The Galapagos Islands are located 6000 miles off the coast of Ecuador. The Galapagos Islands belong to the country Ecuador. The Islands lie in the Pacific Ocean. The Galapagos Islands have 13 large and volcanic islands, and a small amount of minor sized islands. The islands are over 4 million years old. The islands have some of the most active volcanoes in the world today.

The climate of the Islands are usually mild and calm and is subtropical. June-December is the era of rainy showers, because of the cool-air “Humboldt” current that comes from Antarctica. December-May is known as the “warm season”, because its in the era where there is mostly warm temperatures, plus the water is also warmer. “Humboldt’s” current brings cold air, while “El Niño” current brings warm air. In the fall of 1997, “El Niño” had a very strong current that resulted in an increase of rainfall and increasing temperatures of the water all throughout the year 1998.

In the Galapagos islands there are a variety of animals including Galapagos tortoise, Marine iguanas, Cormorant, and Waved Albatross. The Galapagos tortoise can weigh up too 300 pounds with a life expectancy of 100 to 200 years. On the island, there are 14 different sub-species of the Galapagos tortoise. The Waved albatross is a typical bird found in the Islands. This large and powerful bird can stay away at sea for long periods of time. The best time to find a waved albatross is from April to December. The cormorant is the only flightless cormorant in the world, and its located in the islands. This bird became accustomed to living in the water and lost its ability to fly. The best place to find this bird is on the island of Isabela. Marine iguanas are only found in the Galapagos islands and have black skin. These lizards are the only type of lizards that can live near water.

On May 24 th, the people of the Galapagos Islands celebrate “Batalla del Pichincha.” This was the day they had a dramatic victory over the Spanish. On the 10 th of August it is “Primer Grito de la Independecia”. The day Ecuador first declared independence. On the 24 th of July people celebrate Simon Bolivar’s birthday. On the 12 th of February, it is the “la dia de la Provincia.” day of the Galapagos, where there are colorful parades and festivals around the island. On the 26 th of September it is the “Dia de la Bandera”. This means the day of the banner. It’s a patriotic day in the Galapagos Islands and The country Ecuador.

In the Galapagos Islands, the most common types of food are pork, chicken, beef, and cuy. Cuy is a type of guinea pig. During Easter, a famous dish the people in the islands eat is called Fanesca. Fanesca is a type of soup with fish and beans. The week before the “día de los muertos” day of the dead, the people on the islands drink a “colada morado” and eat “Guaguas de pan” which is stuffed bread. In the lower latitude of the islands there are a variety of fruits such as granadilla, passion fruit, tree tomato, uvilla, and narajilla. Towards the coast of the islands, seafood is very popular as well as plantain and peanut dishes. In the coastal regions, some of the typical dishes are ceviche, empanadas, guatita, and corviche. In the mountainous areas typical dishes are fritada, hornado, tamales, lomo saltado, and churrasco. empanadas Ceviche Cuy

Some of the types of plants that are located in The islands are Button Mangrove, Sesuvium, Candelabra Cactus, Lava Cactus, Manzanillo, Miconia, and Scalesia. Button Mangrove are is not a real mangrove but a tree that is found in mangrove areas. This tree has green flowers that turn into purple fruit. Sesuvium is ground vegetation that changes from the color green to orange in a season of many rain showers, and to the color purple in dry seasons. Candelabra Cactus is a cactus that has spines on the lower part of the stem. This cactus also has red and green flowers that can develop into fruit. In the Galapagos islands, there are a little over 600 type of indigenous plants. Sesuvium Candelabra Cactus

The Lava Cactus has another name called the “pioneer” plant. The tip of the cactus is yellow, and grows up to 2 feet in clumps around the ground. The islands this cactus can be found on are Genovesa, Santiago, Pinta, Isabela, and Fernandina. Manzanillo is a toxic fruit tree. Also known as the “poison apple tree”. The sap that comes out of this tree can cause dermatitis if touched. Eating the fruit from this tree can be fatal to humans. Although the Galapagos tortoise love this type of fruit. Miconia is one of the most endangered plants on the islands. Since most of the cattle grazing has taken up the miconia, there is a small quantity of it left. Scalesia is a short green plant with a habitat of being in a very dry climate. Also, there are about 20 different types of Scalesia found on the Islands. Manzanillo Lava Cactus

The Galapagos Islands were first discovered in Tomás Berlanga’s Ship was taken by off set ocean currents to this island in 1535; therefore, these islands were discovered by mistake. In 1574, the name “Islands of Galapagos” was finally made known and put on a map. After a few hundred years, in 1835, Charles Darwin went to the Galapagos Islands to research and study the finches to learn about evolution. Charles Darwin also studied the tortoises and the iguanas in the Islands. He realized that these unique creatures differed in appearance on each of the islands. In the 16 th century, many pirates would use the Galapagos islands to hide from the Spanish ships.

The islands receive over 170,00 tourists a year. In 1978, the Islands was listed as one of the “World Heritage Site” The Galapagos Islands have a National Park for its unique “fearless wildlife.” On the island Isablea, there is a volcano named Wolf Volcano, which is the highest point of elevation of all of the islands. In the 1800s the whales that lived by the islands were almost labeled extinct because of whaling ships hunting them.

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