Española is the oldest of the Galapagos Islands, as it sits on the southeastern end of the archipelago.  The islands are of volcanic origin and are formed because of the activity of what geologist call a ¨hot spot¨. As the Nazca plate slides to the southeast over the volcano-producing area, new island are formed. This means that the islands towards the northwest are the youngest, and the ones on the opposite end are the oldest.