The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago located in Ecuador, famous for their natural beauty and biodiversity. These islands have a unique ecosystem because they are located quite far from the mainland and at the intersection of three different ocean currents. The volcanic soils of the islands resemble the surface of another planet, and the endemic plant and animal species living on these lands present a prehistoric atmosphere.
Galapagos Islandsis known for its natural beauty and unique biodiversity, a region that inspired Charles Darwin to formulate his theory of evolution. These islands Charles Darwin’It played an important role in ‘s journey and contributed to the understanding of the foundations of evolution.
Galapagos Islands, UNESCO It is at the top of the World Heritage Site list. Fishing is prohibited on the islands, which were declared a World Heritage Site in 1978, and they are under protection. For this reason, the number of tourists coming to the islands every year is limited. These restrictions help preserve the islands’ unique ecosystems and rare species.
One of the most important creatures in the Galapagos Islands giant land turtles. It is known that Spanish explorers named the islands after seeing these giant turtles. in Old Spanish “galapago” The word means turtle. These turtles are large creatures that can live for more than 150 years, and adults can weigh up to 250 kilograms. They are cold-blooded reptiles that gather energy by sunbathing, and different species are found on different islands. In their heyday, 15 different species of land turtles lived on the islands.
General Information About the Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands are known as “Islas Galápagos” in Spanish and are officially named “Archipiélago de Colón”. This archipelago is also called the Colón Archipelago and is part of Ecuador. It is located in the eastern Pacific Ocean and approximately 1000 km west of the South American continent. The islands are located in a remote and isolated location and have a total surface area of 50,000 km².
Galapagos archipelago, It consists of 14 large islands, 8 smaller islands and 40 tiny islets. Approximately 25,000 people live on these islands. The island group includes major islands such as Isabela, Santa Cruz, San Salvador (Santiago or James), Fernandina, San Cristóbal, Floreana (Santa Maria), Marchena, Española, Pinta, Santa Fe, Genovesa, Pinzón, Darwin and Wolf.
Charles Darwin, He made the observations that inspired the theory of evolution on some of these islands. These islands have a volcanic structure and host many unique biological species. There are many volcanoes in the Galápagos Islands that are still active. High volcanoes, craters and cliffs further highlight the steep and challenging structure of the island.
It was discovered in 1535 by Panamanian bishop Tomas de Berlanga, who was on his way to Peru. Galápagos IslandsIt may have been visited by South American Indians before Spanish rule. However, the islands were opened to settlement after being annexed by Ecuador in 1832. Charles Darwin’s visit to the region in 1835 brought the islands worldwide fame.
Also, part of the island (northern extension of Isabela) resemblance to a seahorsehas become a feature that attracts the attention of tourists. The presence of land turtles on the island has also attracted the attention of many tourists, but their species is in danger as a result of the influx of hunters. Today, life on the islands is open to development in tourism and other areas.
Discovery and History of the Galapagos Islands
Galápagos IslandsThroughout its history, it has attracted the attention of various explorers and sailors and has been the focus of different stories. in the 1950s Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahlfound pottery and other artifacts on the islands, and these findings suggest that people from South America may have reached the islands before Columbus. However, the first European to visit the Galápagos was the then bishop of Panama. Spanish Fray Tomás de Berlanga was. De Berlanga, who accidentally reached the islands in 1535 after his ship lost its course, thought that the islands were worthless due to the lack of fresh water resources and limited animal and plant resources.
Galápagos Islands on maps made by Gerardus Mercator and Abraham Ortelius in 1570 “Turtle Islands” was listed as. During the rise of the Spanish Empire, pirates used the islands as bases for attacks on Spanish ships bound for Europe. English-appointed explorer Sir Francis Drake became the first person to use the islands for this purpose in 1578.
- From the end of the century, whalers began to replace pirates and hunted not only whales, but also turtles, birds and fur seals. In the 19th century, an estimated 200,000 turtles were hunted and fur seals were driven to near extinction..
- During the War of 1812, the USS Essex, commanded by Captain David Porter, reached the islands and destroyed part of the fleet of British whalers. Patrick Watkins, the first European settler of the Galápagos, arrived on the island of Floreana in 1805 and escaped to Ecuador in 1809. In the mid-19th century, penal colonies were established on the islands, and in 1959 the penal colonies were closed.
According to UNESCO, the majority of the islands were protected as national parks in 1959. The four major islands of the Galápagos are consistently populated, with accommodations covering only 3% of the islands. These conservation efforts are an important step to ensure the continuation of the islands’ unique wildlife and ecosystem.
Darwin’s Discoveries in the Galapagos Islands
Darwin, father of evolutionary theory While he was known as , he was actually a trained geologist. He had traveled around South America for nearly four years before arriving in the Galápagos Islands in 1835. During this time, he was closely interested in many species of plants and animals in different climates and on the Atlantic Ocean islands along the ship’s route.
Darwin, He began his voyage aboard HMS Beagle as a creationist, but his views began to change throughout the voyage. In particular, his examination of life in and around the Galápagos caused his thoughts to change in the direction of evolution. In the Galápagos Islands, Darwin was struck by the fact that similar but different animal and plant species lived on geologically young islands, and he concluded that this life was incompatible with current creationist views.
Charles Darwin obtained important findings in both geology and biology with his discoveries in the Galapagos Islands. Studying many animal species such as birds and turtles contributed to the formation of concepts such as natural selection and adaptation in Darwin’s mind.
Darwin, who collected bird specimens on the island and examined them by keeping them in cages, realized over time that these birds showed characteristics specific to different islands. He also discovered that the turtles’ physical characteristics were a clue in determining which island they came from.
Among the discoveries Darwin made in the Galapagos, some of the most important were those related to birds and turtles. These discoveries were instrumental in the formation of fundamental evolutionary concepts such as natural selection and adaptation.
Young Darwin set to work with great passion while examining the animal species he saw on the island and taking notes. This passion even affected the ship’s route, drawing the captain’s anger. However, no one could have predicted at the time that Darwin was on a unique journey of discovery.
Darwin regularly reported his experiences in the Galapagos Islands to his friends in England and kept notes in his diary. In this way, his observations and discoveries on the island attracted the attention of the scientific world. Darwin’s courage, adventurousness and love of science made him a well-known scientist in his country.
in 1859 “The Origin of Species” Darwin, who published his book, laid the foundations of the view of evolution by supporting his mature ideas with scientific evidence. While Darwin’s contributions formed the basis of the theory of evolution, his curious naturalist personality left an extraordinary legacy to the scientific world.
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