Darwin`s Observations

  • Start of Darwin`s Voyage around the world.

    In 1831, 22 year old Charles Darwin joined Captain FitzRoy on the HMS Beagle to said around the world. Originally planned to take 2 years to travel the world, the voyage nearly took 5 years.
  • December 27, 1831: Plymouth England

    Charles Darwin embarks in the HMS Beagle voyage as the captain’s assistant
  • January 1832: Cape Verde Islands

    Darwin is exhilarated by his first observations. He wrote a book on the geology of the various countries visited
  • February 1832: Crossing the Equator

    Darwin Crossed the Equator
  • September of 1832 : Punta Alta, Argentina:

    Darwin is intrigued by the giant fossils he sees. He says “ I have been wonderfully lucky with fossil bones. Some of the animals must have been of great dimensions! I am almost sure that many of them were quite new.”
  • December of 1832: Tierra del Fuego, Argentina:

    Captain Robert FitsRoy repatriates three native people he had brought to England on a previous voyage he attempts to start a Christian mission which fails.
  • January- February 1835: Chiloé Island, Chile

    Darwin seas Mount Osorno erupt while on the island of Chiloé and experiences the earthquake in the woods near Valdivia
  • March 1833: Falkland Islands

    Darwin finds the barren, windswept Falkland Islands which he describes as “desolate and wretched” But he peels up when he cracks open some “primitive looking rocks” and finds fossils.
  • August 1833: Rio Negro, Argentina

    Darwin explores the fertile low land areas, known as Pampas with the local people also known as “gauchos”.
  • September-October 1835 : Galápagos Islands

    Darwin find many species of plants birds and tortoises unique to the Galapagos islands but they seem seriously related to mainland species. He is extremely fascinated by the Galapagos tortoises
  • January 1836: Sydney Australia:

    Darwin wonders why there is a completely different set of mammals in Australia because he had seen nothing of the sort in Argentina and the Galápagos Islands
  • April 1836: Cocos Islands (Keeling Islands)

    Darwin studies coral reef growing around islands the Test his theory of atoll formation
  • May 1836: Mauritius

    Darwins observations are as follows: “I took a quiet walk along the sea coast to the north of the town. The plain is there quite uncultivated, consisting of a field of black lava smoothed over the coarse grass and bushes the greater part of which are mimosas.”
  • June 1836: Cape Town, South Africa;

    Darwin sees bullock wagons
  • August 1836: Bahia and Pernambuco, South America:

    In the jungles of South America Darwin discovers many incredible creatures including a three toed sloth.
  • October 2nd 1836: Falmouth England

    Darwin has reached home