"September 15th.-This archipelago consists of ten principal islands, of which five exceed the others in size. They are situated under the Equator, and between five and six hundred miles westward of the coast of America. They are all formed of volcanic rocks; a few fragments of granite curiously glazed and altered by the heat can hardly be considered as an exception. Some of the craters surmounting the larger islands are of immense size, and they rise to a height of between three and four thousand feet. Their flanks are studded by innumerable smaller orifices. I scarcely hesitate to affirm that there must be in the archipelago at least two thousand craters." Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle
I've never been - sadly. And this clears a misconception that I had the Galapagos Islands were relatively flat and covered in scrub. I really need to get there. Interesting that Darwin starts his description so hum-drum. But it is a great description and sets the stage.
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