The Galapagos Islands are a series of volcanic islands located on the equator and just 600 miles west of the South American mainland. They are a part of Ecuador. The islands are an archipelago made up of 19 islands and 42 islets. San Cristobal is the easternmost island of the group, while Isabela is the largest and Santa Cruz the second largest in size. Most all the islands have two names, a Spanish name given when the islands were annexed by Ecuador in 1832 and an English name given by the Buccaneers of the 17th century.