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The site is situated on the Galapa-
gos Submarine Platform, and con-
sists of about 120 islands. The larger
islands are Isabela, Santa Cruz,
Fernandina, Santiago and San Cris-
tobal. The
islands were
formed
by
vol-
canic
processes
and most rep-
resent the sum-
mit of a volcano,
some of which rise
over 3,000 m from
the Pacific floor. The
western part of the
archipelago ex-
periences intense
volcanic and
seismic activ-
ity.
The larger is-
lands typically
comprise one or more gently slop-
ing shield volcano, culminating in
collapsed craters or calderas. Long
stretches of shoreline are only slightly
eroded, but in many places, faulting
and marine erosion have produced
steep cliffs and lava, coral or shell
sand beaches. Other noteworthy
landscape features include crater
lakes, fumaroles, lava tubes, sulfide
fields and a great variety of lava
and other ejects such as pumice, ash
and tuff.
The marine environments are highly
varied and are associated with wa-
ter temperature regimes reflecting dif-
ferences in nutrient and light levels.
These range from warm temperate
conditions brought on by vigorous
upwelling (Equatorial Undercur-
rent) and a moderately cool, warm
temperate-subtropical influence (Peru
Flow).
There is
consider-
able
vari-
ation
in
altitude,
area and ori-
entation between
the islands which
when combined with
their physical separation,
has contributed towards the
species diversity and endemism on
particu-
lar islands. Coastal
vegetation occurs
along beaches,
salt-water
lagoons and
low, broken,
boulder-strewn
shores. Protected
coves and lagoons are dominated
by mangrove swamps. The arid zone
is found immediately inland from
the coastal zone, and is the most
widespread formation in the islands.
The humid zone emerges above the
arid zone through a transition belt
in which elements of the two are
combined. It is a very damp zone
maintained in the dry season by
thick, garua fogs, which accumulate
through most of the night and last
well into each day. A fern-grass-
sedge zone covers the summit areas
of the larger islands where moisture
is retained in temporary pools.
The endemic fauna includes inverte-
brate, reptile and bird species. There
are a few indigenous mammals. All