Robinson Crusoe island, also known as the Juan Fernandez archipelago is situated in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, 674 kilometres from the South American continent. It was here that the sailor Alexander Selkirk (Robinson Crusoe) was marooned in 1705 and lived in absolute solitude for 5 years. The sailor inspired Daniel Defoe to write the classic novel, Robinson Crusoe. Since 1977, these islands, World Biosphere Reserves, have been considered of maximum scientific importance because of the endemic species of flora and fauna (101 of the 146 native species of plants are endemic). The red hummingbird is most famous for its needle-fine black beak and silken feather coverage. The archipelago is made up of three islands, Robinson Crusoe, Alejandro Selkirk and the small Santa Clara. Only the first of these is populated, with 500 inhabitants who maintain a 19th century serenity and indifference to the lures of the outside world.