Ecuador

From Imakoopedia

Ecuador is a country in Western South America, with a Pacific Ocean coastline, lying on the Equator between Colombia, to the northeast, and Peru, to the south and east.

The highest active volcano in world, Cotopaxi, which is in the Andes, is in Ecuador.

Table of contents

1 Regions 2 Cities 2.1 Ports and harbors 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 Climate 4.2 Terrain 4.3 History 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By car 5.4 By bus 5.5 By boat 6 Get around 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Sleep 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact 18 External links 19 Geography 20 People 21 Government 22 Economy 23 Communications 24 Transportation 25 Military 26 Transnational Issues

Regions

• The Amazon
• The Andean Highlands
• The Coastal Lowlands
• The Galapagos Islands

Administrative divisions 

22 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe

Cities

• Quito - Capital
• Guayaquil - Largest port city
• Cuenca

Ports and harbors

Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, San Lorenzo

Other destinations

Understand

Climate

Tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands. Natural hazards include floods and periodic droughts.

Terrain

Coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente) Experiences frequent earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic activity;

Highest point 

Chimborazo 6,267 m

History

The "Republic of the Equator" was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Venezuela). Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999.

Independence 

24 May 1822 (from Spain)

National holiday 

Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)

Constitution 

10 August 1998

Get in

By plane

By train

By car

By bus

By boat

Get around

Talk

Languages 

Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Stay healthy

Respect

Contact

External links

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Geography

Geographic coordinates 

2 00 S, 77 30 W

Area 

total: 283,560 sq km
note: includes Galapagos Islands
water: 6,720 sq km
land: 276,840 sq km

Area - comparative 

slightly smaller than Nevada

Coastline 

2,237 km

Maritime claims 

continental shelf: claims continental shelf between mainland and Galapagos Islands
territorial sea: 200 NM

Natural resources 

petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower

Land use 

arable land: 5.69%
permanent crops: 5.15%
other: 89.16% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

8,650 sq km (1998 est.)

Environment - current issues 

deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Galapagos Islands

Environment - international agreements 

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

People

Population 

13,447,494 (July 2002 est.)

Nationality 

noun: Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian

Ethnic groups 

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%

Religions 

Roman Catholic 95%

Government

Country name 

conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador
local short form: Ecuador
local long form: Republica del Ecuador

Government type 

republic

Legal system 

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Judicial branch 

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court)

Diplomatic representation in the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Ivonne A-BAKI
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482
telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200
chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

Diplomatic representation from the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Kristie Anne KENNEY
embassy: Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria, Quito
mailing address: APO AA 34039
telephone: [593] (2) 256-2890
FAX: [593] (2) 250-2052
consulate(s) general: Guayaquil

Flag description 

three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms

Economy

Economy - overview 

Ecuador has substantial oil resources and rich agricultural areas. Because the country exports primary products such as oil, bananas, and shrimp, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. Ecuador joined the World Trade Organization in 1996, but has failed to comply with many of its accession commitments. The aftermath of El Nino and depressed oil market of 1997-98 drove Ecuador's economy into a free-fall in 1999. The beginning of 1999 saw the banking sector collapse, which helped precipitate an unprecedented default on external loans later that year. Continued economic instability drove a 70% depreciation of the currency throughout 1999, which forced a desperate government to "dollarize" the currency regime in 2000. The move stabilized the currency, but did not stave off the ouster of the government. Gustavo NOBOA, who assumed the presidency in January 2000, has managed to pass substantial economic reforms and mend relations with international financial institutions. Ecuador completed its first standby agreement since 1986 when the IMF Board approved a 10 December 2001 disbursement of $96 million, the final installment of a $300 million standby credit agreement.

Industries 

petroleum, food processing, textiles, metal work, paper products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fishing, lumber

Agriculture - products 

bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp

Exports - commodities 

petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee, cocoa, cut flowers, fish

Imports - commodities 

machinery and equipment, chemicals, raw materials, fuels; consumer goods

Currency 

US dollar (USD)

Currency code 

USD

Exchange rates 

sucres per US dollar - 25,000.0 (January 2002), 25,000.0 (2001), 24,988.4 (2000), 11,786.8 (1999), 5,446.6 (1998), 3,988.3 (1997)
note: on 13 March 2000, the National Congress approved a new exchange system whereby the US dollar was adopted as the main legal tender in Ecuador for all purposes; on 20 March 2000, the Central Bank of Ecuador started to exchange sucres for US dollars at a fixed rate of 25,000 sucres per US dollar; since 30 April 2000, all transactions are denominated in US dollars

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

1,115,272 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

384,000 (1999)

Telephone system 

general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001)

Radios 

5 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations 

7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2001)

Televisions 

2.5 million (2001)

Internet country code 

.ec

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

31 (2001)

Internet users 

328,000 (2002)

Transportation

Railways 

total: 965 km
narrow gauge: 965 km 1.067-m gauge (2000 est.)

Highways 

total: 43,197 km
paved: 8,165 km
unpaved: 35,032 km (2001)

Waterways 

1,500 km

Airports 

205 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 61
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 18 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 144
914 to 1,523 m: 31
under 914 m: 113 (2002)

Heliports 

1 (2002)

Military

Military branches 

Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, National Police

Transnational Issues

Illicit drugs 

significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; dollarization may raise the volume of money-laundering activity, especially along the border with Colombia; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents