View source for Earth:San Cristóbal Island

{{Short description|Easternmost island in the Galápagos archipelago}}
{{Infobox islands
| name             = San Cristóbal Island<br>(Chatham Island)
| image name       = 
| image size       = 
| image caption    = 
| image alt        = 
| map              = Ecuador Galápagos Islands
| map_alt          = 
| map_width        = 
| map_caption      = 
| map_relief       = 
| label            = San Cristóbal Island
| label_position   = left
| coordinates      = {{coord|-0.83|-89.43|display=inline,title}}
| location         = [[Earth:Galápagos Islands|Galápagos Islands]], Ecuador
| population       = 6,000
| archipelago      = Galápagos Islands
| waterbody        = 
| total islands    = 
| major islands    = 
| rank             = 
| area_km2         = 558
| elevation_m      = 713
| highest_mount    = Cerro San Joaquin
| elevation footnotes = 
| country          = Ecuador
}}

[[File:Paisaje en Punta Pitt, isla de San Cristóbal, islas Galápagos, Ecuador, 2015-07-24, DD 75.JPG|thumbnail|Landscape in Punta Pitt, San Cristóbal Island.]]
[[File:San Cristobal topographic map-en.png|thumbnail|Topographic map]]
[[File:Lobo marino (Zalophus californianus wollebaeki), Punta Pitt, isla de San Cristóbal, islas Galápagos, Ecuador, 2015-07-24, DD 13.JPG|thumbnail|Young sea lion (''Zalophus californianus wollebaeki''), Punta Pitt.]]

'''San Cristóbal Island''' ({{lang-es|Isla San Cristóbal}}), also known as '''Chatham Island''', is the easternmost [[Earth:Island|island]] in the [[Earth:Galápagos Islands|Galápagos archipelago]],<ref name="San Cristobal Island">{{cite web|title=San Cristobal Island|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/521051/San-Cristobal-Island|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> as well as one of the oldest geologically. It is administratively part of San Cristóbal Canton, Ecuador.

{{anchor|Name|Toponymy|Etymology}}
==Names==
''San Cristóbal'' is [[Social:Spanish language|Spanish]] for Saint Christopher, reckoned in Catholicism as the patron saint of sailors.

The English pirate William Ambrosia Cowley named it '''Dassigney's<!--sic--> Island''' in 1684,{{sfnp|McEwen|1988|p=235}} later shortened to Dassigney or '''Dassigny Island''',<ref>{{citation |last=Kitchin |first=Thomas |title=Kitchin's General Atlas... |publisher=Laurie & Whittle |location=London |date=1797 |contribution=[[:File:1795 D'Anville Wall Map of South America - Geographicus - SouthAmerica-laruiewhittle-1794.jpg|South America]] }}.</ref> in honor of Philip Dassigny, the member of Bartholomew Sharp's crew who translated the Spanish atlas{{sfnp|McEwen|1988|p=237}} that saved the captain from being hanged for piracy. The British captain James Colnett renamed it '''Lord Chatham Island''' in 1793 after John Pitt,<!--not William Pitt--> 2nd Earl of Chatham and First Lord of the Admiralty, on the specious claim it had never been previously charted.{{sfnp|McEwen|1988|p=237}}

== History ==
San Cristobal Island is composed of three or four fused volcanoes, all extinct. It is home to the oldest permanent settlement of the islands and is the island where [[Biography:Charles Darwin|Darwin]] first went ashore in 1835. A small lake called [[Earth:El Junco|El Junco]] is the only source of fresh water in the islands. The availability of fresh water is what led to the early settlement of San Cristobal.<ref name="San Cristobal">{{cite web|title=San Cristobal|url=http://www.galapagos.org/about_galapagos/san-cristobal/|publisher=Galapagos Conservancy}}</ref> A penal colony was built on San Cristóbal Island in 1880 for prisoners from mainland Ecuador. This later turned into a military base for Ecuador and export center for the island's products including sugar, coffee, cassava, cattle, fish and lime.<ref>{{cite web|title=San Cristóbal Island|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/521051/San-Cristobal-Island|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref>

In April 1888 {{USS|Albatross|1882|6}}, a Navy-crewed research vessel assigned to the United States Fish Commission, made landfall at an abandoned settlement on Charles Island.<ref>{{cite book | title = Evolution's Workshop: God and Science on the Galápagos Islands | first = Edward J. | last = Larson | year = 2001 | publisher = Basic Books | location = New York, New York | isbn = 0-465-03810-7 | page = [https://archive.org/details/evolutionsworksh00lars/page/108 108] | quote = The ship’s captain report “great numbers of cattle, horses, mules, donkeys, sheep and hogs were running wild” where native species once flourished, and a new sugarcane plantation and cattle ranch on Chatham Island that also encroached on wild habitat. | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/evolutionsworksh00lars/page/108 }}</ref>

