The Galápagos Islands form the Galápagos Province of Ecuador and are all part of the country's national park system. The islands have a population of around 40,000 and the principal language on the islands is Spanish.

The islands are geologically young and famed for their vast number of endemic species which were studied by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle that contributed to the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

The Galápagos Islands were short-listed as a candidate to be one of the New7Wonders of Nature by the New Seven Wonders of the World Foundation. As of February 2009 the archipelago was ranking first in Group B, the category for islands.[1]

DARWIN & THE HMS BEAGLE
The second voyage of HMS Beagle from 27 December 1831 to 2 October 1836 was the second survey expedition of HMS Beagle, under captain Robert FitzRoy who had taken over command of the ship on its first voyage after her previous captain committed suicide. FitzRoy had already thought of the advantages of having an expert in geology on board, and sought a gentleman naturalist who could be his companion while the ship was at sea. The young graduate Charles Darwin had hoped to see the tropics before becoming a parson, and took this opportunity. By the end of the expedition he had already made his name as a geologist and fossil collector, and the publication of his journal which became known as The Voyage of the Beagle gave him wide renown as a writer.

The Beagle sailed across the Atlantic Ocean then carried out detailed hydrographic surveys around the coasts of the southern part of South America, returning via Tahiti and Australia having circumnavigated the Earth. While the expedition was originally planned to last two years, it lasted almost five. A watercolour by HMS Beagle's draughtsman, Conrad Martens. Painted during the survey of Tierra del Fuego, it depicts native Fuegians hailing the Beagle.

Darwin spent most of this time exploring on land; three years and three months on land, 18 months at sea.[1] Early in the voyage he decided that he could write a book about geology, and he showed a gift for theorising. At Punta Alta he made a major find of gigantic fossils of extinct mammals, then known from only a very few specimens. He ably collected and made detailed observations of plants and animals, with results that shook his belief that species were fixed and provided the basis for ideas which came to him when back in England, and led to his theory of evolution by natural selection.

ABOUT US: I am a California artist inspired by the beauty of nature & especially of wildlife! My Wild Galapagos Shop came about when my family went on an adventure vacation trip to the Islands. I did not get to go, but I was awed by what they showed me when they got back. Using their photos I created poster style emblems for Galapagos Tees & gifts working on them in Photoshop to give them an artistic feel. I also used other photos that I have found on the subject of flora & fauna of the Galapagos Islands. This shop will help you explore this exotic rare wildlife sanctuary like no other on earth! It was a labor of love. I hope you enjoy it and consider it for your next vacation spot. I decided to add links to other resources for you to find Galapagos subject matter & goodies for your adventure trip of a lifetime!

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