A couple of days ago, I was driving friends who had just returned from a European cruise home. They loved the trip and I was eager to learn about their experiences. It was a long drive and the subject moved to what next. Al mentioned that one of the trips he wanted to make was to the Galapagos. Naturally, I was curious to know why ? And he thought I was joking. Everyone knows that Galapagos is the place where Darwin figured out the Theory of Evolution and has all of the animal species.
I obviously was not paying enough attention in school as I had no idea. But I guess its never too late to learn, and so I checked out the Galapagos Islands. I'm sure most of you know all about it. However if you are like me, check it out. Its interesting and fascinating.
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History of the Galapagos Islands
Natural History
The natural history of the Galapagos Islands has fascinated visitors since their most famous guest landed there in 1845. Darwin's observations during his voyage on the HMS Beagle laid the foundation for a theory that greatly impacted western thought --the theory of evolution.
Upon rediscovery of the islands, your mind will also reel with delight --leaving you slack-jawed with awe, your camera flashing.
Amid the volcanic geography of these islands 600 miles in the Pacific Ocean, plant life takes root in basalt rock, centurion turtles roam and penguins swim in equatorial waters.
In the 450 years of human history, the islands have been used as prison colonies, naval ports and research stations.
Charles Darwin in the Galapagos
Perhaps our first association with the word "Galapagos" is the name "Darwin." Darwin's visit to the Galapagos Islands had a resounding impact on the formation of his Theory of Natural Selection.
A rather unmotivated and failing medical scholar, Charles Darwin accompanied Captain Robert Fitzroy as a travel companion and naturalist on the HMS Beagle. His book the Voyage of the Beagle is an account of his worldwide journey.
When setting off from England in 1831 for a five-year voyage, Darwin had little ambitions for groundbreaking scientific research. After surveying the coasts of South America, the ship stopped over in the Galapagos Islands.
During his visit to the islands, Darwin noted that the unique creatures were similar from island to island, but perfectly adapted to their environments which led him to ponder the origin of the islands' inhabitants.
Among those that struck Darwin so greatly were the finches that are now named in his honor. Darwin would later base some of his thought from the supposing that these finches were all descendents of the same lineage.
Years later in 1859, Darwin finally consolidated all of his observations into his famous book On The Origin of Species, drastically and controversially altering the scientific view on the biological origins of life.
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https://www.galapagosislands.com/
And after all of this, The Galapagos Islands is on my "To Visit" list.
For those who want to read even more, about Charles Darwin and the Galepagos Islands, here's an interesting article on the subject.
Gálapagos Islands and Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
K R Shivanna
https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/023/04/0465-0478
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