World History
Human History of the Galapagos. This site has an essay which chronicles the history of humans on the islands. It begins with speculation of an Incan visit in the 1400's although it concludes that there is no evidence for such a visit.
Much to my surprise, Darwin is barely mentioned at all. I guess I had ignorantly thought the visit by Charles Darwin was one of the most significant events in the history of the islands. At least that event is mentioned on the part about the Galapagos National Park being founded in 1959.
One interesting tidbit I picked up is that the Galapagos were administered during World War Two by the USA. There was fear that the Japanese would take the island and threaten the Panama Canal Zone. After the war, Ecuador regained control over the islands.
Other good sites on this topic are History of Galapagos Islands, Natural History of the Galapagos Islands, and A Brief History of the Galapagos Islands.
From the site:
Fray Tomas de Berlanga, the Bishop of Panama documented the officially first visit to the islands in 1535. Delegated to investigate the accounts of the barbaric actions of the conquistadors in what is now Peru, his ship, caught in a dead calm, drifted westward in the ocean currents. With water sources depleted, the Bishop and crew searched the new islands for fresh water, almost entirely in vain. Frustrated, and suffering, the men resorted to crewing the native cactus for water. Disenchanted, they left the islands, but not without sending word to King Carlos V of Spain, telling of the strange and foolishly tame wildlife and the numerous galapagos (giant tortoises), and the name stuck. The islands appeared on the map late in the 16th century as the "Insulae de los Galopegos."
- History Of Cocos (keeling) Islands
History of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Have you ever heard of the Cocos Islands? I have to admit I had not until recently. They are an atoll of 27 coral islands in the Indian Ocean with a population of only 600+ people. It is currently a territory of Australia....
- The Settlement Of Polynesia
This is a two part essay on human migration in Polynesia. It includes The Settlement of Polynesia, Part 1 and The Settlement of Polynesia, Part 2. It was written by Dennis Kawaharada. Some of the islands of Oceania were among the last habitable land areas...
- History Of Turks And Caicos Islands
History of Turks and Caicos Islands. This is a history of this small island group located in the Caribbean. The Turks and Caicos Islands are situated over 575 miles southeast of Miami, Florida and 39 miles south east of Mayaguana in the Bahamas. Covering...
- History Of Cayman Islands
History of Cayman Islands. This is a brief essay on the history of this beautiful Caribbean tax haven. From the site: The Cayman Islands remained largely uninhabited until the 17th century. A variety of people settled on the islands, including...
- History Of Marshall Islands
History of Marshall Islands. This is a good essay on the history of the Marshall Islands. From the site: Little is clearly understood about the prehistory of the Marshall Islands. Researchers agree on little more than that successive waves of migratory...
World History
Human History of the Galapagos
Human History of the Galapagos. This site has an essay which chronicles the history of humans on the islands. It begins with speculation of an Incan visit in the 1400's although it concludes that there is no evidence for such a visit.
Much to my surprise, Darwin is barely mentioned at all. I guess I had ignorantly thought the visit by Charles Darwin was one of the most significant events in the history of the islands. At least that event is mentioned on the part about the Galapagos National Park being founded in 1959.
One interesting tidbit I picked up is that the Galapagos were administered during World War Two by the USA. There was fear that the Japanese would take the island and threaten the Panama Canal Zone. After the war, Ecuador regained control over the islands.
Other good sites on this topic are History of Galapagos Islands, Natural History of the Galapagos Islands, and A Brief History of the Galapagos Islands.
From the site:
Fray Tomas de Berlanga, the Bishop of Panama documented the officially first visit to the islands in 1535. Delegated to investigate the accounts of the barbaric actions of the conquistadors in what is now Peru, his ship, caught in a dead calm, drifted westward in the ocean currents. With water sources depleted, the Bishop and crew searched the new islands for fresh water, almost entirely in vain. Frustrated, and suffering, the men resorted to crewing the native cactus for water. Disenchanted, they left the islands, but not without sending word to King Carlos V of Spain, telling of the strange and foolishly tame wildlife and the numerous galapagos (giant tortoises), and the name stuck. The islands appeared on the map late in the 16th century as the "Insulae de los Galopegos."
- History Of Cocos (keeling) Islands
History of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Have you ever heard of the Cocos Islands? I have to admit I had not until recently. They are an atoll of 27 coral islands in the Indian Ocean with a population of only 600+ people. It is currently a territory of Australia....
- The Settlement Of Polynesia
This is a two part essay on human migration in Polynesia. It includes The Settlement of Polynesia, Part 1 and The Settlement of Polynesia, Part 2. It was written by Dennis Kawaharada. Some of the islands of Oceania were among the last habitable land areas...
- History Of Turks And Caicos Islands
History of Turks and Caicos Islands. This is a history of this small island group located in the Caribbean. The Turks and Caicos Islands are situated over 575 miles southeast of Miami, Florida and 39 miles south east of Mayaguana in the Bahamas. Covering...
- History Of Cayman Islands
History of Cayman Islands. This is a brief essay on the history of this beautiful Caribbean tax haven. From the site: The Cayman Islands remained largely uninhabited until the 17th century. A variety of people settled on the islands, including...
- History Of Marshall Islands
History of Marshall Islands. This is a good essay on the history of the Marshall Islands. From the site: Little is clearly understood about the prehistory of the Marshall Islands. Researchers agree on little more than that successive waves of migratory...