Ecuador is one of South America's smallest countries. The Spanish-speaking nation straddles the equator, and while the mainland territory is a land of Andean peaks, Amazon rainforest, and fertile coast, the country is most known for the land 1000 kilometers (625 miles) to the west: the Galapagos Islands.
Sprinkled over 45 000 square kilometers (28 000 square miles) of Pacific ocean, the islands of the Archipelago of Colon are better known as the Galapagos Islands, where Charles Darwin did much of his research to support his book, "The Origin of the Species by Natural Selection." Visitors to the island won't be disappointed with the unique wildlife made famous by Darwin's theories.
UNESCO declared the islands a World Heritage Site in 1978, and birds, reptiles, and sharks grace the frames of the following pictures, all taken within the Galapagos islands. The unique geology of the place hasn't been forgotten, with panoramic shots of the cold lava flow in James Bay, and the volcanic landscapes of Bartolome Island.
Underwater photographs take you swimming with the sharks, while the bright orange rock crab adds color to the islands' beaches. Colorful birds flock to the trees and rocks of the coast, from sea-going Blue-footed Booby to the bright red insect-eating Vermilion Flycatcher.
Each island of the Galapagos (and there are dozens, if one were to include each islet and rock thrust to the sea's surface by still-active volcanoes) is a special treat for tourists, geologists, and biologists alike.
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