GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST IMPORTANT NATURAL AND CULTURAL WONDERS

 

 Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

  

The 19 islands and surrounding marine reserve that are the Galapagos Islands are part of a unique archipelago of unusual animals, plant life and seismic activity that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Situated in the Pacific Ocean some 1,000 km  (620 miles) from the South American continent, these 19 islands and the surrounding marine reserve have been called a unique ‘living museum and showcase of evolution’. Located at the confluence of three ocean currents, the Galápagos are a ‘melting pot’ of marine species. Ongoing seismic and volcanic activity reflects the processes that formed the islands. These processes, together with the extreme isolation of the islands, led to the development of unusual animal life – such as the land iguana, the giant tortoise and the many types of finch – that inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection following his visit in 1835.

  Residents include the blue-footed booby, giant tortoises, flightless cormorants and marine iguanas.

Some 97% of the total emerged surface was declared a National Park in 1959. The Galapagos Marine Reserve was created in 1986 with an area of 70,000 kilometers and was expanded to 133,000 kilometers in 1998.

more photos:

    

Also in Ecuador is the City of Quito, a place of natural wonders.

Named for the Quitus, who lived in the area before the Spanish conquest, the capital city of Ecuador was built in the 16th century on the ruins of an Incan city. Despite many earthquakes, especially the 1917 earthquake, the city has the best-preserved, least altered historic centre in Latin America. The monasteries of San Francisco and Santo Domingo, and the Church and Jesuit College of La Compañía, with their rich interiors, are pure examples of the 'Baroque school of Quito', which is a fusion of Spanish, Italian, Moorish, Flemish and indigenous art.

 

 Quito, the capital of Ecuador, forms a harmonious ensemble sui generis, where the actions of man and nature are brought together to create a work unique and transcendental of its kind. With its historic center and its buildings the city is an outstanding example of the Baroque school of Quito, a fusion of European and indigenous art.
The city occupies a small basin in the great central plateau formed by the volcano Pichincha, the Puengasi ridge, and ridges formed by spurs from the eastern side of Pichincha. The land upon which Quito is built is uneven and is traversed by two deep ravines (quebradas), one of which is arched over in great part to preserve the alignment of the streets, the drainage of which escapes through a cleft in the ridge northward to the plain of Tumbaco.

Source: unesco