Ecuador is a South American country. Bathed by the
Pacific to the west, it is limited to the north by
Colombia and to the east and south by Peru. Ecuador
covers a total area of 283 560 km2 ,
including the Galapagos archipelago (7 844 km2 ),
located in the Pacific Ocean about 1,100 km west of the
Ecuadorian coast.
The main cities are Guayaquil, with 2 044 700
inhabitants (2004), Quito, the capital (1 466 300 inhab.),
And Cuenca (290 1 00 inhab.). Forests cover about 40% of
the total area of the territory. Two Andean mountain
ranges cross the country from north to south and divide
it into three different areas. The coastal plain where
32% of the population lives has a tropical climate in
the north and very dry in the south. The La Sierra
region is formed by two massifs, between which a
depression of 2 800 m extends; this is where the
capital, Quito, is located, where 60% of Ecuador's
inhabitants reside. It is a temperate climate area. The
top of the two mountain ranges is marked by the cones of
51 volcanoes, many of which are active. The third area
of relief is the Amazonian plain, it has a hot and
humid climate, being covered with tropical forests;
Climate
In the eastern part of the country, the climate is
equatorial; in the Andes, the climate is high, with low
temperatures throughout the year; on the coast, there is
a semi-desert strip to the south, and an area of humid
tropical climate to the north.
Economy
Ecuador's economy is based primarily on agriculture. In
the Andean region, barley, potatoes, corn and beans are
produced. In the coastal region, rice, cocoa, coffee,
bananas and other tropical fruits are grown for
export. Fishing is also an important activity. The main
industry is the textile. Ecuador's main trading partners
are the United States of America, Colombia, Japan and
Venezuela.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide
emissions, per capita, (metric tons, 1999) is 1.9.
Population
The population is 13 547 510 inhabitants (2006), which
corresponds to a population density of 47.13 inhab./km2. The
birth and death rates are, respectively, 22.29% and
4.23%. Average life expectancy is 76.42 years. The value
of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.731 and the
value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is
0.716 (2001). The population consists of Amerindians
(25%), mestizos (65%), whites (7%) and blacks (3%). The
religion practiced by the vast majority of the
population is Catholic (93%). The official language is
Castilian.
History
The current territory of Ecuador has been part of the
Inca Empire since its conquest by Pizarro in 1532. This
country proclaimed its independence in 1809, following a
revolutionary movement, but it was in 1822 that General
Sucre would conquer the Spanish. On May 13, 1830, a free
and independent republic was proclaimed. A period
followed alternately by conservatives and liberals and
generals. Ecuador's history was marked by the cruel and
tyrannical dictatorship of Gabriel García Moreno who was
eventually murdered in 1875. The next twenty years were
of struggle between conservatives and liberals and the
coups d'état did not stop happening. In 1930 a
revolution broke out in Quito, which left 200
dead. Until the 1960s, Ecuador lived in a climate of
political instability. In 1968, conservatives, Liberals
and socialists prepared elections in a climate of
violence. In 1972, the Republic of Ecuador already had
50 coups d'état.
In 1973, hydrocarbon deposits were discovered, making
Ecuador one of the largest oil producers in South
America. This discovery allowed the development of the
economy and politics of the country that, for the first
time, elected a two-headed executive. The neoliberal
philosophy, which inspired an economic policy, resulted
in the opening of borders. Traditional cultures and
fishing developed and in 1987 it was the world's first
shrimp exporter. Despite oil being a guarantee of
prosperity, inflation remained high and led to currency
devaluation and the worsening living conditions of the
majority of the population. The minimum wage is the
lowest in Latin America and to this is added health
problems related to malnutrition.
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