The Galapagos Island are likely the most popular and well-known treasure in Ecuador. These Islands first reached notoriety thanks to the work of Charles Darwin and his book, “The Origin of Species.” This book detailed Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection, which were based on his observations made while on the Galapagos Islands. The National Park was created in 1959 to honor the first centenary of the book. These islands continue to house a wealth of diverse and unique species.
These volcanic islands with one-of-a-kind geological dynamics are also considered a living laboratory of evolutionary processes still in progress. Since these islands are also used in the continued development of a large number of animal and plant species that do not exist anywhere else in the world, the Galapagos are a truly unique site of global importance. Only 5 of the islands have any type of human settlement leaving the other islands for the development of other flora and fauna. 97% of the Galapagos are considered a National Park and ecotourists from all over the world have the chance to explore and experience the beauty and wonder of this center of species evolution and development.