On which Galápagos island did Charles Darwin first land in 1835?

Charles Darwin first landed in the Galápagos in 1835 on San Cristóbal Island.

The HMS Beagle reached the archipelago in September 1835 during its surveying voyage around the world. Darwin first went ashore near what is now Cerro Tijeretas, close to modern Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. San Cristóbal was then commonly known by its English name, Chatham Island.

Darwin did not visit only one Galápagos island. After San Cristóbal, the expedition visited Floreana, Isabela, and Santiago, collecting specimens and recording geological formations, plants, birds, reptiles, and other animals. The sequence matters because the later comparisons among islands helped make the Galápagos central to the story of evolutionary biology.

A common misconception is that Darwin immediately developed the theory of evolution while standing on San Cristóbal. His observations were important, but their significance became clearer gradually after the voyage. He also did not initially recognize the full importance of the island-by-island differences among the Galápagos finches.