| 1535 |
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The Galapagos Islands were discovered by Fray Tomás de Berlanga, Bishop of Panama. |
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| 1570 |
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The islands first appeared on a map, one by Abraham Ortelius, another by Mercator. |
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| 17th C |
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Pirates used the islands as a base for raids on spanish colonial ports. |
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| 1684 |
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First navigation charts of the islands were made by buccaneer Ambrose Crowley. |
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| 1708 |
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Alexander Selkirk visited the islands after being picked up from the Juan Fernandez Islands by captain Woodes Rogers. |
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| 1790 |
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The first scientific mission was sent to the Galapagos by the King of Spain under Sicilian captain Alessandro Malaspina. |
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| 1793 |
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English Capitan James Colnett came the the Galapagos to investigate whaling opportunities. |
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| 1795 |
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Captain George Vancouver visited the Islands and wrote about them as "the most dreary barren and desolate country I ever beheld". |
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| 1807 |
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The first resident of the Galapagos, Patrick Watkins was thought to be marooned on Floreana Island. |
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| 1811-1844 |
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Over 100 thousand tortoises are estimated to have been taken from the islands mostly by whalers for food. |
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| 1813 |
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U.S. Warship, Essex, came to the Islands to destroy a British whaling fleet. Goats were accidentally released on Santiago Island in the process. |
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| 1832 |
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The Galapagos Islands were officially annexed by Ecuador. A penal colony was created on Floreana where political and other prisoners were sent. |
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| 1835 |
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Charles Darwin visited the islands. |
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| 1892 |
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The islands were officially renamed "Archipiélago de Colón" in honor of the 400 year anniversery of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the Americas. Official Spanish names were also given to each of the islands. |
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| 1893 |
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The Settlement Villamil on Isabela Island was created. |
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| 1926 |
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Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz was started by a group of Norwegians. |
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| 1930's |
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A strange series of deaths and disappearances occurred on Floreana involving a German philosopher and his mistress, Heinz and Margaret Wittmer, and the Baroness and her three lovers. |
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| 1934 |
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The first legislation to protect the islands were enacted. |
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| 1942 - 1947 |
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Baltra was used as a US Naval Base. |
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| 1959 |
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The Ecuadorian Government declared 97% of the land area in the Galapagos as National Park land. The Galapagos National Park and Charles Darwin Research Foundation were founded. |
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| 1968 |
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The Galapagos Islands were included in the National System of Protected Areas of Ecuador through the Law of Forestry and Conservation of Natural Areas and Wildlife. |
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| 1971 |
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The National Park Service began trying to eradicate the introduced guava and quinine trees. |
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| 1971-1975 |
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About 38 thousand feral goats were eradicated from Pinta island. |
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| 1979 |
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The Galapagos Islands were included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. |
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| 1985 |
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The Galapagos Islands were declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. |
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| 1986 |
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The Marine Resources Reserve of Galapagos was created by the Ecuadorian government. |
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| 1990 |
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The Islands were declared a Whale Sanctuary. |
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| 1998 |
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The "Special Law for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of Galapagos Provence" was approved. |
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| 2001 |
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The Galapagos Marine Reserve was included as part of the Galapagos World Heritage Site. |
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| 2009 |
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The Galapagos National Park celebrated 50 years of conservation efforts. |
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| June 2012 |
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Lonesome George, the last giant tortoise of his subspecies, and iconic figure in the Galapagos passed away. |
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