The Galapagos Islands is an archipelago located in the Pacific Ocean, almost on the equator. The total area of the archipelago is 7,800 square kilometers. The archipelago includes 13 large and 6 small islands, in addition to hundreds of rocks and reclaimed land. The archipelago belongs to the state of Ecuador and is located 700 kilometers west of it. Scientists believe that the first islands were formed more than 5 million years ago due to powerful volcanic eruptions at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean near the equator. The youngest islands of the archipelago under formation are Isabela and Fernandina. The last volcanic eruption was recorded here in 2005.
