The Galapagos Islands were formed millions of years ago. They are situated over a hot spot in the earth and, over millions of years, layer upon layer of lava built up to form the islands. Throughout the millennia, animals and plants arrived in the islands – transported by air or water – and began to adapt to the unique environment.
The first written account of the islands comes from Fray Tomas de Berlanga. Berlanga sailed from Panama on February 23, 1535 and, tossed by the winds and waves, arrived into the Galapagos Islands nearly starving. They went ashore and were astounded by the enormous turtles, sea lions, iguanas, and fearless birds.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Galapagos Islands were favorite refuge for pirates plying the waters of the Pacific. After attacking Spanish galleons, the pirates retreated to the islands where they hid and feasted on the abundance of food available.
In the 19th century, whalers used the islands as a base of operations. Due to the abundant marine life in the area, whalers were sure to fill their boat if they chose the Galapagos as their base. The turtles on the islands provided all the food they needed, and they frequently stacked hundreds of turtles into the holds of their boats when they went to sea.
Until 1832, the islands were a no-man’s land. Any person who desired to take advantage of its benefits was free to do so. However, Jose Villamil convinced the president of Ecuador to incorporate the islands and transform the archipelago into a progressive province of the country. On February 12, 1832, the Galapagos officially became part of Ecuador.
Villamil was designated the first governor of Galapagos. He obtained permission to establish a colony on Floreana Island and the pardon of eighty prisoners in order to form a colony on the island. However, criminals don’t necessarily make good colonists, and the project failed miserably after only five years. Before retreating back to the mainland, however, the colonists brought a wide variety of plants and animals to the islands – never dreaming of the damage they would eventually cause to the native plants and animals of the Galapagos.
While the colony Villamil founded was headed toward its demise, a young scientist traveled the world on a voyage that would revolutionize science. Charles Darwin, on board the Beagle, arrived in the Galapagos Islands in 1835. The captain of the boat arrived in the islands merely seeking food and water for the passengers. For Darwin, however, the Galapagos represented much more. It was here that he began to formulate his theories about the evolution of a species.
After the first colonization attempt failed, Galapagos became a field for seeking and exploiting resources. More settlers arrived and claimed parts of the islands as their homes. Tortoise oil, used for street lighting, and the skins of fur seals and wild cattle did not only sustain the colonists, but also permitted commerce with the mainland.
Scientific expeditions arriving about this time raised the alarm about the slaughter of tortoises and the danger of their extinction. From the time of the buccaneers until that of the colonizations, these animals were the first victims. A study of whalers’ logbooks suggested a minimum of 100,000 tortoises were taken by North American whalers alone. And those taken by pirates and colonists? The figure is certainly much higher, perhaps hundreds of thousands of tortoises were slaughtered in little more than a century.
In 1925, more than 2000 Norwegians arrived in the Galapagos with dreams of creating a new life in paradise. They arrived with prefabricated houses, fishing equipment, machinery for canning fish, boats, and domestic animals. When they arrived, they were faced with the difficult conditions of the environment, and the majority of them returned to Norway within a year or two.
World War II arrived and the Panama Canal was a prime target. The Galapagos Islands was the ideal spot from which to guard the canal. Engineers arrived and dynamited large areas to transform the islands into a military base. The base was closed in 1947.
In the late 1970’s the Ecuadorian government realized that, due to the variety and uniqueness of animal life in the Galapagos, the area could be a major draw for tourists and a source of revenue for the country. Tourists began to pour in to the area, and many Ecuadorians move to the archipelago to provide services for them.
By the early 1990’s it was becoming evident that the islands could not sustain an enormous population, and the government of Ecuador impose strict regulations for immigration to the island. The population of the Galapagos now stands at around 30,000 inhabitants. The local residents and scientists are working to preserve the natural environment for generations to come.
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You may be interested in these articles about our visit to various islands:
The Galapagos Islands from John Vogel on Vimeo.
Comments
What a fabulous time you are having! Cheers!
I need to no the population of the galapolous so please tell me.
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