Galápagos Province
Encyclopedia
Galápagos is a province
of Ecuador
in the country's Insular region, located approximately 1000 km (621.4 mi) off the western coast of the mainland. The capital is Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
.
The province administers the Galápagos Islands
, a group of tiny volcanic islands that sit on the equator. The Galápagos Islands have for centuries captured the interest of people from all over the globe because of its unique biodiversity that was made famous by Charles Darwin
and his theory of evolution
.
, each encompassing a number of islands. They are:
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
in the country's Insular region, located approximately 1000 km (621.4 mi) off the western coast of the mainland. The capital is Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
Puerto Baquerizo Morno is the capital of the Galápagos Province, in Ecuador. It is located along the southwestern coast of San Cristóbal, the easternmost island in the archipelago....
.
The province administers the Galápagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
, a group of tiny volcanic islands that sit on the equator. The Galápagos Islands have for centuries captured the interest of people from all over the globe because of its unique biodiversity that was made famous by Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
and his theory of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
.
Cantons
The province is divided in three cantonsCanton (subnational entity)
A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared to other administrative divisions such as counties, departments or provinces. Internationally the best-known cantons, and the most politically...
, each encompassing a number of islands. They are:
| Canton | Area (km²) |
Capital | Principal islands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isabela Isabela Canton Isabela is an island in Galapagos. It is well known for its beautiful beaches, crystal clear bays and coastal lagoons with a huge variety of plants and birds.Isabela’s human population has increased over the years, above all during the 1970s... |
1,780 | 5,367 | Puerto Villamil Puerto Villamil Puerto Villamil is a small port village located on the southeastern edge of Isla Isabela in the Galapagos Islands. Of the 2,200 people who live on Isabela, the majority live in Puerto Villamil... |
Darwin Darwin Island Darwin Island is named in honor of Charles Darwin, and is among the smallest in the Galapagos Archipelago with an area of just one square kilometer. With no dry landing sites, Darwin Island's main attractions are found in the Pacific Ocean, which is teeming with a spectacular variety of marine life... , Fernandina Fernandina Island Fernandina Island is the third largest, and youngest, island of the Galápagos Islands. Like the others, the island was formed by the Galápagos hotspot... , Isabela, Wolf Wolf Island Wolf Island or Wenman Island is a small island in the Galapagos Islands and was named after the German geologist Theodor Wolf, who also has the volcano Wolf on Isabela Island named after him... |
| 6,142 | 849 | Española Española Island Española Island is part of the Galápagos Islands. The English named it Hood Island after Viscount Samuel Hood. It is located in the extreme southeast of the archipelago and is considered, along with Santa Fe, one of the oldest, at approximately four million years... , Floreana Floreana Island Floreana Island is an island of the Galápagos Islands. It was named after Juan José Flores, the first president of Ecuador, during whose administration the government of Ecuador took possession of the archipelago, having previously been called Charles Island... , Genovesa Genovesa Island Genovesa Island is a shield volcano in the Galápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The island occupies about , and its maximum elevation is . The horse-shoe shaped island has a volcanic caldera whose wall has collapsed, forming the Great Darwin Bay, surrounded by cliffs... , San Cristóbal San Cristóbal Island San Cristóbal is the easternmost island in the Galápagos archipelago, and one of the oldest geologically.Its Spanish name "San Cristóbal" comes from the patron saint of seafarers, St. Christopher... , Santa Fe Santa Fe Island Santa Fe Island , also called Barrington Island after admiral Samuel Barrington, is a small island of 24 km² which lies in the centre of the Galapagos archipelago, to the south east of Santa Cruz Island. Geologically it is one of the oldest, since volcanic rocks of about 4 million years old... |
||
| Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Canton, Ecuador Santa Cruz is a canton in the Ecuadorian province of the Galápagos. Its area covers the islands of Baltra, Bartolomé, Marchena, North Seymour, Pinta, Pinzón, Rábida, Santa Cruz, and Santiago. As of the 2006 Galápagos census, it has a population of 11,262.|... |
11,262 | 1,794 | Puerto Ayora Puerto Ayora Puerto Ayora is a town in central Galápagos, Ecuador. Located on the southern shore of Santa Cruz Island, it is the seat of Santa Cruz Canton. The town is named in honor of Isidro Ayora, an Ecuadorian president. The town is sometimes mistakenly referred to as Santa Cruz.Puerto Ayora is the most... |
Baltra Baltra Island Baltra Island, or Isla Baltra, is a small island of the Galápagos Islands. Also known as South Seymour , Baltra is a small flat island located near the center of the Galápagos. It was created by geological uplift... , Bartolomé Bartolomé Island Bartolomé Island is a volcanic islet in the Galápagos Islands group. It is a volcanic islet just off the east coast of Santiago Island. It is one of the "younger" islands in the Galápagos archipelago... , Marchena Marchena Island Named after Fray Antonio Marchena, Marchena Island has an area of 130 km² and a maximum altitude of 343 meters.There aren't any visitor's sites on this island, although it is possible to dive in the waters around Marchena on organised tours.... , North Seymour North Seymour Island North Seymour is a small island near to Baltra Island in the Galapagos Islands. It was formed by uplift of a submarine lava formation. The whole island is covered with low, bushy vegetation.... , Pinta Pinta Island Pinta Island is an island located in the Galapagos Islands group, Ecuador. It has an area of 60 km² and a maximum altitude of 777 meters.... , Pinzón Pinzón Island Pinzón Island, sometimes called Duncan Island , is an island in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.Pinzón is home to giant tortoises, sea lions and other endemic species... , Rábida Rábida Island Rábida Island, is one of the Galápagos Islands. The island has also been known as Jervis Island named in honour of the 18th-century British admiral John Jervis. In Ecuador it is officially known as Isla Rábida.-Geography:... , Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos) Santa Cruz Island is one of the Galápagos Islands with an area of and a maximum altitude of .Situated in the center of the archipelago, Santa Cruz is the second largest island after Isabela. Its capital is Puerto Ayora, the most populated urban centre in the islands. On Santa Cruz there are some... , Santiago Santiago Island (Galápagos) Santiago Island is an island of the Galápagos Islands. It is also known as San Salvador, named after the first island discovered by Columbus in the Caribbean Sea , or as James Island. The island, which consists of two overlapping volcanoes, has an area of 585 km² and a maximum altitude of... |
| Galápagos | 19,184 | 8,010 | Puerto Baquerizo Moreno Puerto Baquerizo Moreno Puerto Baquerizo Morno is the capital of the Galápagos Province, in Ecuador. It is located along the southwestern coast of San Cristóbal, the easternmost island in the archipelago.... |