Santa Cruz (Galápagos)
Santa Cruz (Indefatigable) | |
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Profile of the island | |
Waters | Pacific Ocean |
Archipelago | Galapagos Islands |
Geographical location | 0 ° 38 ′ S , 90 ° 22 ′ W |
length | 43 km |
width | 31 km |
surface | 986 km² |
Highest elevation | Cerro Crocker 864 m |
Residents | 15,000 15 inhabitants / km² |
main place | Puerto Ayora |
View of Puerto Ayora |
Santa Cruz (English also Indefatigable Island ) is the second largest, but most populous island of the Galápagos Archipelago after Isabela . The almost circular island of volcanic origin has a land area of almost 986 km²; the highest point is 864 m above sea level.
The island's main town, Puerto Ayora , is located on the south coast of Santa Cruz on Academy Bay , and with around 15,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city of all the Galápagos Islands. There is also the Charles Darwin Research Station , the science station named after the evolutionist Charles Darwin and operated by the Charles Darwin Foundation . Puerto Ayora is also the seat of the regional authority Municipalidad de Santa Cruz (roughly comparable to a local government with extended powers), which in addition to the other settlements on the island (together another approx. 3000 inhabitants) also the non- military parts of the neighboring island of Baltra as well as some smaller ones includes offshore islands. In the parlance of the Ecuadorian administration, the term Indefatigable is used to distinguish the geographical area of the island from the (larger) administrative area.
The highlands in the center of Santa Cruz are characterized by extinct volcanoes , hilly landscapes and lush flora (including sunflower forests) and fauna (including giant tortoises). A geological peculiarity of the island are the almost completely preserved lava tunnels, almost 2 kilometers long and up to 10 meters high.
Today the islanders live mainly from tourism .
Web links
- Santa Cruz in the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution (English)
- Charles Darwin Research Station (multilingual)
- Official map of the island (photo)