Galapagos Island:

1 – The Galapagos are an isolated group of volcanic islands on the Equator, 600 miles west of Equator.
There are thirteen big islands and six smaller one in the group and many tiny islets( ilhotas).
Five of the islands are inhabited with a population of about 9,300 people who make a living mainly from tourism, fishing, and farming ( pesca e agricultura).
Santa Cruz is the second largest island in the Galapagos.
It has the largest population because all the tourism is there.

2 – A bishop from Panama discovered the Galapagos islands´ in 1535.
The bishop (bispo) named the island after the giant tortoises (tartarugas) that live there.
The tortoises provided fresh meat (carne fresca) for sailors (pescadores), pirates, and seal and whale hunters ( gaivotas e caçadores de baleia) ,

who used the islands as a base for next three centuries.

3 – Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1835 and stayed for five weeks, observing the wildlife ( vida selvagem).
Equador officially claimed the island in 1832, and the Galapagos became a national park in 1959.

4 – The islands are famous for their incredible wildlife and beautiful scenery. The Galapagos are a very popular tourism destination.
20,000 people visited in 2003, but only if you a lot of money! It is of the most expensive place in the world to visit because the fair-trade the consuming products (consumo de produtos industrias e comerciais)re necessary to bring far from the islands.