The Galapagos Islands have a colorful history that includes pirates, whalers, sealers and even love and mystery! As most great things in the world, the discovery of the archipelago was accidental when Tomas de Berlanga, the Bishop of Panama, was sailing from Panama to Peru. After reporting great tortoises that looked like saddles, "galapagos," to King Charles V of Spain, the islands were named.

geology

The Galapagos Archipelago is located about 1000 km west of mainland Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. It consists of 13 primary islands: Darwin, Wolf, Pinta, Marchena, Genovesa, Fernandina, Isabela, Santiago, Baltra, Santa Cruz, San Cristobol, Floreana and Santa Cruz, as well as innumerable islets (unnamed here). The islands cover a total area of 7,882 sq. kilometers ranging in area from 14 sq. km to 4588 sq. km

tempature

Though the islands are located on the equator, the ocean's surface temperature ranges greatly from 7 to 28 degrees centigrade. The islands also go through dramatic changes. January to March is considered the hot/wet season, March being the hottest month of the year. The islands are brimming with plant life, and the water temperatures are ideal for snorkeling and diving at this time of year. Because of the climate changes in July through September, there's less rain and the islands are drier, though cooler. The water temperature drops considerably, though this is the ideal time of year to see more aquatic life, as the animals prefer the colder currents.

animals

the animals in the galapagos range from sharks to exotic birds. I my self studied the galapagos giant tortoise. there is a galapagos giant tortoise still alive from the 1840s.