Isabela Island (Ecuador)

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Isabela seen from Spot Satellite

Blue-footed Boobies and a Galápagos Penguin at Elizabeth Bay, Isabela.

Shaped like a sea horse Isabela Island is the largest island of the Galápagos with an area of 4,640 km²,and length of 80 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 Spain who sponsored the voyage of Columbus.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Geology

One of the youngest islands, Isabela is located on the western edge of the archipelago near the Galápagos hotspot. At approximately 1 million years old, the island was formed by the merger of 6 shield volcanoes - Alcedo, Cerro Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra and Wolf. 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 islands highest point with an altitide 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 geolgic occucance that created the Galapagos Islands including uplifts at Urvina Bay and the Bolivar Channel, Tuft cones at Tagus Cove, and Pulmace on Alcedo and Sierra Negra (Galápagos) one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

[edit] 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 penguins, cormorants, Marine Iguanas, boobies, pelicans and Sally lightfoot crabs abound. Land Iguanas and Darwin Finches, Galápagos Hawks, Galápagos Doves 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.