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1978
NATURAL HERITAGE SITE
On September 8, 1978, UNESCO declared
the Galapagos a Natural Heritage Site
for its scientific prestige and to support
the conservation efforts of the National
Park. The General Secretary visited the
islands in 1984 to proclaim it himself. |
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1998
INTERPRETATION CENTER
On August 12, 1998, Prince Felipe of Spain
arrived aboard the Galapagos Explorer
II to inaugurate the Interpretation Center
on San Cristobal Island.
March 18: Special law
for Galapagos islands is created.
- Creation of the Galapagos Marine Reserve
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1999 ANNIVERSARY
GALAPAGOS PARK SERVICE

July 4: 40th Anniversary
of the Galapagos National Park Service,
government organization in charge of
controlling and managing the protected
areas of Galapagos ( islands and marine
reserve ).
March 18: The Master
Management Plan of the Galapagos Marine
Reserve is approved.
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2000
TORTOISE HAVE BEEN SENT BACK TO ESPAÑOLA
ISLAND
March 25: Thanks to the successful
breeding program in captivity that the
Galapagos National Park Service and the
Charles Darwin Research Station
carry, one thousand land tortoises have
been sent back to Española island.
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2001
December 2: The Galapagos
Marine Reserve is declared Human kind
Natural Heritage Site by the UNESCO.
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2002
THE RAMSAR CONVENTION
September 17: The wet
lands of the southern side of Isabela
island were
declared international important places
by the RAMSAR Convention. |
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2003
25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
September 8: 25th Anniversary
of the Galapagos islands being Human kind
Natural Heritage Site. |
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PREHISTORY
Ancient archeological remains have been
found which indicated that the historical
inhabitants of the Ecuadorian coast arrived
on "Balsas" or a floating crafts
and a sailing technique, which allowed
them to go far out to sea. There are no
traces of permanent settlements because
they were probably accidental trips and
lost at sea; therefore, it was very difficult
for them to return. |
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1535
DISCOVERY
The islands were discovered by Tomas de
Berlanga, they found two islands and they
saw three more, one of them, the largest,
was Isabela. They named them Galapagos
because of the similarity of the tortoise’s
shell on a Spanish saddle. The lack of
water and abundance of rocks caused a
negative impression at first. |
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1561
FIRST MAP OF THE ISLAND
The islands soon appeared on maps. The
first was a map from 1561, soon they appeared
on the Dutch maps like Mercator (1569)
and Ortelius (1570). The name the "Enchanted
Islands" appeared on a map by Ortelius
of 1589. Guerrit’s map of 1622 shows three
islands identified as Isabela, Santa Cruz,
and San Cristobal. |
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1680
PIRATES AND BUCCNEERS IN THE 17th CENTURY
The islands continued to be forgotten
for more than a century until the English
pirates realized they were an ideal base
for attacking, (the Spanish trade ships)
hiding out, repairing their boats, stocking
up on water and tortoise meat for later
journeys. The first expedition was that
of John Cook and Richard Hawkins (1680).
The second expedition in 1684 (Cook and
E. Davis) was more intense and prolonged.
They traveled the surrounding seas until
1688. The third was by Rogers and Countney
who stayed from 1707 until 1711. With
these expeditions began the exploitation
of the tortoises. |
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1684
COWLEY AND THE FIRST ENGLISH NAMES
In the expedition of John Cook in 1684,
a long traveled William Dampier, who has
left us a long legacy, and Ambrose Cowley
made the first comprehensive map of the
islands and gave them the English names,
which last until today. Dedicating them
to several sponsors or friends: The island
of King Charles, Crossman, Brattle, Antony
Dean, and the Duke of York, Norfolk, Albemarle,
and Narborough. The map shows for the
first time the approximate position of
the islands, although some of them are
difficult to identify, lake "Charles Island"
which could be one of the islands currently
known as Floreana, Española, or San Cristobal. |
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1744
SPANISH EXPLORATION OF THE ISLANDS
Although they didn’t give much importance
to the Galapagos in the first centuries,
they explored them and gave some names,
known as "the ancient Spanish names",
but without clearly identifying them.
