Galápagos Islands - The Garden of Eden, Ecuador (69/418)

Located some 1,000 km from the South American continent in the Pacific Ocean, these nineteen volcanic islands have been called a unique "living museum and showcase of evolution". The presence of unusual animal life - such as the land iguana, the giant tortoise, and the many types of finches - inspired Charles Darwin in his theory of evolution, following his visit there in 1835.