The Galapagos Islands The Galapagos Islands are located 1,000 kilometers off of Ecuador’s pacific coast. The islands consist of 13 large islands, 6 smaller ones, and over 40 islets. Covers and area of 7,500 sq. kilometers.

Wildlife The Galapagos are home to thousands of different species of animals. Tortoise’s are a major tourist attraction.

Weather The climate at the Galapagos Islands is subtropical and is regulated by the warm El Nino Current and the cold Humboldt current. Temperatures ranges from the 60’s-70’s from June to September. January through May the temperature ranges from the 80’s-90’s. From October to December Temperature is around 70-80 degrees (dry season)

Geography The Galapagos were created by series of underwater volcanic eruptions. Over the past 200 years there have been more than 50 eruptions in the Galapagos. The islands are young in geological time.

Human History One of the first people to visit the Galapagos was Charles Darwin. During his five week stay he was encouraged to create the theory of evolution. First Person to live in the Galapagos was Patrick Watkins in 1807, He made a living growing vegetables and trading them with visiting whale ships.

Problems Such a delicate system is very prone to human interruption as well as environmental stress. El Nino also has a big impact on the Galapagos. It caused fish to search for other waters, affecting other animals like seals and birds. Human interference also causes problems, like a big oil spill that occurred in 2001

Tourism A majority of the Galapagos’s economy is tourism. Tourists enjoy the multitudes of unknown animals and the nice climate.

The Galapagos penguin Most people who don’t know much about the Galapagos are surprised to learn that penguins inhabit it. The Galapagos penguin is the only penguin that is able to live north of the equator. It is able to survive using the cool waters brought by the Humboldt and Cromwell currents.

Overpopulation Overpopulation affects the Galapagos and its environment. Overpopulation leads to over fishing, causing native animals to suffer from lack of food.

National Park In 1959, 100 years after the publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species, Ecuador declared the Galapagos it’s first national park and preserving whatever land had not already been settled for protection

Bibliography http://www.ecuadorexplorer.com/html/weather.html http://www.ecuaworld.com/discover/galapagos.htm www.wikipedia.com http://famouswonders.com/galapagos-islands/ http://www.galapagosislands.com/galapagos-ecuador.html