Therefore "Isla de la Salud" or "Santa
Maria" was probably the island currently
known as Floreana; "San Bernabe" the currently
Isla Santiago; "Mascarin" was probably
Española; "La Isla de Tabaco", San Cristobal.
Later the "Isla Santa Isabela" would be
identified as Isabela. The "Islas Santa
Maria" (Tortuga, Crossman), appear in
several French maps. In 1744, the Geographic
Source made a clearer map with several
Spanish names that haven’t been conserved. |
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1788-1860
WHALERS IN GALAPAGOS: COLNETT
Several English whalers discovered that
the whales migrated to the Galapagos to
breed. In 1788, the ship Emilia arrived
to England with 140 tons of oil and 888
sea lion skins. Soon after, the Beaver
of Nantucket (USA) returned with 1,300
tons of whale oil. It was the beginning
of a virtual stampede. In 1793, Captain
James Colnett arrived in the H.M.S. Rattler
to study the possibilities of establishing
a whaling station in the South Pacific.
By the end of the century, no less than
40 whalers, English and American frequented
the water of Galapagos during the time
of the whales to stock up on water, tortoises
and sea lion skins. It will never be known
how many thousands of tortoise were sacrificed
and taken from the islands. |
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19th
CENTURY THE FIRST INHIBITIANT: PATRICK
WATKINS
In the beginning of the 19th century,
an Irish sailor was abandoned on Charles
Island (Floreana), his name was Patrick
Watkins and he is considered the first
inhabitant of the islands. He cultivated
vegetables, which he traded to the whalers
for rum to get drunk. Several years later,
he managed to take some boats and some
men whom he treated like slaves. With
them, he took to sea but he arrived in
Guayaquil alone. He then went to Patia
where he convinced a mulatto woman to
accompany him back to the island. He was
arrested when trying to steal a ship and
he spent the rest of his days. |
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1832.
ECUADOR CLAIMS RIGHTS TO GALAPAGOS
Although the islands belonged to Quito
during the colonial years, after the independence
they couldn’t be considered anybody’s
land. For this reason the General Jose
Villamil, born in Louisiana and residing
in Guayaquil, suggested officially incorporating
the Archipielago into the new Republic.
The Colonel Ignacio Hernandez, delegate
of the governor, performed the ceremony
February 12, 1832 on the island of Floreana,
which took this name in honor of the first
president of Ecuador, Juan Jose Flores.
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1832-1837
THE FIRST COLONIZATION
General Jose Villamil organized a colonizing
company with the illusion of converting
the archipelago into a place of peace
(the first town was called "The asylum
of peace"), of progress and of the regeneration
of criminals and rebel soldiers, by means
of work. Villamil moved to the island
on October 12, 1832 to try make his dreams
come true. In the beginning, everything
seemed to prosper but the presence of
criminals destroyed the environment and
ended up destroying the colony. In 1836,
Villamil released domesticated animals
(cows, horses, and donkeys) on the main
islands. To take advantage of the grass
and they reproduced very quickly, together
with the wild animals that were left over
from the previous colonization (dogs,
cats, pigs, and goats) they turned into
a danger for the ecology of the islands. |
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1835
CHARLES DARWIN IN GALAPAGOS
On September 15, 1835, Captain Robert
Fitz Roy arrive to the Galapagos on the
"Beagle" as part of a trip around the
world with the young naturalist Charles
Darwin. They first visited Chatham Island
(San Cristobal), and later Charles Island
(Floreana). They sailed between Narborough
and disembarked on Santiago. While the
officials on board the Beagle drew a map
of the islands, Charles Darwin studied
and collected samples of the flora and
fauna. His observation of the diversity
of species on the islands would be the
basis for the later elaboration of the
Theory of Evolution. The Galapagos would
be seen from under a different light,
a virtual laboratory of evolution. |
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1850-1860
THE PRISON
After Villamil left the island, the Galapagos
was considered an ideal site for a prison,
as its distance from the mainland made
escape nearly impossible and the inmates
would have sufficient food and water to
survive. Sometimes the prisoners were
without supplies, which prompted the delinquents
to commit other crimes. A prisoner named
Briones, who captured whaling boat, escaped
with other prisoners to the mainland,
and killed 28 men in the entrance to the
Gulf of Guayaquil, committed the most
famous crime. This incident provoked a
strong controversy, because the owners
of the whaling ship demanded large payments
as compensation and the Government of
the United States and threatened to send
war ships if they didn’t pay. |
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1869-1878
SECOND COLONIZATION
1860, a whaler discovered the orchilla
lichen, a valuable plant for dyeing. Several
businessmen tried to exploit it, among
them Mr. Jose Valdizan, a Spanish businessman
residing in Guayaquil. He obtained exclusive
rights in 1869 and moved to the islands
of Floreana where he organized plantations
once the business of the orchilla crashed.
