Galapagos National Park

Galapagos National Park spans 8,010 sq km across volcanic islands 1,000 km off Ecuador's coast, serving as the first-ever UNESCO World Heritage Site (1978) and the birthplace of Darwin's theory of natural selection. It hosts unique species like giant tortoises weighing up to 250 kg and the only penguins found north of the equator. Its endemic rate is 80%—far exceeding the world average for national parks and double that of #1, Yellowstone.