This
true-color
image
of
the
Galapagos
Islands
was
acquired
on
March
12,
2002,
by
the
Moderate-resolution
Imaging
Spectroradiometer
(MODIS),
flying
aboard
NASA's
Terra
satellite.
The
Galapagos
Islands,
which
are
part
of
Ecuador,
sit
in
the
Pacific
Ocean
about
1000
km
west
of
South
America.
As
the
three
craters
on
the
largest
island
(Isabela
Island)
suggest,
the
archipelago
was
created
by
volcanic
eruptions,
which
took
place
millions
of
years
ago.
Unlike most remote islands in the Pacific, the Galapagos have gone relatively untouched by humans over the past few millennia. As a result, many unique species have continued to thrive on the islands. Over 95 percent of the islands’ reptile species and nearly three quarters of its land bird species cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Two of the more well known are the Galapagos giant tortoise and marine iguanas. The unhindered evolutionary development of the islands’ species inspired Charles Darwin to begin The Origin of Species eight years after his visit there. To preserve the unique wildlife on the islands, the Ecuadorian government made the entire archipelago a national park in 1959. Each year roughly 60,000 tourists visit these islands to experience what Darwin did over a century and a half ago (source: NASA). Map of Galapagos►
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