Bartolomé Island () is a volcanic islet in the
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands () are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Province of the Republic of Ecuador, with a population of sli ...
group, just off the east coast of
Santiago Island. It is one of the "younger" islands in the
Galápagos archipelago. This island, and Sulivan Bay on Santiago island, are named after naturalist and lifelong friend of
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...
,
Sir Bartholomew James Sulivan, who was a lieutenant aboard
HMS ''Beagle''.
The islet has a total land area of , and consists of an extinct volcano and a variety of red, orange, green, and glistening black volcanic formations. A planked 114-metre hiking trail leads up the side of Bartolomé's volcanic cone. The summit provides views across the water to other islands in the archipelago.
Bartolomé is famous for its
Pinnacle Rock, a distinctive volcanic plug that juts out over Sullivan Bay. One of two bays divided by a narrow isthmus, Sullivan Bay is known as a snorkelling spot, where visitors may swim with
penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
s, marine
turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...
s, white-tipped reef sharks, and other tropical fish.
Galápagos penguins are frequently seen, and a small cave behind Pinnacle Rock houses a breeding colony.
Seasonally, Bartolomé is the mating and nesting site for
green turtles, which – along with
heron
Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...
s – make use of the gentler beaches. The endemic Galápagos
lava cacti colonise the lava fields here.
Gallery
File:Isla0064 (9715972877).jpg, Spatter cone
File:PinnacleRockBartolome.jpg, Pinnacle Rock Overlook
A scenic viewpoint—also called an observation point, viewpoint, viewing point, vista point, scenic overlook,These terms are more commonly used in North America. etc.—is an elevated location where people can view scenery (often with binocul ...
File:Pinnacle rock at Bartoleme Island.jpg, Pinnacle Rock
File:Bartoleme Island.jpg, View from Bartolomé Island
File:Galápagos Penguins on Bartolomé Island.png, Galápagos Penguins on Bartolomé Island
File:Lava Cactus on Bartolomé Island.png, Lava Cactus on the Island
File:Small Orange Lighthouse at the Summit of Bartolomé Island.png, Small Orange Lighthouse at the Summit of Bartolomé Island
References
External links
Galapagosonline.com Bartolome information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartolome Island
Islands of the Galápagos Islands
Penguin colonies
Volcanoes of Ecuador
Volcanoes of the Galápagos Islands