Isabela Island

Giant land tortoises gathering in a rain pond in the Caldera of Alcedo on Isabela Island, Galapagos Islands.

Isabela Island, largest of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. It lies in the eastern Pacific Ocean 600 miles (965 km) west of mainland Ecuador and has an area of 2,249 square miles (5,825 square km). It was named in the 17th century for George Monck, duke of Albemarle, but now only its northern tip, cut by the Equator, is known as Albemarle. Five volcanic craters reaching an elevation of 5,540 feet (1,689 metres), two of which are still active, dominate the island’s centre; hills covered with forests, vines, and orchids separate them from the sandy coastline. Unique to the island are flightless cormorants and penguins. There are also large numbers of land iguanas and a flamingo colony. Villamil, the main port on the southern coast, handles the island’s products, including potatoes, cattle, wild hogs, reptile hides, and fish.