== Geography ==
San Cristóbal has an area of {{convert|558|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} and its highest point rises to {{convert|730|m|ft}}. The population is approximately 6000.<ref name="San Cristobal" /> San Cristóbal is the most fertile island of the archipelago and is the second most populated after [[Earth:Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos)|Santa Cruz]].<ref name="San Cristobal Island" />  The capital of the archipelago, [[Place:Puerto Baquerizo Moreno|Puerto Baquerizo Moreno]], lies at the south-western tip of the island.

== Air transport ==
The island is served by San Cristóbal Airport, with daily flights from Quito and Guayaquil.

== Ecology ==
This island hosts [[Biology:Frigatebird|frigatebird]]s, [[Biology:Galápagos sea lion|Galápagos sea lion]]s, [[Biology:Galápagos tortoise|Galápagos tortoise]]s, blue and red footed boobies, [[Biology:Tropicbird|tropicbird]]s, [[Biology:Marine iguana|marine iguana]]s, [[Biology:Dolphin|dolphin]]s and swallow-tailed gulls. It has been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by [[Organization:BirdLife International|BirdLife International]].<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/isla-san-cristóbal-iba-ecuador|title= Isla San Cristóbal|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2021|website= BirdLife Data Zone|publisher= BirdLife International|access-date= 22 January 2021}}</ref> Its vegetation includes ''[[Biology:Calandrinia galapagosa|Calandrinia galapagosa]]'', ''[[Biology:Lecocarpus darwinii|Lecocarpus darwinii]]'', trees such as ''Lignum vitae'', ''Matazarna''. In the waters nearby are [[Biology:Shark|shark]]s, [[Biology:Batoidea|rays]], and [[Biology:Lobster|lobster]]s.

The largest fresh water [[Earth:Lake|lake]] in the [[Earth:Archipelago|archipelago]], ''Laguna El Junco'', is located in a crater in the highlands of San Cristóbal, in the southern half of the island. The lake harbors a large population of birdlife, but reaching the lake requires a short uphill walk.  Nearby, La Galapaguera is a breeding station and sanctuary for giant tortoises.

== Economy ==
Most inhabitants of San Cristóbal Island make their living in government, tourism, and fishing. The majority of the residents of San Cristóbal live in the port city of [[Place:Puerto Baquerizo Moreno|Puerto Baquerizo Moreno]], which is the capital of Ecuador′s Galápagos Province.<ref name="San Cristobal" />  Island tourism sites nearer the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno include the ''Cerro Tijeretas'', a nesting colony for frigate birds, and a statue of  [[Biography:Charles Darwin|Charles Darwin]], marking the original site where he first disembarked in the Galápagos Islands during the second voyage of HMS ''Beagle'' on 16 September 1835.<ref>Keynes, R. D. ed. 2001, ''Charles Darwin's Beagle Diary'', p. [http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?viewtype=text&itemID=F1925&pageseq=383 351].</ref>  ''La Loberia'', a colony of sea lions, lies about ten minutes by bus from the town.

Local boat tours also take visitors to two popular nearby dive sites. "Kicker Rock" (the Spanish name is "León Dormido") is the remains of a [[Earth:Lava cone|lava cone]], now split in two. Isla Lobos ("Sea Lion Island") is also a nesting site for blue-footed boobies.
{{clear right}}
{{wide image|San-Cristobal-pano.jpg|x144px|Panorama from the West}}

