TerraQuest: Virtual Galápagos

From rainbow-colored iguanas to blue-footed boobies, the Galápagos is a riot of color and contrast. Virtual Galápagos follows TerraQuest’s expedition to explore this “living laboratory of evolution.” Combining adventure, entertainment, and resource material, the live site maintained daily contact with journalists in the field while providing a wealth of background information on the Galápagos Islands. Virtual travelers can explore archives of daily dispatches, an interactive atlas of the area, and the diverse wildlife that inhabit the archipelago’s various environments. In-depth resources shed light on how species introduced to the islands, illegal marine harvesting, population pressures, and political turmoil confront these islands today, and will determine their future. Virtual Galápagos was one of the first entertainment Web sites to utilize features introduced with Netscape 2.0, including frames and plug-in support. Live daily dispatches combined technology with resource material to create a hybrid content repository that remains a valuable resource about the region. The interactive atlas lets users zoom in on individual islands and regions of Ecuador, while photo and QTVR galleries accompany geographic and other information about the Galápagos.