🦎 Galapagos filmed in Sora Galapagos - A Living Laboratory of Evolution The Galapagos Islands lie in the Pacific Ocean roughly 600 miles west of Ecuador. These volcanic islands formed through underwater eruptions along the Nazca tectonic plate. Over millions of years the islands rose from the ocean as isolated ecosystems shaped by equatorial currents, volcanic terrain, and geographic separation. This isolation produced one of the most unusual wildlife environments on Earth. Species evolved here along independent evolutionary paths. Giant tortoises roam volcanic plains. Marine iguanas adapted to feed underwater along lava coastlines. Sea lions gather along beaches while seabirds circle high volcanic cliffs.