ECUADOR - SOUTH AMERICA
LOCATION:
Ecuador, in
northwestern South America. borders the Pacific Ocean at the equator (hence,
its name), situated between Colombia and Peru. Pacific coastal lowlands rise to
the peaks and highlands of the Andes Mountains, which give way to the Ecuadorian
portion of the tropical Amazon River basin in the east.
AREA : 105,037 sq mi (272,045 sq km), including the Galapagos Islands. Population (2005 est.): 13,364,000.
About two-fifths of the population are Indian mostly Quechua, & two fifths are mestizos, most of the rest are of Spanish ancestry.
LANGUAGE : Spanish (official).
RELIGION: 95% Roman Catholic
CURRENCY : U.S. dollar since 2,000.
ECUADOR IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR LAND FORMS:
the coastal lowlands and mountains areas; the central
Andes Mountains and it's two major chains (Cordillera Occidental in the west)
and the (Cordillera Oriental in the east); the lower mountains that fade
into rolling hills and lowlands of the east, and the territory of the Galapagos
Islands - officially called the Archipelago de Colón - located about 1,000 km to
the west.
The Andes includes over 20 peaks at least 13,779 ft. (4,200 m) in height with
most located in the Cordillera Occidental. In addition, there are over 30 peaks
that are volcanic in nature, including many active ones.
Most rivers in Ecuador rise in the upper elevations of the Andes, flowing east
toward the Amazon River, or west into the Pacific Ocean. The most significant
include the Babahoyo, Chira, Coca, Curaray, Daule, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Napo,
Paztaza, and the Putumayo, on its northeastern border with Colombia. Almost
two-fifths of the land is forested, with tropical rainforests in the east.
Ecuador straddles the Equator. Its climate varies from tropical in the lowlands
to temperate in the highlands.
The Country of Ecuador is divided into 22 PROVINCES : Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua and Zamora-Chinchipe.
CAPITAL CITY: Quito.
ECUADOR BRANCH : Located in the largest city and chief port, Guayaquil.
CLIMATE:
Ecuador has a tropical climate along its coastal areas, then
becoming much cooler inland, especially in the higher elevations of the Andes.
The jungle-covered plains of the eastern lowlands are hot and very damp
throughout the year, with copious amounts of rain.
The most significant climate variations occur in the Andes, where
in general terms, mornings are cold and afternoons warm.
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