elukoht, saare nimi on tulnud nende kilpkonnade hispaaniakeelsest nimest (hispaania keeles galápago 'sadul'). Elevandikilpkonn · on maailma suurim elav kilpkonn, endeemne liik Galápagose saartel. · Täiskasvanud kilpkonnad kaaluvad üle 300 kilogrammi ning on umbes 1,2 meetrit pikad. · Nende eluiga arvatakse olevat 200 aastat. Suurimad saared · Isabela · Santa Cruz · San Salvador · Fernandina · San Cristóbal · Floreana (Santa Maria) · Marchen · Española · Pinta · Santa Fe · Genovesa · Pinzón ja Baltra. Isabela · Saar on nime saanud Hispaania kuninganna Isabella auks. · Pindala 4640 ruutkilomeetrit. · Saar on mägine ja vulkaaniline, kõrgus kuni u. 1700 meetrit. · Kuulub Ecuadorile. Fernandina · Pindala 635 ruutkilomeetrit. · Saar on mägine ja vulkaaniline, kõrgus kuni 1134 meetrit. · Kuulub Ecuadorile. · Saar on asustamata.
and were formed separately from other land masses as a result of volcanic eruptions. The Galapagos were discovered in 1535 by Fray Toms de Berlanga, the Bishop of Panama. He was sailing from Panama to Peru when he accidentally discovered the islands. Islands became a favorite hideout for Pirates and the favorite location for whale hunters. After whales were locally cleared the whalers went there for tortoises, an estimated 200 000 or more adults had been removed. The island of Floreana was populated with a group of convicts' in October 1832. Charls Darwin visited the island in 1835, he spent there 5 weeks. Nowadays five of the islands are populated with about 40 000 inhabitants. The name Island of Galapagos means island of tortoises. Every animal or plant had to cross about 1000 km of open ocean to arrive on Galapagos. Despite the trials of arrival, over 560 species of native plants, over 55 species of native land vertebrates and 1700 species of native insect are found on
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