The archipelago has been known by many different names, including the “Enchanted Isles” because of the fast ocean currents that made navigation difficult. The first crude navigation chart of the islands was made by the pirate Ambrose Cowley in 1684, in which he named the islands after either pirates he knew or English nobles who helped the pirates. The archipelago got its name from the elephant turtles living here, whose Spanish name “Galápagos” passed to the archipelago itself.
Baltra
(Baltra or Seymour Sur). During the Second World War, a US air base was built on the island, patrolling the Pacific Ocean in search of enemy submarines and covering the Panama Canal. At the end of the war, all the property of the base was transferred to the government of Ecuador. Now there is an official military base of Ecuador.
Until 1986, Baltra had the only airport in the archipelago that connected the islands with the mainland. Now there is a second airport on about. San Cristobal, but most flights are still operated from this island.
In the 1930s, as an experiment, scientists decided to relocate 70 native iguanas to the nearby island of Seymour North. The result was unexpected – during the war, the remaining iguanas on the island became extinct. In the 1980s, iguanas from Fr. Seymour North was transferred to the Darwin Center as a repopulation project and then resettled again in the 1990s. Baltra.
Bartolome
According to Beautypically, the island is named after Lieutenant David Bartholomew of the British Navy. This is a small uninhabited island to the east of about. Santiago is one of the most visited islands in the archipelago by tourists. Against the backdrop of the island in 2003, the feature film “Master and Commander: At the End of the Earth” was filmed. O. Bartolome is an extinct volcano and has a number of differently colored volcanic formations, including a cone-shaped tuff hill known as “Pinnacle Rock”. This partially eroded mound was formed when lava reached the water surface. Contact with sea water caused the so-called phreatic eruption, or Bandaisan-type eruption. The blasted molten fragments together formed soldered tuff. Galapagos penguins, sea lions live on the island; sea turtles nest.
Wolf
(Wolf or Wenman). This island is named after the German geologist Theodor Wolff. The area of the island is only 1.3 km², the maximum height is 253 m above sea level. Fur seals, frigatebirds, masked and red-footed boobies, marine iguanas, sharks, whales, dolphins and Galapagos gulls (Creagrus furcatus) live here. The most famous inhabitant of the island is the sharp-billed ground finch (Geospiza difficilis septentrionalis), which feeds on the blood of gannets and lives only on this island.
Darwin
(Darwin or Culpepper). This island is named after Charles Darwin. Its area is 1.1 km², the maximum height is 168 m. Here you can meet fur seals, frigates, marine iguanas, Galapagos gulls, sea lions, whales, sea turtles, dolphins, red-footed and Nazca (Sula granti) boobies.
Genovese/Genovesa
(Genovesa or Tower). The island is also known as the Tower. Genovese was named after the Italian city of Genoa, the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. Its area is 14 km², the maximum height is 76 m. The island was formed from the remains of a large crater submerged in water. It is also called “Bird Island” because of the great variety of birds. In Darwin Bay, you can see frigatebirds and Galapagos gulls – the only ones on the island that are nocturnal. Red-footed boobies, terns (Anous), Galapagos smoky gulls (Larus fuliginosus), phaetons, pigeons, storm-petrels (Hydrobatidae) and Darwin’s finches also live on the island. The island has an observation deck “Steps of Prince Philip”, as well as the forest “Palo Santo”.
Isabela
(Isabela or Albemarle). The island is named after Queen Isabella, who sponsored the travels of Christopher Columbus. This is the largest island of the archipelago, its area is 4640 km². The highest point is Wolf volcano at 1707 m above sea level. The island has the shape of a seahorse, which combines 6 different volcanoes, which together form one continuous earth’s surface. The island is home to Galapagos penguins, Galapagos cormorants (Phalacrocorax harrisi), marine iguanas, boobies, pelicans and Grapsus grapsus crabs. On the slopes of the volcanoes of Isabela, you can see iguanas, tortoises, as well as finches, the Galapagos buzzard (Buteo galapagoensis), the Galapagos pigeon and interesting lowland vegetation. The third most populated village, Puerto Villamil, is located on the southeastern tip of the island.
Attractions: Urbina Bay – large multi-colored iguanas, penguins and the largest colony of giant tortoises live there, Punta Morena impresses with the diversity of flora in mangroves, Wolf volcano, Sierra Negra volcano – one of the largest craters in the world (diameter 10 km. )
Marchena
(Marchena or Bindloe). The island is named after Frey Antonio Marchena. The area of the island is 130 km², the maximum height is 343 m above sea level. The island is home to Galapagos buzzards (Buteo galapagoensis) and sea lions. The island is also the main habitat of lava lizards (Tropidurus delanonis)
Pint
(Pinta or Abingdon). The island is named after one of the caravels of Christopher Columbus. The area of the island is 60 km², the maximum height is 777 m above sea level. Galapagos gulls, marine iguanas, sparrowhawks (Accipiter) and fur seals are found on the island. The island is also the home of one of the rarest creatures on earth – the tortoise subspecies Geochelone nigra abingdoni, the only specimen of which for a long time was an elderly male named Lonely George, who lived on the territory of the Darwin center. Since there is little hope of finding other specimens of this subspecies, it is considered to have completely disappeared with the death of George in 2012.
Pinson
(Pinzón or Duncan). The island is named after the Pinzón brothers, captains of the caravels Pinta and Nina, who participated in the voyage of Columbus. The area of the island is 18 km², the maximum height is 458 m above sea level. There are sea lions, Galapagos buzzards, giant tortoises, marine iguanas and dolphins.
Rabida
(Rábida or Jervis). Named after the monastery where Christopher Columbus left his son before his journey to the shores of America. The area of the island is 4.9 km², the maximum height is 367 m above sea level. A large amount of iron in the composition of the lava gave the island a reddish tint. The white-cheeked pintail (Poecilonetta bahamensis) lives in a small salt water lagoon near the shore. It also nests brown pelicans and boobies. Until recently, flamingos lived there, but due to lack of food they were transferred to other islands. There are nine species of finches on the island.