He believed, against the opinion of everyone
that he could take delinquents to work
on his properties and win them over with
kindness and work. He was treacherously
murdered July 23, 1878. The island was
abandoned, the domesticated animals and
cattle went wild and the workers didn’t
want to return because they considered
it a "cursed island". |
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1879-1904
J. COBO’S EMPIRE
Starting in 1879, on the island of San
Cristobal, Manuel J. Cobos formed an advanced
agricultural center, called "El Progreso",
not far from the port. The first products
included leather from the feral cattle,
oil from tortoises and fishing, while
sugar cane plantations were prepared for
a factory, which was installed in 1891.
Various ships maintained an active trade
with Guayaquil. Unfortunately, "El Progreso"
turned into a concentration camp with
forced labor and where the will of Cobos
was the only law. He imposed his own circulation,
made decisions regarding the life, death
or exile to isolated islands of many of
his workers. Camilo Casanova was exiled
to the Island of Santa Cruz, becoming
an exact replica of Robison Crusoe. M.J.
Cobos was assassinated by a group of his
workers on January 15, 1904. |
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1850-1940
GALAPAGOS’ STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE
The strategic location of the islands
became very important as the time drew
near for the opening of the Panama Canal.
Various European and North American powers
looked for any way to buy or rent some
or all the islands, to be used as a fueling
station for Navy ships, or more importantly,
for the defense of the Canal on the Pacific
side. They even tried to declare the islands
"res nullius" (no man’s lands). Ecuador
resisted this pressure, but ceded some
of the islands to be used for defense
during World War II. |
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1926-1929:
THE NORWEGIANS
The Norwegians had shown an interest in
the Galapagos since 1880 owing to the
abundance of fish and opportunities to
hunt whales. In 1908, a Norwegian sailboat
crashed on the West Side of the archipelago
and part of the crew was abandoned on
the island of Santa Cruz for many months.
Upon their return to Norway, they convinced
many of their countrymen to immigrate
to the islands. Many groups arrived during
1926 and two colonies were formed on Floreana
and Santa Cruz. Unfortunately, the conditions
weren’t as they had expected and in less
than two years, the majority of the immigrants
had returned to Norway. Captain Bruun
of the Norwegian marines made a final
attempt to colonize the islands, but he
died tragically on Isabela in July of
1931. |
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1929-1934:
THE GERMANS IN FLOREANA
In August 1929, Doctor Friedrich Ritter
and Dore Stranch arrive to the island
of Floreana, two lovers anxious to live
under their own philosophy, isolated from
their decadent civilization. Their writings
attracted others with similar ideas, but
none of them lasted long except for the
Wittmer family (Heinz, Marget, and Harris)
from Cologne. A few months later, an Austrian
woman arrived, who introduced herself
as the Baroness together with three lovers,
and the island was transformed into a
small hell, due to intrigues of the new
inhabitants. The first lover returned
to the mainland after a few weeks.

