In the Pacific Ocean 600 miles to the west of Ecuador, South America and on the equator an archipelago or group of islands was discovered and named the Galapagos Islands.

The Galapagos were discovered in 1535 by Fray Tomás de Berlanga, the Bishop of Panama. He had been sailing to Peru when his ship was carried west by currents; his discovery was entirely accidental.

These islands are volcanic in nature. Their climate is considered mild to be situated on the equator but it's very dry and has one rainy season a year.

In 1831 Charles Darwin sailed there on the HMS Beagle. He was amazed at what he discovered about the wildlife that inhabited these islands.

The faunae of the Galapagos are unique.

Each island is host to the same faunae but the islands themselves have small differences in habitat.

Darwin noticed that the birds and animals on each island had evolved to fit into their particular environments.

Charles Darwin's observations of these unique animals, their remarkable adaption to a hostile environment, and the subtle variations between races of the same species living on different islands led directly to his theory of natural selection.

The theory explains how the vast multitude of species on the Earth have evolved from a simple, singled-celled ancestor.

The theory remains the single most important one in biology.

Darwin's theory aside, I think the Galapagos archipelago sounds like one of the most fascinating and interesting places on earth. Someday I'd like to visit there.

California Fur Seal and Blue Footed Boobie