Charles Darwin was a brilliant naturalist/biologist/geologist, and believe me, that it is about more than just his fame. Darwin’s most famous visit was on a tiny island chain a few hundred miles of Ecuador. These islands are called the Galapagos Islands, and they are kind of famous and pricey, because of Charles Darwin. Let us just say, our friend Darwin discovered one of the most famous science topics of the nineteenth century: evolution. I was able to go to this place and learn the amazing things of Darwin, and actually like learning about science.

Before learning about Darwin’s Galapagos journey, you should know about Darwin’s life. He started his voyage on a ship called HMS Beagle, to visit some stops of the world - the Azores, Cape Verde, Cape Town, Rio, The Falkland Islands, Sydney, Cape Horn, Lima, and of course, The Galapagos. He was a British naturalist, biologist, and a geologist.  I do not enjoy science, but I find him fascinating.  Darwin got his fame from learning about evolution in the Galapagos, and is what I learned about him.

When I went to the Galapagos, almost everything was Darwin. Beagle books, Darwin books, and Zoo - Darwin was the only thing on the island challenging the giant tortoises’ fame. At the Galapagos zoo, I learned about Darwin and his theories on evolution. He thought that the animals differ on the islands. If a tortoise starts out on an old island, it will adapt to its surroundings as the island ages.  As the vegetation changes, the tortoises legs and head will adjust so it can reach what it needs easier.

Another place I learned about him was a museum in the main town on Santa Cruz. It had a map that talked about the different islands and their age. New islands were forming by volcanoes erupting, and, over time, old islands will go under the water. This relates to Darwin by seeing the animals that were on the islands, and why they are different because of age. It supported Darwin’s theory of evolution, just like the native Americans crossed the Bering Strait from Siberia, the animals cross the islands and adapt to the surroundings and climate. Learning about Darwin taught me so much; I just wish we could learn about evolution in science class!

Even for somebody not interested in science like me, it is still amazing to see what Darwin discovered. I was very excited when we went to London to see Darwin’s house, because I knew what Darwin did. Evolution not only explains about the animals of the Galapagos, but also every organism in the world, even humans. We evolved based on area from cave men. Even now, our skin color changes based on place. So many things that Darwin taught us. In my opinion, he is one of the most important scientists of all time.