The Galapagos Islands consist of fifteen main islands and around forty-two smaller ones. There are also a further twenty-six rocks and reefs in the group. These are volcanic in origin and stretch in a line, one hundred and eighty six miles long (about 300km).

On the coastal fringes and beach areas, this is very much a dry, arid area with forests growing in the humid hill areas of the interior. Many of the animals found on the Galapagos Islands are unique not only to the group but also to individual islands within the group. In particular, there are two types of seal, seven different species of marine iguana, a Galapagos penguin, rare species of bats and rats, including a particularly large species which was only recently discovered in the area.

The most famous birds on these islands are the Galapagos finches which have adapted to different environments across the islands and provided a basis for much of Darwin’s work during his time on HMS Beagle. There is also a huge colony of masked boobies here and this is thought to be the largest colony in the world.

The Galapagos Islands are off the coast of Ecuador, South America and are famous for their unique flora and fauna. Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1835 and the material that he gathered here was used to put together his thesis, ‘The Origin of Species’.

The giant Galapagos tortoise is probably the best known inhabitant of this island group. These huge animals can live for up to a hundred and fifty years and grow to approximately four feet long. These huge beasts which look as though they came from the dinosaur age are found on seven of the islands and have evolved into twelve different species, two of which have unfortunately disappeared.

Much has been done to protect the environment of these islands and there are several on-going conservation projects. However, tourism is growing fast and measures to control potential damage caused by the influx of people are being considered.

In 1978 the Galapagos Islands group was designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO.  Many natural historians make for the islands to study the unique flora and fauna, but regulations are very strict and all visitors must be in the care of an official naturalist tour guide, in order to protect this very special and unique environment from damage.