Ecuador is home to the Galápagos Islands, the Pacific archipelago where Charles Darwin observed wildlife in 1835. The islands lie about 1,000 kilometres west of mainland Ecuador and form an Ecuadorian province and national park.
Darwin visited the Galápagos aboard HMS Beagle in September and October 1835. He examined mockingbirds, tortoises, finches, and other animals whose differences between islands later helped inform his theory of evolution by natural selection.
The islands are volcanic and continue to be shaped by eruptions, lava flows, erosion, and ocean currents. Their isolation produced many endemic species, including marine iguanas and several forms of giant tortoise.
Darwin did not formulate the complete theory during the visit, and the famous “Darwin’s finches” label was applied later. The Galápagos became Ecuador’s first national park in 1959 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.