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Darwin On Beagle
In 1831, Darwin joined Captain FitzRoy and the HMS Beagle as a naturalist for a trip around the world. -
Salvador, Brazil
Darwin explores the world of Brazilian rainforests for the first time. He is very delighted and surprised. Darwin notes the "general luxuriance of the vegetation bears the victory, the elegance of the grasses, the novelty of the parasitical plants, [and] the beauty of the flowers." -
Cape Verde
Darwin is thrilled by some of his first discoveries and decides that he might write a book about the geology of the places he visited. -
Punta Alta, Argentina
Darwin sees many giant fossils. He thinks they are interesting and must be quite new. -
Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Captain FitzRoy releases 3 natives that he had previously brought to England. He attempts to start a Christian mission but fails disastrously. -
Crossing the Equator
Darwin and the Beagle cross the equator. Darwin notes the disagreeable act of being shaved and how the entire ship was essentially used as a shower. -
Falkland Islands
Darwin finds some primitive looking rocks and fossils in the "desolate and wretched" Falkland Islands. -
Rio Negro, Argentina
Darwin arrives in the fertile lowland areas and is intrigued by how independent the local people are. -
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Chiloe Island, Chile
Darwin witnesses the eruption of Mt. Osorno and experiences an earthquake. The amount of destruction caused by the earthquake affected him greatly. -
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Galapagos Islands
Darwin finds many species that are unique to the Galapagos Islands but still have features of the mainland species. He concludes from this information that the traits of each species are beneficial to them in the environment in which they live. -
Sydney, Australia
After seeing the marsupials, Darwin wonders why the mammals in Australia are like no other. -
Cocos Islands
Darwin studies the coral reefs around the islands to test his theory of atoll formation. -
Bahia and Pernambuco, South America
Darwin discovers many new animals in the jungles of South America. He ends up being homesick and sea sick when the Beagle makes a detour. -
Mauritius
Darwin finds the uncultivated plain along the sea coast. He notes the black lava and coarse grass and bushes. -
Cape Town, South Africa
Darwin and the Beagle arrive in Cape Town. The first thing that Darwin notices is the number of bullock wagons. He also sees the Table Mountain, described as a "great mass of horizontally stratified sandstone". -
Faltmouth, England
Darwin and the Beagle arrive back home.