Rábida Island, is one of the Galápagos Islands

Galápagos Islands

The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...

. The island has also been known as Jervis Island named in honour of the 18th-century British admiral John Jervis

John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent

Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...

. In Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

 it is officially known as Isla Rábida.

Geography

The island is located in the eastern Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

, approximately 600 miles (965 km) west of Ecuador. The island has a total area of 4.9 km² and a maximum altitude of 367 meters.

The island has red sand beaches and a saltwater lagoon

Saltwater Lagoon

The Saltwater Lagoon is a lagoon located on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.It is in the southern Westland District, with Abut Head to the west and the village of Harihari to the east/southeast. The lagoon is located on the coast of the Tasman Sea and has a narrow sea opening at the...

 inhabited by flamingo

Flamingo

Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...

s and a bachelor sea lion

Sea Lion

Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...

 colony. The landscape is studded with small volcanic crater

Volcanic crater

A volcanic crater is a circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a basin, circular in form within which occurs a vent from which magma erupts as gases, lava, and ejecta. A crater can be of large dimensions, and sometimes of great depth...

s along sharp slopes and cliffs.

Wildlife

In addition to flamingos and the bachelor sea lion colony, pelican

Pelican

A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....

s, white-cheeked pintail

White-cheeked Pintail

The White cheeked Pintail or Bahama Pintail is a dabbling duck of the Caribbean, South America, and the Galápagos Islands....

s, boobies

Booby

A booby is a seabird in the genus Sula, part of the Sulidae family. Boobies are closely related to the gannets , which were formerly included in Sula.-Description:...

, and nine species of finch

Finch

The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...

have been reported. The rich wildlife attracts a number of tourists cruises.

In 1971 the National Park Service successfully eradicated goats from Rabida. This introduced species upset the natural environment and led to the extinction of several native creatures including Geckos, Land Iguanas, and Rice Rats.