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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.
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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.
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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.
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On May 24th, the people of the
Galapagos Islands celebrate “Batalla
del Pichincha.” This was the day they
had a dramatic victory over the
Spanish.
On the 10th of August it is “Primer
Grito de la Independecia”. The day
Ecuador first declared independence.
On the 24th of July people celebrate
Simon Bolivar’s birthday.
On the 12th 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 26th 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.
Cuy
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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.
Ceviche
empanadas
In the Galapagos islands, there are a little over 600 type of
indigenous plants.
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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.
Sesuvium
Candelabra
Cactus
Lava Cactus
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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
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The Galapagos Islands were first discovered in 1535.
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 16th 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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http://www.galapagosislands.com/html/galapagos
_climate.html
 http://www.ecuador.us/travel/ecuador/ecuadortravel/the_food_in_ecuador/
 http://www.destination360.com/southamerica/ecuador/galapagos-animals
 http://www.exploringecuador.com/en_ar_holidays
_festivals.htm
 http://www.chevroncars.com/learn/wondrousworld/history-galapagos-islands
 http://www.galapagosonline.com/predeparture/Hi
story/Settlers.htm
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