The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

The Galápagos Islands are a small archipelago located in the Southern Hemisphere, in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, close to the shores of Ecuador. They are volcanic islands with a total area of about three thousand square miles. The archipelago is part of the Republic of Ecuador and includes 21 islands, 18 of which are larger than the others.

The five largest islands of the archipelago are Isabela (Albemarle) Island, Floreana (Charles or Santa María) Island, Santiago (San Salvador or James) Island, San Cristóbal (Chatham) Island, and Santa Cruz (Indefatigable) Island. Most of the territory of the Galápagos Islands is occupied by two major natural preserves: the Galápagos Marine Reserve and the Galápagos National Park.

The archipelago is located slightly over 600 miles west of the shores of Ecuador and the South American continent, and about one thousand miles from the shores of Mexico in North America. The Hawaiian Islands are located over 4,600 miles northwest of the Galápagos Islands.

One notable landmark is Volcano Ecuador, also known as Mount Whiton, located on Isabela Island. It is considered the highest peak of the archipelago, with a height of about 6,800 feet. Another major volcanic peak, Volcán Cerro Azul, is situated in the westernmost part of the island and has a height of about 5,550 feet. This volcano is active and has shown notable volcanic activity since the beginning of the current century.