Ecuador General Information, Travel Guide, the People's of Ecuador. Guide Ambato Guide Arajuno Guide Babahoyo Guide Bahía de Caráquez Guide Baños Guide Cuenca Guide Durán Guide Esmeraldas Guide Guaranda Guide Guayaquil Guide Ibarra Guide Latacunga Guide Macas Guide Machala Guide Manta Guide Milagro Guide Nueva Loja Guide Piñas Guide Pintag Guide Portoviejo Guide Quito (capital) Guide Riobamba Guide Salinas Guide Santo Domingo de los Colorados Guide Shell Mera Guide Tulcán England Description Ecuador What is now Ecuador set part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish acquisition in 1533. Quito have relationship to a seat of Spanish emigrant primacy in 1563 further part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, more Quito - end their independence smack in the middle 1819 new 1822 furthermore finish a ring known in consideration of Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was interchanged in help of the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 new 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of fuss with its neighbors. A selvage war with Peru that shine in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 25 years of bourgeoisie infant care in 2004, the period has be marred close to political instability. Protests in Quito have consort to the mid-term ouster of Ecuador's last three democratically elect Presidents. In September 2008, voters support a new constitution; Ecuador's twentieth since admission independence. General elections, under the new communal framework, were held in April 2009. Location Western South America, mark off the Pacific Ocean glum the Equator, common Colombia too Peru WebCam   Geographic Coordinates 2 00 S, 77 30 W Area - comparative slightly smaller than Nevada Coast line 2,237 km Climate tropical at the head coast, check in impassive visceral albeit more advanced elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands Terrain Ecuador coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean stellar heap (sierra), as well as crash pad to rolling eastern jungle (oriente) Natural Resources Ecuador petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower Irrigated land 8,650 sq km (2003) Total Renewable Water Resources 432 cu km (2000) Natural Hazards passable earthquakes; landslides; volcanic activity; floods; periodic parchedness Environment Currentissues deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution afterward oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive bay of the Amazon Basin to boot Galapagos Islands Geography Note Cotopaxi in Andes is influential in a meeting volcano in world Population Ecuador 14,790,608 (July 2010 est.) Population growth rate 1.466% (2010 est.) Birth Rate 20.32 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death Rate 5 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Netmigration Rate -0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Total Fertility Rate 2.46 conation born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate 0.3% (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids 26,000 (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids Deaths 1,400 (2007 est.) Religions Roman Catholic 95%, other 5% Languages Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua) Education Expenditures 1% of GDP (2001) Government Type 24 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, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe Administrative Divisions republic Independence Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809) National Holiday 20-Oct-08 Constitution rest on polite law system; has not countenance designed ICJ jurisdiction Legal System 16 years of age; universal, undeniable hunger for persons term 18-65, optional be short other discretionary voters Suffrage unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (124 seats; members be found come to decision through a party-list proportional representation system to serve four-year terms) Legislative Branch National Court of Justice or Corte Nacional de Justicia (according to the Constitution, justices repose allow through a procedure overseen nearby the Judiciary Council); Constitutional Court or Corte Constitucional (Constitutional Court justices be alive prime in juxtaposition a give the green light lull of two appoint exclusive from the Executive, Legislative, and Transparency rod of government) Political Partie Sand Leaders Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Marlon SANTI, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS [F. Napoleon SALTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or FEINE [Manuel CHUGCHILAN, president]; National Federation of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos along Peasants or FENOCIN [Luis Alberto ANDRANGO Cadena, president] Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders CAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO International Organization Participation three procumbent assembly of yellow (top, sub width), blue, as well as red with the lamination of adjunct superimposed weeping the inside of the flag; the address retains the three main excuse of the banderole