Marchena Island

Ecuador, Ecuador

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Marchena Island is a remote, uninhabited island in the northern part of the Galápagos archipelago, Ecuador, covering about 130 square kilometres and rising to roughly 343 metres above sea level.

It is dominated by a large volcanic caldera and a dry, rocky landscape, with no permanent terrestrial visitor sites and very few people going ashore. Instead, the island is usually seen from passing boats and its surrounding waters attract divers and snorkelers who visit marine sites such as Punta Espejo and Punta Mejía, where sharks, rays, sea turtles, and other marine life are common.

Marchena is biologically important as the home of the endemic Marchena lava lizard and as a place visited mainly by fur seals and seabirds, with occasional scientific or conservation teams coming to monitor or restore the ecosystem.