In March 1934, the Baroness disappeared
with one of her lovers, Phillipson, and
even though Margret affirms that they
went on a yacht to the Pacific Island,
no one has given any credit to her story.
Margret convinced Lorenz, the surviving
lover, to return to Germany. He disappeared
along with another Danish man, Nuggerud,
before arriving to the island of San Cristobal.
A few months later, Dr. Ritter was poisoned
(on purpose or by accident?) by Dore,
and died. In December, the mummified bodies
of Lorenz and Nuggerud were found on the
island of Marchena. Out of the seven colonists
four died mysteriously, this mystery has
never been solved. However, the Wittmer
family still lives on the island. |
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1936
THE FIRST AIRPLANES
William Robinson lived on his yacht in
Tagus Cove, studying the flora and fauna
of the islands, when he suffered a serious
attack of appendicitis and his situation
quickly became desperate. Luckily, the
tuna clipper the "Santa Cruz" was nearby
and contacted the Marines based in the
Panama Canal by radio. Once permission
was granted, two hydroplanes took off
for the islands, followed by the destroyer
"Hale". They arrived on time to save his
life, and flights to the islands were
installed. The first airplane flight,
which carried mail from the Canal Zone
to the Galapagos, took place on February
6, 1936. A commemorative stamp was created.
The first commercial flights arrived on
January 3, 1959, with the LIA airlines
and later with TAME Ecuador’s airline
(June 6, 1963), and once again, booklets
of commemorative stamps were created.
TAME still has flights to the Galapagos.
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1942-1949
GALAPAGOS IN WW I
The United States considered the Galapagos
essential to the vigilance of the Canal.
Since 1928, the US having studied all
of the alternatives in case of a war in
the Pacific, chose the island of Baltra
as the principal base, and accumulated
everything necessary in the Canal Zone
("the Galapagos Units"). Aerial vigilance
began Five days after the Japanese attack
on Pearl Harbor. March of 1942, operations
at the base began: the U.S. built 3 airstrips
(the first airplane, a B24 landed in May)
the marines had their center in the adjacent
"Eolian Cove" and constructed a dock (which
is still being used), hydroplane ramps,
etc. In total, the Beta Base, as it was
called, could house six thousand men.
Even though the Beta Base never had to
face an emergency, the Union recognized
that the Galapagos had played an important
role, and for that reason they tried to
buy or retain the base after the war.
The official turnover took place in 1946,
but the last contingents didn’t leave
until the beginning of 1949. |
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1946-1959
PENAL COLONY
The Wall of Tears
Once again, Ecuador made the error of
opening a penal colony on the Galapagos
Islands. In 1946, it was used as military
installations on an alternative base,
which operated during the war. Unfortunately,
the situation grew worse and the colony
turned into a concentration camp until
1950, when a police chief forced the people
of the penal colony to construct a wall.
This wall is known as "the wall of tears".
In February 1958, there was an uprising,
an intelligent prisoner named "Patecuco",
disarmed police and took "Valinda" the
yacht that belonging to an American millionaire
and used it to escape to the mainland.
No deaths occurred during the uprising,
but the incident caused international
repercussions and the government shut
down the penal colony and stopped sending
prisoners to the islands. |
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1936-1959
FIRST PRESERVATION ATTEMPTS
Ecological preservation attempts
Various scientific expeditions at the
beginning of this century sounded the
alarm of the killing of the giant tortoise
and of the danger of their disappearance.
The events of the incorporation of the
islands to Ecuador (1932) and of the visit
of Charles Darwin (1935) were the occasions
when the Ecuadorian government took measures
for the conservation of the animals. In
1936, the islands were declared a National
Reserve with stricter regulations. Finally,
in 1954, a movement was started to protect
the species of the Galapagos and to found
a center for scientific investigations
on the islands.
The Ecuadorian government declared the
Galapagos Islands a National Park on July
4, 1959. |
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1968
NATIONAL PARK
In 1968, the National Park Service for
the Galapagos was initiated. It started
as a part of the Forest Service of the
Ministry of Agriculture. |
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