

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