Ecuador controls the Galápagos Islands, the Pacific archipelago associated with Charles Darwin’s studies of evolution.
The Galápagos lie roughly 900 kilometers west of mainland Ecuador. The volcanic islands are known for distinctive species, including giant tortoises, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, and finches whose differences helped inspire Darwin’s thinking about natural selection.
Darwin visited the islands aboard HMS Beagle in 1835. He observed that related animals varied from island to island, although his later evolutionary theory drew on evidence gathered from many places and disciplines, not the Galápagos alone.
Ecuador annexed the islands in 1832 and named them the Archipelago of Colón. The Galápagos National Park was created in 1959, and the islands became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Strict conservation rules protect endemic wildlife, though introduced species and tourism remain important management challenges.