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Introducing Galapagos

The Galapagos Islands are located on the equator. Found in the Pacific Ocean, they lie around 1,000 kilometres west of the coast of South America. The Islands are part of the country of Ecuador, and the Ecuadorian mainland is their nearest neighbour.

There are 13 main islands, six smaller islands and over 100 islets (mini islands) that make up the Galapagos Islands. This group of islands and islets is known as an archipelago and was formed by underwater volcanic activity. The Galapagos archipelago still has 13 active volcanoes.

Covering 7,880 km2, the Galapagos Islands have a total land area around five times the size of Greater London. Isabela, the largest island, has an area of 5,727 km2 and makes up almost ¾ of the total Galapagos land area.

Visit our Discovering Galapagos website to find out more about the islands and explore our teaching resources.