Located roughly a thousand kilometres off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands are a natural wildlife sanctuary for a wide variety of animals that have never developed a fear for natural predators as consequence of their isolated habitat.

Stamp issued in 1957 indicating the location of
the Galapagos Islands of the coast of Ecuador.

Because the islands are located on the equator, the seasonal shifts in the relative location of the sun have little effect on the climate. It is cold ocean currents coming from the south that are responsible for garua, the relatively cool season of mist and drizzle at high elevations that lasts from June to December. During the warm season, from January until June, currents from the Gulf of Panama often bring torrential rainfall to coastal areas as well as the highlands.