Galapagos Islands Maps Google

The Galapagos is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, and it was key in Charles Darwin's findings in forming the the scientific argument of evolution. You may never get to travel to the volcanic archipelago in person, but now thanks to Google, you can explore it through 360-degree imagery on Street View.

In partnership with Galapagos National Park and the Darwin Foundation, Google spent 10 days down in the Galapagos in May mapping the island using the endearingly goofy Trekker imaging backpacks. The video above documents that trek, in which Googlers were able to catch such sites as recently hatched baby tortoises and blue-footed boobies doing their mating dance. Using an SVII underwater camera from another partner—the Catlin Seaview Survey—Google also nabbed some underwater imagery. That means you can scope out playful baby sea lions swimming around on your computer screen. Hey, if you can't see the islands first-hand, exploring the place on your computer is the next best thing. [Google Blog]