Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos)
  Santa Cruz Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 0°37′23″S 90°22′06″W / 0.623017°S 90.368254°W |
| Archipelago | Galápagos Islands |
| Area | 986 km2 (381 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 864 m (2835 ft)[1] |
| Highest point | Cerro Crocker |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 15,701 (2015) |
Santa Cruz Island (Spanish: Isla Santa Cruz), also known as Indefatigable Island and by other names, is the most populous and second-largest island in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Situated in the middle of the group, Santa Cruz is a shield volcano with an area of 986 km2 (381 sq mi) and a maximum altitude of 864 m (2,835 ft). The seat of Santa Cruz Canton is Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. The island's total population is around 18,000 with those living in smaller villages chiefly working in agriculture and cattle raising.
Names
The island's original
The English pirate
Geography
Santa Cruz is an oval-shaped island 32 km (20 mi) long and 40 km (25 mi) wide. It has an area of 986 km2 (381 sq mi) and a maximum altitude of 864 m (2,835 ft).
Geology
The island is a shield volcano. Its summit contains a shallow caldera that has been largely buried by youthful pit craters and cinder cones with well-preserved craters. The most recent eruptions may have occurred only a few thousand years ago with the effusion of sparsely vegetated lava flows from vents on the north flank and along the summit fissure.[9] A gigantic lava tube measuring over 2,000 m (6,600 ft) long is a tourist attraction on the island. As a testimony to its volcanic history there are two big holes formed by the collapse of a magma chamber known as "The Twins" (Los Gemelos).[10][11]
Plant life
Tortuga Bay is located on the Santa Cruz Island near Puerto Ayora where fauna such as marine iguanas, birds, Galapagos crabs can be seen. There is also a mangrove where white tip reef sharks and the gigantic Galápagos tortoises can be sighted.[12]
Demographics
Santa Cruz hosts the largest human population in the archipelago at the town of Puerto Ayora, with a total of 18,000 residents on the island.[1]
Points of interest
- Charles Darwin Research Station
- Headquarters of the Galápagos National Park Service
- Lava tunnels
- El Chato and Rancho Primicias Giant Tortoise Reserves
- Itabaca Channel
- Black Turtle Cove
- Cerro Dragón
- Tortuga Bay
- Playa El Garrapatero
- Los Gemelos
- Stand of Scalesia - daisy trees
Sister cities
On June 19, 2002, the cities of Seabrook, Texas and Santa Cruz Island finalized a sister city status during a ceremony at Seabrook City Hall.[13] [14]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c "Santa Cruz". Galápagos Conservancy. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ^ Kitchin, Thomas (1797), "South America", Kitchin's General Atlas..., London: Laurie & Whittle.
- ^ De la Fuente, Vicente (1744), Nueva y Correcta Carta del Mar Pacifico ó del Sur... [New and Improved Map of the Pacific or Southern Sea] (in Spanish), Madrid.
- ^ a b c McEwen (1988), p. 236.
- ^ McEwen (1988), p. 235.
- ^ http://m.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=11491237 On Santa Cruz, the walkable downtown area of Puerto Ayora is a small strip of hotels, restaurants, tour companies and gift shops.
- ^ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/news/visit-the-galapagos-islands-but-tread-lightly-on-natures-construction-site/story-fnglekhp-1227463418157 Visit Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos Islands, but tread lightly on "nature's construction site"
- ^ http://traveller24.news24.com/Explore/Islands/Top-10-islands-number-one-might-surprise-you-20150714 Tortuga Bay Puerto Ayora Galápagos Islands,
- ^ "Santa Cruz". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
- ^ "Pit Craters". World Land Forms. 2015. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
- ^ "Gobernador de Galápagos: Inadmisible cerrar locales". 13 August 2015.
- ^ http://www.ksl.com/?sid=35827641&nid=1287&title=the-worlds-12-best-spots-for-wild-swimming Las Grietas in Puerto Ayora Galápagos, Ecuador.
- ^ Evans, Thayer. "Seabrook officials establish family ties with island in the Galápagos" (Archive). Houston Chronicle. Thursday, June 27, 2002. Retrieved on September 6, 2015.
- ^ Charles Darwin Research Station
Bibliography
- McEwen, Alec (July 1988), "The English Place-Names of the Galápagos", The Geographical Journal, vol. 154, London: Royal Geographical Society, pp. 234–242, JSTOR 633849.
| National | |
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| Geographic | |
\\ápagos Islands]]