== Climate ==
San Cristóbal Island has a [[Earth:Tropical climate|tropical climate]] with warm, dry winters and hot, humid summers with more precipitation than in winter.
{{Weather box
|location = San Cristóbal Island, 1981–2010 normals
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|width = auto
|Jan high C = 29.2
|Feb high C = 30.3
|Mar high C = 30.5
|Apr high C = 30.2
|May high C = 29.2
|Jun high C = 27.6
|Jul high C = 26.4
|Aug high C = 25.6
|Sep high C = 25.7
|Oct high C = 26.0
|Nov high C = 27.0
|Dec high C = 27.8
|year high C =
|Jan mean C = 26.1
|Feb mean C = 26.7
|Mar mean C = 26.7
|Apr mean C = 26.5
|May mean C = 25.9
|Jun mean C = 24.7
|Jul mean C = 23.5
|Aug mean C = 22.7
|Sep mean C = 22.8
|Oct mean C = 23.0
|Nov mean C = 23.9
|Dec mean C = 24.8
|year mean C =
|Jan low C = 22.9
|Feb low C = 23.1
|Mar low C = 22.9
|Apr low C = 22.8
|May low C = 22.7
|Jun low C = 21.7
|Jul low C = 20.7
|Aug low C = 19.8
|Sep low C = 19.8
|Oct low C = 20.0
|Nov low C = 20.9
|Dec low C = 21.7
|year low C =
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 83.4
|Feb precipitation mm = 107.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 106.3
|Apr precipitation mm = 94.9
|May precipitation mm = 41.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 32.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 18.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 9.8
|Sep precipitation mm = 7.6
|Oct precipitation mm = 11.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 12.6
|Dec precipitation mm = 51.5
|year precipitation mm =
|Jan precipitation days = 11
|Feb precipitation days = 10
|Mar precipitation days = 11
|Apr precipitation days = 6
|May precipitation days = 5
|Jun precipitation days = 8
|Jul precipitation days = 13
|Aug precipitation days = 14
|Sep precipitation days = 12
|Oct precipitation days = 11
|Nov precipitation days = 8
|Dec precipitation days = 10
|year precipitation days =
|source = [[Organization:World Meteorological Organization|World Meteorological Organization]]<ref>{{cite web |title=San Cristobal-Galapagos |url=https://worldweather.wmo.int/en/city.html?cityId=2049 |publisher=[[Organization:World Meteorological Organization|World Meteorological Organization]] |access-date=23 January 2021}}</ref>
}}

The following table shows the variation of precipitation in different places of [[Earth:Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos)|Santa Cruz Island]]:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
! Location
! Charles Darwin<br />Station
! Devine Farm
! Media Luna
|-
! Altitude
! 6&nbsp;m
! 320&nbsp;m
! 620&nbsp;m
|-
| January
| 23.0&nbsp;mm
| 78.0&nbsp;mm
| 172.6&nbsp;mm
|-
| February
| 16.8&nbsp;mm
| 155.2&nbsp;mm
| 117.0&nbsp;mm
|-
| March
| 249.0&nbsp;mm
| 920.8&nbsp;mm
| 666.7&nbsp;mm
|-
| April
| 68.5&nbsp;mm
| 79.5&nbsp;mm
| 166.4&nbsp;mm
|-
| May
| 31.4&nbsp;mm
| 214.6&nbsp;mm
| 309.8&nbsp;mm
|-
| June
| 16.8&nbsp;mm
| 147.3&nbsp;mm
| 271.8&nbsp;mm
|-
| July
| 12.0&nbsp;mm
| 42.2&nbsp;mm
| 135.6&nbsp;mm
|-
| August
| 3.8&nbsp;mm
| 13.7&nbsp;mm
| 89.5&nbsp;mm
|-
| September
| 18.5&nbsp;mm
| 90.9&nbsp;mm
| 282.6&nbsp;mm
|-
| October
| 3.2&nbsp;mm
| 22.6&nbsp;mm
| 96.5&nbsp;mm
|-
| November
| 11.0&nbsp;mm
| 52.8&nbsp;mm
| 172.7&nbsp;mm
|-
| December
| 15.7&nbsp;mm
| 84.1&nbsp;mm
| 175.3&nbsp;mm
|-
| colspan=4|
|-
| TOTALS
| 469.7&nbsp;mm
| 1901.7&nbsp;mm
| 2656.4&nbsp;mm
|}

== References ==
===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{citation |contribution=Historical Ecology in the Galapagos Islands: I. A Holocene Pollen Record from El Junco Lake, Isla San Cristoba |last=Colinvaux |first=Paul A. |author2=Eileen K. Schofield |display-authors=1 |title=Journal of Ecology |volume=64 |issue=3 |date=November 1976 |pages=989–1012 |publisher=Wiley, British Ecological Society |doi=10.2307/2258820 |jstor=2258820 }}.
* {{citation |last=McEwen |first=Alec |contribution-url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/633849 |contribution=The English Place-Names of the Galápagos |title=The Geographical Journal |volume=154 |issue=2 |date=July 1988 |pages=234–242 |publisher=Royal Geographical Society |location=London |doi=10.2307/633849 |jstor=633849 }}.
{{refend}}

== External links ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101127062405/http://galapagosonline.com/Islands/islands/San_Cristobal/San_Cristobal.html San Cristóbal Island – galapagosonline.com]

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Cristobal Island}}
[[Category:Volcanic crater lakes]]

{{Sourceattribution|San Cristóbal Island}}