Week3 People

Hello everyone.
In this week, I’m going to introduce people in the Galapagos Islands.


There are about three kinds of people in the Galapagos Islands. I will talk about them.

・The natives
You maybe think that the natives of Galapagos Islands have primitive life like uninhabited island. But there are supermarkets and Internet cafes and so on and elementary schools and hospitals are established. Natives live with nature and they do agriculture manually without agricultural chemicals and tractor. The contents of work are influenced by the weather because of it. Because a beach is very familiar for natives, a beach is crowded by many people in not only weekend but also a weekday if it is fine. The sea turtles and the sea lions sail in the beach near the center of a town. The distance between nature and humans are very near. Although people are not doing the rich life at all, they all love Galapagos.

・The tourists
The main industries of the Galapagos Islands are sightseeing. About 150,000 tourists come to the Galapagos Islands every year and 67 percent of people are foreigners. Every tourist who visits to the Galapagos Islands are burdened a charge. The charge brings the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador the big economic effect. The rule is prepared for landing at the Galapagos Islands and the tourists must follow this rule. The outlines of a rule are not touching an animals, not doing it move things even as a stone, not carrying an animal and a plant and not collecting nature of Galapagos Islands and carry it out. Based on it, it is determined that the sightseeing does not influence environment. Tourists' action in the Galapagos Islands is restricted greatly but Galapagos’ animals may be seen, so they don’t disappoint tourists’ expectations.

・The Volunteers
Volunteer people who are doing various activities are in the Galapagos Islands. Volunteer people are not only from Ecuador a also from foreign countries. the most important activity which protects the Galapagos' unique ecosystem is the removal activities of an exotic plants. About 600 kinds of exotic plants came to the Galapagos Islands and they are breeding under quiet climate. They threaten unique plants. The volunteer team protects the forests which leave the original ecosystem of unique plants from the influence of exotic plants. Concretely, they remove the exotic plants by their hand or a weed killer to lower their power. By steady activity, the condition is improving little by little.


Next week, I will talk about Galapagos’ animals.
Thank you for your reading. See you later.

Week2 History

Hello everyone.

In the second week, I will talk about the Galapagos Islands’ history.

・The discovery and The pirates

In1535, Spanish bishop, Fray Tomás de Berlanga, who sailed from Panama toward South America discovered the Galapagos Islands. The Incaic Empire in South America has yielded to Pissarro's army several years ago. Fray Tomás de Berlanga was an evangelist who goes to the conquest place. While going south along the continent, the ship was caught by the ocean current which flows into the west and Galapagos was discovered accidentally. This is the first time that human beings landed at the Galapagos Islands. There are some persons who explain that the Inca's people had come before it. However, the opinion does not still proved. After collapse of the Incaic Empire, the Spain ship advanced into Panama and South America. When it entered in the 17th century, the pirate ship which attacks the Spain ship which carries out gold and silver from the Inca appeared. The pirate ships hid in the lee of an island of Galapagos,and they pillaged repeatedly. There are peoples who made the map of the Galapagos islands and named islands’ names. It is used as an English name now.

・The whaler and The settlement

From the 18th century till the middle of the 19th century, the whaler worked actively in the ocean surrounding the Galapagos Islands. Two accidents on the nature of Galapagos appear from the time. One of the accidents is increase of goats. The time the pirate ship was in Galapagos Islands, goats were put on the ship as food and a little goat were released to some islands. The increased goats become pirates’ food. After the whaler appeared, breeding of a goat became much more active. The other is overhunting of giant tortoises. The meat of the giant tortoise was very delicious and giant tortoises were easy to get. 14000 giant tortoises were captured in 30 years in early 19th century. In 1832, Ecuador declared possession of the Galapagos Islands and settle of people started. Floreana, San Cristobal, Isabela, and the Sierra Negrra Volcano were the target of exploitation and settlement. The area along the shore and the mountain side were cultivated. Isla Santa Cruz which the greatest population in Galapagos Islands has now was not the target of settlement until 1935.

・Now

The air route was established between a continent and Galapagos in 1968. Before it, there were only two liners per month. After the air route was established, Galapagos’ people’s life became better than before. This air route is what the U.S. Forces made during World War II from the first. However, because Baltra, the island in which the air port is, was an uninhabited island, to the place in which people live, it is neccesary to arrange a pickup ship by the letter or telegram. But the crossing road between Baltra and Santa Cruz in 1976 was established. Then, various means of transportation were established. Galapagos Islands had become a tourist area. Galapagos Islands became more modernistic as it became more famous.

Next week, I’m going to introduce the Galapagos Islands’ people.

Thank you for your reading. See you then.

Week1 Geography

Hello, everyone. my name is Mineto.

I’m going to write a blog about Galapagos Islands. Galapagos Islands are very famous for unique animals. I am very interested in the ecology of the Galapagos’ animals. This is the reason why I decided the blog theme.  I’m not good at English. But I will do my best.

In the first week, I will introduce the geography and the islands in Galapagos Islands.

First, I will talk about the geography of Galapagos.

Galapagos Islands is in Ecuador. They are located about 900km west from mainland of Ecuador. There are a number of large and small islands and reefs. The distance between the northern end and southern end is 220km.

Galapagos Islands are volcanic islands. There are volcanoes which continue volcanic activity now.

Galapagos Islands have 13 main islands.  Next, I will introduce some islands.

・Santa Cruz

   It is the second largest island in Galapagos. It is a center of commerce, government, geography.

・Bartolomé

It has conical volcano.

・Santiago

   In the past, pirates and whalers lived there. Darwin came there.

   Santiago is most damaged by feral goat and pigs. Because there are many people from ancient times and they came there with goat and pigs.

・San Cristóbal

 It is the most eastern, the fifth largest and the second most populous island in Galapagos.

 There is Puerto Bakeriso Moreno, the capital of Galapagos.

 There is a main airport.

・Santa Fé

    It is famous for Santa Fe Land Iguana which lives only there.

・Española

  It is the most southern and the most oldest island in Galapagos.

・Floreana

  It is an island people settled the earliest.

  There are rich soil and water.

・Isabela

  It is the largest island in Galapagos. It is formed of six volcanoes. It is relatively young island.

  Mt.Wolf located there is the highest in the Islands.

・Fernandina

  It is the most western and the third largest and one of the youngest island in Galapagos.

Volcanic activity is still thriving there.

・Genovesa

This small island, Genovesa is known as the paradise of birds. Red-footed Booby, Magnificent frigatebird, Swallow-tailed gull, Masked Boody, Galapagos Red-billed Tropicbird and Mimus polyglottos live there.

・Seymour Norte

There is a colony of Galapagos Blue-footed Booby and Galapagos Magnificent Frigatebird.

Galapagos Land Iguanas live there.

・Pinzón

It is an island ordinary people can not enter.

・Rábida

It located the center of Galapagos. The island’s beach’s sand is red. There are many Galapagos Sea Lions.

・Darwin&Wolf

They are famous dive sites.

Filally, I will introduce next week’s topic. I will talk about Galapagos Islands’ history.

Galapagos Islands’ history is very interesting because people who live there have a big impact on Galapagos Islands’ ecology.

Thank you for your reading! See you then.