Charles Darwin Galapagos Islands

150 years ago, Charles Darwin published the first edition of "On the origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life."

The book considered generally as his masterpiece is the finished product of years of careful observations, many of them gathered during his epic voyage on board the HMS Beagle, including specimens and observations collected in the Galapagos Islands in 1835.

Economic Galapagos Flights and Vital Information About These Islands

By 1837, Darwin opened his notebooks on the transmutation of species, and by 1841 he had his first manuscript. But he left this work virtually static and dedicated to other subjects of study.

By 1858, Charles Darwin was decided to publish his work, having shown it to a minute number of friends. A letter received that year, from a fellow naturalist, Alfred Russell Wallace, with similar ideas prompted Darwin to read his and Wallace paper at the Linnaean Society in London, between June and July 1858.

When Charles Darwin took his book for publishing in 1859, his editor told him "next time write about pigeons, a subject everyone is interested in".

In fact, the 1859 first edition of 1250 copies was sold out the very same day it came out. It has been in print ever since, and it is considered one of the single most revolutionary ideas of thinking, and it has affected our comprehension of living beings.

Charles Darwin Bicentennial

The Charles Darwin Galapagos Islands summit brought together experts and students from widely different areas of evolutionary biology and focused on recent research and new advances in the understanding of evolution and the diversity of life.

During the 4 day meeting there were 40 minute talks by around 30 guest speakers, with a total attendance of 150 participants. On the third day, conference participants were able to attend guided tours at San Cristobal Island with visits to both terrestrial and marine environments.

This Summit was planned as part of a broader program designed to teach evolution to students and the general public that is taking place throughout 2009 in mainland Ecuador.

Charles Darwin Galapagos Islands New Royal Mail Stamps

The Royal Mail of the UK has issued ten colorful stamps to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of his book On the Origin of Species.

Charles Darwin's ideas triggered a revolution in the understanding of how species evolve. The brilliance of his thinking is symbolized in the unique design of the stamps – the jigsaw shape suggests how Darwin was able to draw on his different areas of study to formulate groundbreaking new ideas.

Royal Mail has also produced a special sheet of four stamps illustrating the unique wildlife of the Galapagos Islands that includes the Flightless Cormorant, Giant Tortoise, Floreana Mockingbird and Marine Iguana and which builds up into a contemporary Map of Galapagos Islands with the key species Darwin studied in 1835.

Galapagos Recommended Reading:

Birds, Mammals, and Reptiles of the Galapagos Islands: An Identification Guide, 2nd Edition
This is the most comprehensive guide to the unique wildlife of the Galapagos, excellent and detailed descriptions of its extraordinary birds, mammals, and reptiles. (Highly recommended)

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