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recorded discovery was on March 10, 1535, by Fray Tomas de Berlanga, who happened upon them accidentally while sailing from Panama to Peru. Some historians believe the islands were visited and used by groups of Incas as early as a century prior to de Berlanga's discovery, but this has never been prove

In 1570, mapmaker Abraham Ortelius plotted the Galapagos Islands, calling them the Isolas de Galapagos, or "Islands of the Tortoises," based on sailors' descriptions of the many tortoises inhabiting the islands. By the 17th century, the Galapagos Islands became a popular hideout for British buccaneers who pirated Spanish ships and looted Spanish settlements in Central and South America. These buccaneers and British whalers used the islands as a source of food on long journeys.

Marine iguanas of the Galapagos Islands - diving for food Duration: 02:00 At dawn the cold-blooded marine iguanas are seen warming their bodies in the sun. The larger males are then seen diving into the surf, swimming up to 10 metres to the sea floor and grazing on red and green algae. A voiceover explains that they are only able to stay in the cold ocean for ten minutes. They are finally seen climbing back onto the rocky shore. This clip was first created on

Winds whip. Water gushes. Springs bubble. Visit places where nature's forces have turned rock into art.