Galápagos Islands
Archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, part of Ecuador since 1832 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Galápagos Islands (Archipiélago de Colón in Spanish) are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean which now belongs to Ecuador. The islands are famous for having many native animals, including giant tortoises, that are found nowhere else on Earth. These animals helped Charles Darwin towards his theory of evolution by natural selection after he visited the islands in 1835.
97% of the islands are a national park, all except the inhabited parts. The Galápagos National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1978),[1] a marine reserve (1980), and a biosphere reserve (1986).[2]