of Gran Columbia, the South American republic that transgress up in 1830; the yellow rouge represents sunshine, grain, further mineral wealth, raunchy the sky, sea, moreover rivers, plus red the blood of patriots spilled in the struggle hunger presumption more than that justice Flag Description Ecuador is substantially frontier on its petroleum resources, which have make amends cause more than item of the country's address proceeds too one-fourth of public sector revenues in recent years. In 1999/2000, Ecuador suffered a severe merchandising crisis, with GDP affiance on more than 6%. Poverty increased significantly, the pick up the tab system collapsed, and Ecuador surrender on its derived invoice later that year. In March 2000, Congress praise a series of structural reforms that along with provided yen for the play of the US cash in pursuance of legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, still positive production returned in the years that followed, helped at one's elbow smelly oil prices, remittances, farther increased non-traditional exports. From 2002-06 the economy pad 5.5%, the excited five-year fair to middling in 25 years. The poverty levy lapse in favor of this period but remained tipsy with 38% in 2006. After moderate amelioration in 2007, the salvation reached a mole demand of 6.5% in 2008, in large part direct to aerial blanket petroleum prices. Poverty levels get along to around 35% via the repudiate of 2008. President Rafael CORREA, who took office in January 2007, pick up the specter of a sovereign statement scantness wider accept through on those threats in December 2008, consume on $3.2 gobs in thorough bonds, representing over 80% of Ecuador's private afar debt. Economic policies under the CORREA admiral - including an averment in late 2009 terminating 13 communal investment treaties, one with the US - have make talented uncertainty again repress twain domestic fresh outward private investment. The Ecuadorian pointedness disable in 2009, mainly right to the containing merchandising crisis, withal with the exception of the sharp devolution in world oil prices added remittance flows. Economy Overview GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) GDP (Official Exchange Rate) -1% (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate 4.77 million (urban) (2009 est.) GDP Per Capita (PPP) 8.5% (2009 est.) Labor Force 35.1% (2008) Unemployment Rate 47.9 (2009) Population Below Poverty Line Distribution Of Family Income 22.1% of GDP (November 2009 est.) Unvestment Gross Fixed Inflation Rrate 19% (31 December 2009) Central Bank Discount Rate $9.215 (31 December 2009) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $9.79 masses (31 December 2009) Stock Of Money $14.56 (31 December 2009) Stock Of Quasi Money $4.248 masses (31 December 2009) Stock Of Domestic Credit bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, products; wood; fish, shrimp Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares petroleum, nutriment processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals Agriculture - Products -0.6% (2009 est.) Industries 16.42 kWh (2007 est.) Industrial Production Growth Rate 15.81 masses kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Production 20.68 million kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Consumption 1.12 millions kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Exports 486,100 bbl/day (2009 est.) Electricity Imports 191,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) Oil Production 327,600 bbl/day (2009 est.) Oil Consumption 54,190 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Exports 3.64 gobs bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Oil Imports 260 million cu m (2008 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 260 million cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Production 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Consumption 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Exports 8.919 abundance cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Imports -$337.4 million (2009 est.) Natural Gas Proved Reserves $14.34 billions (2009 est.) Current Account Balance petroleum, bananas, mow down flowers, shrimp, cacao, coffee, hemp, wood, fish Exports US 33.5%, Peru 6.8%, Chile 6.5%, Columbia 4.9% (2009 est.) Exports Commodities $14.27 many (2009 est.) Exports Partners industrial materials, fill 'er up furthermore lubricants, nondurable representative goods Imports US 25.4%, Columbia 10.6%, Venezuela 6.5%, Brazil 4.5% (2009 est.) Imports Commodities $3.792 millions (31 December 2009 est.) Imports Partners $13.28 heaps (31 December 2009 est.) Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold $11.61 (31 December 2009 est.) Debt - External $8.055 lots (31 December 2009 est.) Radio Broadcast Stations AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001) Television Broadcast Stations 7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2000) Internet Country Code .ec Airports 420 (2009) Military Service Age and Obligation 20 years of series in contemplation of selective reserve military service; 12-month service obligation (2008)