The Galapagos Islands have caught and held the attention of mankind ever since Charles Darwin studied them scientifically in the late 1800's. Today a research station bearing his name is located there. The Galapagos are famous for their diverse biosphere of rare and unusual animals, many of which are featured on our Galapagos sucre set. The Galapagos Islands are officially part of Ecuador, and Ecuador uses the US dollar as its official currency. The previously official sucre of Ecuador had now been completely replaced and is not valid any longer. Our new sucre issue commemorates the diverse wildlife and history of the Galapagos. This is the 500 new sucres note, and depicts Darwin and the Giant Tortoise. It also commemorates the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth. This is the second edition of 2009. The first edition of 2009 is sold out.