Ecuador
Ecuador is named after the equator, and it owns the Galapagos Islands, where Charles Darwin worked out how evolution happens.
- CapitalQuitoThe closest capital city to the equator
- PopulationAbout 18 millionSplit between coast, mountains and Amazon
- Area276,841 km2One of the smallest South American countries
- CurrencyUnited States dollarAdopted in 2000 after its own currency collapsed
For a small country, Ecuador has an astonishing range: Pacific beaches, a corridor of snow-capped volcanoes down the middle, Amazon rainforest to the east, and the Galapagos Islands 900 km out to sea.
The Galapagos are volcanic islands that have never been joined to the mainland. Animals arrived by chance on driftwood or wind, then evolved into forms found nowhere else: giant tortoises, marine iguanas that feed underwater, and finches with different beaks on different islands. Those finches gave Darwin a crucial clue.
National symbols
- National bird Andean condor
- National flower Rose, and the chuquiragua in the highlands
- National anthem Salve, Oh Patria (Translation: We Salute You, Our Homeland)
- National day Independence Day, 10 August
Map of Ecuador
Geography
Ecuador covers 276,841 km2 and borders Colombia and Peru, with the Pacific Ocean to the west. The Galapagos archipelago, about 900 km offshore, belongs to it too.
The Andes run north to south through the middle in two ridges, with a string of volcanoes between them that Ecuadorians call the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Cotopaxi, at 5,897 m, is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. Chimborazo is the highest peak at 6,263 m.
Climate
Sitting on the equator, Ecuador has no seasons in the usual sense, only wetter and drier months. Altitude decides temperature: Quito at 2,850 m stays around 14C to 21C all year, while the coast and Amazon are hot and humid.
The coast has a rainy season from December to May. The Galapagos are unusually cool and dry for tropical islands, because the Humboldt Current brings cold water up from the south.
Famous landmarks
There are a range of interesting landmarks, monuments and buildings in Ecuador including the Ciudad Mital del Mundo (Monument and Plaza marking the equator), La Compania (Church of the Socity of Jesus), Catedral Nueva (cathedral), San Francisco Church, Rumichaca natural bridge, Inca ruins at Cojitambo Canar and Ingapirca, Pambamarca Fortresses.
Ecuador is famous for for its amazing geographical features which include the Amazon Jungle, the Guayas River, Chimborazo and the incredible Galapagos Islands which were made famous by Charles Darwin during his travels. The English naturalist was captured by the wildlife and beauty that he observed and studied on the islands.
Culture
Spanish is the official language, with Kichwa and Shuar also recognised. Around a quarter of Ecuadorians are Indigenous or of mixed Indigenous descent.
Otavalo in the highlands hosts one of the largest Indigenous craft markets in South America, famous for weaving. Around 74 per cent of Ecuadorians are Catholic. The panama hat, confusingly, is actually made in Ecuador and always has been.
Economy
Oil from the Amazon region is the largest export, followed by bananas: Ecuador is the world's biggest banana exporter.
Shrimp farming, cut flowers (especially roses grown at high altitude, which develop unusually large heads) and cocoa are all significant. Tourism to the Galapagos is strictly limited by visitor quotas to protect the wildlife.
The flag
The top half is yellow and the bottom half is split between blue and red, the Gran Colombia colours shared with Colombia and Venezuela.
In the centre is the coat of arms: Mount Chimborazo, the Guayas river steamship, a golden sun with zodiac signs for the months of the 1845 revolution, and an Andean condor spreading its wings above, ready to defend the nation.
