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THE COUNTRY

Geographic & Political Divisions

Straddling the equator in western South America, Ecuador has territories in both the Northern and the Southern hemispheres. It borders Colombia to the north and shares a border with Peru to the south and to the east. The Pacific Ocean is Ecuador's western border. Ecuador, 256,370 square kilometers in size, is geographically divided into four regions (the Amazon, the Highlands, the Coast, and the Galapagos Islands) and is politically split into 24 provinces, which, in turn, are split into 205 cantons. The coastal provinces (from north to south) are Esmeraldas, Manabí, Los Ríos, Salinas, Guayas, and El Oro. Highlands provinces are Imbabura, Santo Domingo, Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua and Chimborazo, in the north, and Bolívar, Cañar, Azuay and Loja, in the south. The Amazon is comprised of the provinces (from north to south) of Sucumbíos, Napo, Pastaza, Orellana, Morona-Santiago and Zamora-Chinchipe. Ecuador's 22nd province is the Galapagos Islands

Culture

Ecuador is a multiethnic and multicultural nation. It has a population of more than 12.6 million. Of these, five and a half million live in the highlands. Six and a half million of Ecuador's inhabitants live on the Pacific coast. The Amazon region is home to more than six hundred thousand inhabitants and nearly seventeen thousand live in the Galapagos Islands. More than 14 indigenous groups live on the Ecuadorian mainland, maintaining their own traditions and ways of life.

Ecology

Ecuador is one the planet's top 17 most biologically diverse nations. The nation's drastic geographic and climatic variations have led to the evolution of thousands of species of flora and fauna, most of which thrive in habitats protected by the State and by private organizations. Despite its tiny size, Ecuador is home to rain forests, jungles, mountains, islands, deserts, valleys, and snowcapped peaks. One of its main attractions is the Galapagos Archipelago and its marine reserve, which contain endemic species unique to the area.

Just outside of Ecuador's principle cities, the traveler encounters extensive areas protected by the State as well as by private organizations such as universities and ecological and scientific groups. The diversity of the four regions has given rise to the evolution of thousands of species of flora and fauna, all of which now thrive in a variety of diverse ecosystems.

Ecuador boasts approximately 1,640 species of birds, 500 of which are found in the Mindo-Nambillo Protected Forest to the northwest of Quito. In addition, Ecuador is home to 4,500 species of butterflies, 345 species of reptiles, 358 species of amphibians, and 258 species of mammals, among others. With so much wildlife in such a small space, it's no surprise that Ecuador is one of the planet's top 17 nations with respect to biodiversity

Climate

Due to geographic differences in altitude, longitude and latitude, and the climatic effects of the Pacific Ocean, the Amazon, and the Andes, the various regions and sub regions of Ecuador have very different climates and microclimates. The Pacific coast has a rainy season between December and May and a dry one from June to November. The temperature oscillates between 23 and 26 degrees celsius. The Highlands, on the other hand, has a rainy, cold climate from November to April and a dry one from May to October. The temperature here is between 13 and 18 degrees celsius. In the Amazon, the climate is rainy and humid between January and September, with temperatures between 23 and 36 degrees celsius, and it is dry between October and December. The Galapagos has a temperate climate with temperatures ranging between 22 and 32 degrees celsius
 

History

The first phase of Ecuador's history began somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 BC with the rise of indigenous societies. These peoples had developed social organizations with their own beliefs, rites, and ceremonies and an economy based primarily on hunting, gathering, and agriculture. Traces of their existence can be found in archaeological sites located all across Ecuador. This era, which can be divided into four periods (Paleo-Indian or Pre-ceramic, Formative, Regional Development, Integration, and Incan), lasted until the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores in the XVI century
 

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This material was a courtesy of the Guayaquil City Tourism Bureau