View source for Santa Fe Island

{{Short description|Island of the Galápagos archipelago}}
{{Infobox islands
| name             = Santa Fe Island<br>(Barrington Island)
| image_name       = Isla Santa Fe as seen from Playa el Garrapatero, Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands.jpg
| image_size       = 
| image_caption    = Isla Santa Fe as seen from Playa el Garrapatero, Isla Santa Cruz
| image_alt        = 
| map              = Ecuador Galápagos Islands
| map_alt          = 
| map_width        = 
| map_caption      = Location in the Galápagos Islands
| map_relief       = 
| label            = 
| label_position   = bottom
| coordinates      = {{coord|-0.818|-90.062|display=inline,title}}
|location         = [[Galápagos Islands]], Ecuador
| pop              = 
| archipelago      = Galápagos Islands
| waterbody        = 
| total_islands    = 
| major_islands    = 
| rank             = 
| elevation_m      = 
| elevation_footnotes = 
| country          = [[Ecuador]]
}}

[[File:Opuntia echios - Santa Fe, Galapagos.jpg|thumb|[[Opuntia galapageia|Prickly pear]] cactus and [[swallow-tailed gull]]s on Santa Fe Island]]
'''Santa Fe Island''' ({{langx|es|Isla Santa Fé}}), also known as '''Barrington Island''', is a small [[island]] of {{convert|24|km2|mi2}} which lies in the middle of the [[Galápagos Archipelago]] in [[Ecuador]]. Visitor access is by a wet landing in [[Barrington Bay (Galapagos)|Barrington Bay]] on the northeastern side of the island.

{{anchor|Name|Etymology|Toponymy}}
==Names==
The name {{lang|es|Santa Fé}} is [[Spanish language|Spanish]] for "Holy Faith" in reference to [[Roman Catholic]] [[Christianity]].

The [[English language|English]] name ''Barrington Island'' was bestowed in 1794 by [[James Colnett]] in honor of [[Samuel Barrington|Admiral Samuel Barrington]], noted for his kindness to the sailors under his commands.{{sfnp|McEwen|1988|p=237}}

==Geography==
Santa Fe lies in the middle of the [[Galápagos Archipelago]] in [[Ecuador]]. It is southeast of [[Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos)|Santa Cruz Island]].<ref name="gc"/>

==Environment==
[[Geology|Geologically]], the island is one of the oldest of the archipelago; [[volcanic rock]]s of about 4 million years old have been found.<ref>{{cite web|title=Santa Fe Island Tour|url=http://www.galapagosalternative.com/islands/Santa-Fe-Galapagos-Tour.asp|publisher=galapagosalternative.com|access-date=6 June 2017}}</ref>

The vegetation of the island is characterized by brush, [[Bursera graveolens|palo santo trees]] and stands of a large [[Variety (botany)|subvariety]] of the Galápagos [[Opuntia|prickly pear]] cactus, ''[[Opuntia galapageia]]'' subvar. ''barringtonensis''.<ref>{{cite web|title=SANTA FE ISLAND (BARRINGTON), GALAPAGOS|url=https://animalcorner.co.uk/santa-fe-island/|publisher=animalcorner.co.uk|access-date=6 June 2017}}</ref>

Santa Fe is home to two [[Endemism|endemic]] [[species]] and two endemic [[subspecies]]: the [[Barrington land iguana]] (''Conolophus pallidus''), the [[Barrington leaf-toed gecko]] (''Phyllodactylus barringtonensis''),<ref>{{EMBL species|genus=Phyllodactylus|species=barringtonensis}} www.reptile-database.org.</ref> the Santa Fe [[marine iguana]] (''Amblyrhynchus cristatus trillmichi'') and the [[Galápagos rice rat|Santa Fe rice rat]] (''Aegialomys galapagoensis bauri''). Large numbers of [[Galápagos sea lion|sea lions]] are found on the beaches of Barrington Bay, occasionally hindering access to the two trails leading from the beach.

The island used to have its own, so far [[undescribed taxon|undescribed]], species of [[Galápagos tortoise]], the [[endemism|endemic]] [[Santa Fe tortoise]], which became extinct in the mid 19th century because of overexploitation by whalers and settlers. For over 150 years the island had no tortoises. Genetic examination of tortoise bones found on the island showed that its closest relative was the [[Hood Island giant tortoise]] (''Chelonoidis hoodensis'') from [[Española Island]] (formerly Hood Island). Following a decision made at an international workshop on giant tortoises in 2012, a program was initiated to reestablish a tortoise population on Santa Fe, using the Española Island species as an ecological analogue, or substitute. The tortoises are ecologically important for the island [[ecosystem]], especially for their role as [[seed dispersal|seed dispersers]]. Between 2015 and 2021 the Santa Fe Tortoise Project successfully introduced some 700 juvenile and 31 subadult Española tortoises to Santa Fe to complete the [[ecological restoration]] program (which had begun in the 1970s with the eradication of [[feral goat]]s) for the island.<ref name="gc">{{cite web |url= https://www.galapagos.org/about_galapagos/about-galapagos/the-islands/santa-fe/|title= Santa Fé|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=|website= The Galapagos Islands |publisher= Galapagos Conservancy |access-date= 17 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="gc2">{{cite web |url= https://www.galapagos.org/newsroom/santa-fe-tortoise-project-2021/|title= Final Phase of the Santa Fe Tortoise Repopulation Process Complete|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2 March 2021|website= The Galapagos Islands |publisher= Galapagos Conservancy |access-date= 17 July 2021}}</ref>

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}
===Bibliography===
* {{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 }}.

==External links==
{{commons category|Santa Fe (Barrington)}}
{{wikisource|The Encantadas/Sketch Sixth|Barrington Isle and the Buccaneers}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040414232915/http://galapagosonline.com/Islands/islands/Santa_Fe/Santa_Fe.html Santa Fe Information Galapagosonline.com]

{{Galápagos Islands}}

[[Category:Islands of the Galápagos Islands]]
[[Category:Seabird colonies]]