Galapagos & Charles Darwin The Galápagos form an archipelago of 14 major islands and many smaller islands. Created by volcanic activity on the ocean floor. For hundreds of years the islands remained uninhabited—except for pirates and whalers who used them as hideouts. In 1832, Ecuador claimed the islands and in 1959 declared them a national park. Perhaps our first association with the word "Galapagos" is the name "Darwin." Darwin's visit to the Galapagos Islands had a resounding impact on the formation of his Theory of Natural Selection. A rather unmotivated and failing medical scholar, Charles Darwin accompanied Captain Robert Fitzroy as a travel companion and naturalist on the HMS Beagle. His book the Voyage of the Beagle is an account of his worldwide journey. When setting off from England in 1831 for a five-year voyage, Darwin had little ambitions for groundbreaking scientific research. After surveying the coasts of South America, the ship stopped over in the Galapagos Islands.

During his visit to the islands, Darwin noted that the unique creatures were similar from island to island, but perfectly adapted to their environments which led him to ponder the origin of the islands' inhabitants. Among those that struck Darwin so greatly were the finches that are now named in his honor. Darwin would later base some of his thought from the supposing that these finches were all descendent of the same lineage. Years later in 1859, Darwin finally consolidated all of his observations into his famous book On The Origin of Species, drastically and controversially altering the scientific view on the biological origins of life.

1. Which country are the Galápagos Islands part of? 1) 600 miles east of Peru 2) In the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil 3) In the Pacific Ocean off South America 4) Within sight of Panama 2. Where are the Galápagos Islands? 1) Ecuador 2) Panama 3) Peru 4) United States

3. What is unusual about the Galápagos Islands? 1) It is a group of islands formed from underwater volcanoes. 2) Its penguins are the largest in the world. 3) Many animals there are found nowhere else in the world. 4) No reptiles or insects live on the islands. 4. Which animal of the Galápagos is Charles Darwin associated with? 1) Bat 2) Finch 3) Lizard 4) Tortoise 5. What theory developed from Darwin's research of animals on the Galápagos? 1) Evolution by natural selection 2) Sea transportation of animals 3) Which animals Fray Tomás de Berlanda brought to the Galápagos 4) Why Abraham Ortelius named the islands after the giant tortoises.