The Galapagos Islands are in the Pacific Ocean near the equator. They are about 1,000 km west of Ecuador, a country in South America.

Because the islands are in the middle of the ocean, all the plants and animals have either flown, swum, floated, or otherwise been carried there. It's a long trip to get to the Galapagos Islands. They are so far away from everything else that, over time, the animals changed in unusual ways to take advantage of their new habitat.