Where are the Galápagos Islands?

The volcanic archipelago has 13 major islands and many smaller ones, formed as the ocean floor moves over a volcanic hotspot. Because the islands were never connected to the mainland, their animals evolved in isolation, producing species found nowhere else, such as giant tortoises, marine iguanas and flightless cormorants. Charles Darwin visited aboard HMS Beagle in 1835, and his observations later helped shape his theory of evolution by natural selection. In 1978 the islands became one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Strict rules now limit visitors to protect the fragile ecosystem.