• The Galápagos Archipelago comprises 13 islands and some islets and other rocks. It is located about 1000 kilometers/600 miles off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean and belongs to Ecuador.  Some of the islands are above the equator, some are below the equator and one is on the equator itself.
• The Galápagos archipelago is one of the most active volcanic areas in the world. Its oldest islands are about 4 million years old , while the youngest islands are still in the process of being formed.
• 95% of the Galápagos Archipelago is a national park, jointly operated by the Galápagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station. About 14,000 people inhabit the remainder of the islands.
• The Galápagos Islands are unique in that they are the natural habitat of a host of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. Many of these unique plants and animals, however, are endangered today, close to extinction or already extinct in the Galápagos Islands.
• Some of the endangered animals of the Galápagos include birds and iguanas such as the Dark-Rumped Petrel, the Galápagos Penguin, the Lava Gull Larus, the Galápagos Hawk, the Barrington Land Iguana, and the giant tortoises.

Giant Tortoise:

• Large tortoises inhabit each of the islands.  Over 250,000 giant tortoises once lived on the Archipelago, but today only around 15,000 of these giants can be found.
• The giant tortoises live for an average of 30-40 years, reach about five feet in length and weigh around 500 pounds. There are three types of tortoises that are distinguished by the type of shell they have: saddle-backed, dome-shaped, and intermediate.
• Each island has its own variety of tortoise.
• There were originally 15 species of tortoises on the islands, but four are now extinct. The 11 remaining species are endangered.

Lonesome George:

• Lonesome George is the last of the Pinta Island tortoises species. He now lives on the Darwin research station.
• It is believed that Lonesome George is approximately 70-80 years old.  He weighs 88 kilos and his shell is 102 cm in length.
• Efforts to breed Lonesome George with other tortoises have been unsuccessful.