Archipielago de Colon or The Galapagos Islands are a string of volcanic islands just to the west of Ecuador. The population of the Galapagos Islands is 30,000 and the islands are a province of Ecuador. They are all part of Ecuador’s National Park System and under the protection of the government of Ecuador In 1978 UNESCO declared the Galapagos a World Heritage Site and in 1985 a Biosphere Reserve. In 2001 it was further protected by declaring it a Marine Reserve. The Archipelago consists of 13 main islands and 6 smaller islands all of which are volcanic in nature. The most recent eruption was in 2007.
            The islands are famous for several historic events as well as there flora and fauna. The islands are first seen on maps of 1570 and they were called The Islands of Turtles named for the large sea turtles that inhabit their shores. The islands were a sanctuary for pirates until the early 1600’s. In 1790 the first scientific expedition came to the Galapagos. Unfortunately, the records of that expedition did not survive. There were several other scientific expeditions to the islands, but the best remembered was the September 15, 1835 arrival of the HMS Beagle with naturalist Charles Darwin aboard. Darwin stayed on the islands until October 20th of that same year. It was during Darwin’s time spent in the islands of the Galapagos that he developed his theory of natural selection. The result was his book The Origin of Species. There were several attempts at colonization of the islands, but none were ever successful. During WWII Ecuador gave permission to the US Navy to build a naval base with a radar station on one of the islands. A prison was built on another island but it was abandoned in 1959.
            The islands have no indigenous population. The people who populate the islands are, for the most part, a mix of Spanish and Native Americans. They inhabit 5 of the largest islands, but they have only lived in the islands for about 50 years.
             Many of the islands creatures can only be seen in the Galapagos. They exist no where else on earth. That is why they are so closely protected. The ecology of the Galapagos is very fragile.  Booby Birds, Sea Turtles, the Vampire Finch, Marine Iguana, and the Galapagos Sea Lions and Penguins are just a few of the one of a kind species to be found here.
            Illegal fishing and a host of other problems threaten the stability of the islands. Currently the islands are on The World Heritage Danger List.