Galápagos National Park is the protected land landscape that gives the famous Ecuadorian archipelago much of its global significance. Created in 1959, it covers about 97 percent of the islands’ terrestrial surface; inhabited settlements occupy the remainder on four islands. That distinction matters to visitors: Galápagos is not a single attraction with one gate, but a large protected area made up of separate islands and authorised visitor sites. The experience is shaped by conservation rules, transport between islands and the natural history visible along each trail, shore and volcanic landscape.
The park authority says the national park was established by Executive Decree No. 17 on 4 July 1959, making it Ecuador’s first protected area. The decree set aside most of the archipelago’s land to conserve its flora and fauna. UNESCO inscribed the Galápagos Islands as a World Heritage property in 1978 and later expanded the property to include marine areas. The national park and the Galápagos Marine Reserve are related but distinct protected designations: the first concerns the islands’ land, while the marine reserve safeguards a vast surrounding ocean area under its own management arrangements.