San Cristóbal (Galápagos)

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San Cristobal (Chatham)
Waters Pacific Ocean
Archipelago Galapagos Islands
Geographical location 0 ° 49 ′  S , 89 ° 26 ′  W Coordinates: 0 ° 49 ′  S , 89 ° 26 ′  W
Location of San Cristóbal (Chatham)
length 49 km
width 17 km
surface 558 km²
Highest elevation Cerro San Joaquín
730  m
Residents 5500
9.9 inhabitants / km²
main place Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

San Cristóbal or Chatham is the easternmost of the Galápagos Islands and is located about 965 km west of the mainland coast of Ecuador . It has an area of ​​558 km², the highest point on the island is an extinct, heavily eroded volcano, which is 730 meters high. Due to the precipitation caused by it, the climate is very humid, while it is very dry on the flat northeast half of the island. The island's water balance was strongly influenced by colonization and the typical wet vegetation was pushed back to a few areas. Intensive reforestation measures are intended to help restore the wetlands to their original state. The animal world was also greatly changed by the settlement.

The Spanish name of the island "San Cristóbal" comes from the saint of sailors, St. Christopher (Spanish: Cristóbal de Licia ). Its older, English name Chatham comes from the former British Prime Minister William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham . In 1835 Charles Darwin landed on San Cristóbal; his observations made here were included in his work On the Origin of Species (1859). In 1935 a memorial was erected to him on the island. In 1880 a penal colony was established on San Cristóbal for prisoners who were transferred from mainland Ecuador.

The capital of the Galápagos Archipelago, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno , is located on the southwestern tip of the island.

Numerous magnificent frigate birds , sea ​​lions , giant tortoises , blue and red-footed boobies , iguanas and seagulls live on San Cristóbal . The island's vegetation includes plants such as Calandrina galapagos or Leocarpus darwinii and trees such as Lignum vitae or Matazama .

Dolphins , sharks , rays and lobsters live in the sea around the island . In the southern half of the island, in the mountains of San Cristóbal, lies the Laguna El Junco , the largest freshwater lake in the Galápagos Archipelago. There is a breeding station for giant tortoises in La Galapaguera.

San Cristóbal is the easternmost of the Galápagos Islands. Punta Pitt in the northeast is the most easterly point.

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