The Galapagos Islands are a scattered volcanic archipelago straddling the equator in the Pacific, about 1,000 km west of mainland Ecuador. Toggle the equator line to see it cross the islands, and highlight Isabela's six joined shield volcanoes - the ones that give the island its seahorse shape.
Published figures: 13 major islands, 6 smaller islands, and more than 100 islets and rocks; largest island Isabela at about 4,588 sq km, built from six shield volcanoes; highest point Volcan Wolf at about 1,707 m; UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Everything renders on your device with WebGL.
Galapagos Islands 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows the Galapagos Islands as a scattered volcanic archipelago rising from the Pacific Ocean floor, straddling the equator about 1,000 km (620 mi) west of mainland Ecuador. Isabela, the largest island at about 4,588 sq km, is shaped like a seahorse because it is really six shield volcanoes - Wolf, Ecuador, Darwin, Alcedo, Sierra Negra, and Cerro Azul - joined into one landmass by lava fields. Single-cone Fernandina sits just west of Isabela's waist, while the smaller central islands (Santiago, Santa Cruz) and the outliers San Cristobal, Espanola, and Genovesa are scattered to the east, south, and north.
The whole archipelago sits above the Galapagos hotspot, near the boundary of the Nazca and Cocos tectonic plates, which is why new volcanic activity keeps building the western islands even today. Toggle the equator line to see it run through the archipelago - Volcan Ecuador on Isabela is named for straddling it - and toggle Isabela's six volcanoes to highlight the summits that give the island its distinctive shape.
- Toggle the equator line to see it cross the archipelago
- Toggle Isabela's six volcanoes to highlight the summits that shape the island
- Read archipelago, island, and conservation figures in the panel
- Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Figure | Published value |
|---|---|
| Islands | 13 major, 6 smaller, and more than 100 islets and rocks |
| Location | about 1,000 km (620 mi) west of mainland Ecuador, straddling the equator |
| Total land area | about 8,010 sq km (3,093 sq mi) |
| Largest island | Isabela, about 4,588 sq km - six joined shield volcanoes (Wolf, Ecuador, Darwin, Alcedo, Sierra Negra, Cerro Azul) |
| Highest point | Volcan Wolf on Isabela, about 1,707 m (5,600 ft) |
| Marine reserve | Galapagos Marine Reserve, about 133,000 sq km - among the largest on Earth |
| UNESCO listing | 1978 - the first site ever inscribed on the World Heritage List |
| Formed by | the Galapagos hotspot near the Nazca-Cocos tectonic plate boundary |
| Darwin's visit | 1835, aboard HMS Beagle - later informed On the Origin of Species (1859) |
For another volcanic-island shape, open the Bora Bora Lagoon 3D Explorer, or compare a single shield-volcano cone at the Kilauea 3D Explorer.
The archipelago is drawn on your own device by the vendored three.js engine, which downloads once (about 0.7 MB) and stays cached, so returning to orbit the islands again loads instantly. Your equator-line and Isabela-highlight choices are saved between visits, so the explorer reopens the way you last left it.
This is an educational approximation - island positions, sizes, and shapes are procedural teaching cues, not survey geography.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the Galapagos Islands?
They sit in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 km (620 mi) west of mainland Ecuador, straddling the equator - the archipelago belongs to Ecuador.
Why is Isabela Island shaped like a seahorse?
Isabela is really six shield volcanoes - Wolf, Ecuador, Darwin, Alcedo, Sierra Negra, and Cerro Azul - joined into one elongated landmass by lava fields, which gives the island its distinctive curved outline.
Does the equator really cross the islands?
Yes. The archipelago straddles the equator, and Volcan Ecuador on northern Isabela is named for sitting almost exactly on that line.
How many islands are in the Galapagos?
Commonly cited figures list 13 major islands, 6 smaller islands, and more than 100 islets and rocks, spread across a marine reserve of about 133,000 sq km.
What is the highest point in the Galapagos?
Volcan Wolf on Isabela, at about 1,707 m (5,600 ft), is the archipelago's highest point.
Why are the Galapagos Islands famous for evolution?
Charles Darwin visited in 1835 aboard HMS Beagle. The islands' isolated wildlife, including several distinct giant tortoise populations found on different islands, later informed his observations in On the Origin of Species (1859).
Is this a scientific terrain model?
No. It is an educational explorer using published figures - island positions, sizes, and shapes are procedural teaching cues, not survey geography.