Galapagos Islands information

Every island in the Galapagos is different one from the other and all this is due to how they were formed. If the 4,600 million years of Earth´s history will be simulated in 24 hours, the Galapagos Islands had been formed in the last two minutes of that day. The 19 islands and 219 islets were created by successive volcanic eruptions over a hot spot located on the seafloor of the Nazca Plate. The first of them emerged in the middle of the Pacific Ocean about 5 million years ago. The islands are settled on the Nazca Plate and move about 5 centimeters a year eastward. That is why the oldest islands of the archipelago are far about 200 kilometers east from the youngest islands that are still above the hot spot.

Explore the Enchanted Islands

1) Isabela Island. 2) North Seymour Island. 3) South Plaza Island. 4) Santa Fe Island. 5) Santa cruz Island. 6) Bartolome Island. 7) Mosquera Island. 8) Santiago Island. 9) Rabida Island. 10) Floreana Island. 11) Genovesa Island. 12) Española Island. 13) San Cristobal Island. 14) Fernandina Island.

Galapagos Penguin-Seabirds | Galapagos Islands Animals and Wildlife

The smallest of the penguins and the only species of penguin that lives in the tropics, at the north of the Equator line. These birds are endemic to the Galapagos islands, found only on islands that are touched by the Cromwell and Humboldt currents which bring deep cold waters filled with mullets, anchovies, and sardines, basics for their diet. They are avid swimmers, they can reach 30 km per hour when swimming in search of food.

Their height is of about 49 cms (19.2 in) with a black back and a white chest. They also have pinks patches along the feet and the face that helps them keep them cool on hot days. Females tend to be smaller than males. They reproduce all year round and stay with their mate for life. Females lay between one to two eggs in a nest made on the ground, in the volcanic porosity. The egg hatches in about 35 days; sixty days later the chick leaves the nest and some months later starts to feed by itself.

It is estimated that there are about 2,000 of these birds living in the archipelago, most of their populations can be seen mainly in Fernandina and Isabela island. However, small colonies can also be found around other places in the archipelago such as Bartolome, Floreana, and Santiago on occasional sightings.