Isabela Island is the largest island of the Galápagos with an area of 4,640 km², and length of 62 miles (100km) nearly 4 times larger than Santa Cruz, the next largest of the islands. This island was named in honor of Queen Isabella of
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, who sponsored the voyage of
ColumbusChristopher Columbus was a navigator, colonizer and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness of the American continents in the Western Hemisphere...
. . By the English, it was named
Albemarle after
the Duke of AlbemarleGeorge Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG was an English soldier and politician and a key figure in the restoration of Charles II.-Early life and career:...
.
One of the youngest islands, Isabela is located on the western edge of the archipelago near the
Galápagos hotspotGalápagos hotspot is a volcanic hotspot in the East Pacific Ocean responsible for the creation of the Galapagos Islands as well as three major aseismic ridge systems, Carnegie, Cocos and Malpelso which are on two tectonic plates. The hotspot is located near the Equator on the Nazca Plate not far...
.
Isabela Island is the largest island of the Galápagos with an area of 4,640 km², and length of 62 miles (100km) nearly 4 times larger than Santa Cruz, the next largest of the islands. This island was named in honor of Queen Isabella of
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, who sponsored the voyage of
ColumbusChristopher Columbus was a navigator, colonizer and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness of the American continents in the Western Hemisphere...
. . By the English, it was named
Albemarle after
the Duke of AlbemarleGeorge Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG was an English soldier and politician and a key figure in the restoration of Charles II.-Early life and career:...
.
Geology
One of the youngest islands, Isabela is located on the western edge of the archipelago near the
Galápagos hotspotGalápagos hotspot is a volcanic hotspot in the East Pacific Ocean responsible for the creation of the Galapagos Islands as well as three major aseismic ridge systems, Carnegie, Cocos and Malpelso which are on two tectonic plates. The hotspot is located near the Equator on the Nazca Plate not far...
. At approximately 1 million years old, the island was formed by the merger of 6
shield volcanoA shield volcano is a large volcano with shallow-sloping sides. Shield volcanoes are formed from fluid lava that can travel long distances across slight inclines, resulting in their relatively flat, broad profile...
es - Alcedo, Cerro Azul, Darwin, Ecuador,
Sierra NegraSierra Negra is a large shield volcano at the South eastern end of Isabela Island in the Galapagos that rises to an altitude of 1124m. It coalesces with the volcanoes Cerro Azul to the west and Alcedo to the north...
and
WolfVolcán Wolf is the highest peak in the Galapagos Islands and is situated on Isabela Island and reaches and is the highest point in the Galapagos Islands...
. All of these volcanoes except Ecuador are still active, making it one of the most volcanically active places on earth. Two of the volcanoes, Volcan Ecuador and Volcan Wolf (the island's highest point with an altitude of 5,600 feet or 1,707 meters), lie directly on the equator. The island is primarily noted for its geology, providing excellent examples of a geologic occurrence that created the
Galapagos IslandsThe Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, 972 km west of continental Ecuador...
including uplifts at Urvina Bay and the Bolivar Channel, tuff cones at Tagus Cove, and Pulmace on Alcedo and Sierra Negra, one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
Wildlife
Isabela is also interesting for its flora and fauna. The young island does not follow the vegetation zones of the other islands. The relatively new lava fields and surrounding soils have not developed the sufficient nutrients required to support the varied life zones found on other islands. Another obvious difference occurs on Volcan Wolf and Cerro Azul, these volcanoes loft above the cloud cover and are arid on top.
Isabela's rich animal, bird, and marine life is beyond compare. Isabela is home to more wild tortoises than all the other islands. Isabela's large size and notable topography created barriers for the slow moving tortoises; apparently the creatures were unable to cross lava flows and other obstacles, causing several different sub-species of tortoise to develop. Today tortoises roam free in the calderas of Alcedo, Wolf, Cerro Azul, Darwin and Sierra Negra.
Other noted species include
penguinThe Galapagos Penguin is a penguin endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It is the only penguin to live on the equator and can survive due to the cool temperatures resulting from the Humboldt Current and cool waters from great depths brought up by the Cromwell Current. Its nearest relatives are the...
s,
cormorantThe Flightless Cormorant , also known as the Galapagos Cormorant, is a cormorant native to the Galapagos Islands, and an example of the highly unusual fauna there. It is unique in that it is the only cormorant that has lost the ability to fly...
s,
marine iguanaThe Marine Iguana is an iguana found only on the Galapagos Islands that has the ability, unique among modern lizards, to live and forage in the sea. It has spread to all the islands in the archipelago, and is sometimes called the Galapagos Marine Iguana...
s,
boobieA booby is a seabird in the Sula genus, part of the Sulidae family. Boobies are closely related to the gannets , which were formerly included in Sula....
s,
pelicanThe Brown Pelican is the smallest of the eight species of pelican, although it is a large bird in nearly every other regard...
s and Sally lightfoot crabs abound.
Galapagos Land IguanaThe Galapagos Land Iguana is a species of lizard in the Iguanidae family. It is one of three species of the genus Conolophus...
s and Darwin Finches,
Galápagos HawkThe Galápagos Hawk is a large hawk endemic to the Galápagos Islands. Known for its fearlessness towards humans and authority over the islands as the only original predator, this raptor has inhabited the Galápagos archipelago for over 300,000 years.-Physical description:Similar in size to the...
s,
Galápagos DoveThe Galápagos Dove is a species of bird in the Columbidae family.It is endemic to the Galápagos, off Ecuador.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.-References:...
s and very interesting lowland vegetation. The west coast of Isabela in the Bolivar Channel is the best place in Galapagos for viewing whales and dolphin.
Towns
The third-largest human settlement of the archipelago,
Puerto VillamilPuerto Villamil is a small port village located on the southeastern edge of Isla Isabela in the Galapagos Islands. Of the 2,200 people who live on Isabela, the majority live in Puerto Villamil...
, is located at the south-eastern tip of the island.
Other points of interest
Other popular attractions include El Muro de las Lagrimas (a wall built by prisoners when the islands was a penal colony) and the Flamingo Lagoon (with occasional pink visitors). Both are in the south of the island.
See also