Facts About Floreana Island
- Formed during a volcanic eruption.
- In 1835, Charles Darwin visited the island shortly after Ecuadorians began to settle on the island.
- Floreana Island is one of the smaller islands and it is inhabited by about 100 people. Most of the inhabitants work in the agricultural industry on the island, and it is home to one of the oldest settlements in the Galapagos.
- Floreana Island is south of Santa Cruz Island, and covers an area of 173 square meters or 67 square miles.
- The main attraction is the famous post office barrel where visitors can still carry out the long-held tradition of dropping off and picking up letters to be mailed or carried to remote destinations.
- Floreana is one of the oldest islands with soil rich in nutrients. The island has a wide variety of indigenous and non-indigenous flora.
- There are several underwater tunnels to be explored in the surrounding seas.
- At Punta Cormorant, you can observe several dozen flamingos as well as oystercatchers, willets, whimbrels, black-necked stilt, and white-cheeked pintail ducks. It also has two diverse beaches which are the landing beach, with green-tinted sand from its olivine crystals, and carbonate beach, a popular nesting site for green sea turtles. From December to March pacific green sea turtles use this site to burrow their eggs.
- Other types of wildlife found nesting on the island include pelicans, gulls, herons, and red-billed tropic birds. In addition, it is home to the native medium tree finch that only exists on this island.
- There is more than 48 different plant species of Cerro Alieri on the island.
- Cormorant Point or the «Salt Lagoon» is a landmark where travelers can find the best flamingo lagoon in the Galapagos. The site is located between two lava cones, that give the area a special atmosphere. These type of wildlife can be found here:
- White-tipped reef shark
- Stingrays
- Flamingos
- Pintails
- Stilts
- Devil’s Crown, an eroded volcanic cone/crater, is a roosting site for boobies, pelicans, and frigates, as well as an amazing spot for Galapagos diving and snorkeling with sea lions, sharks,corals, tropical fish and countless types of marine life.
