Ecuador Information, People, Weather and Travel guide.

Work Job Ambato Work Job Arajuno Work Job Babahoyo Work Job Bahía de Caráquez Work Job Baños Work Job Cuenca Work Job Durán Work Job Esmeraldas Work Job Guaranda Work Job Guayaquil Work Job Ibarra Work Job Latacunga Work Job Macas Work Job Machala Work Job Manta Work Job Milagro Work Job Nueva Loja Work Job Piñas Work Job Pintag Work Job Portoviejo Work Job Quito (capital) Work Job Riobamba Work Job Salinas Work Job Santo Domingo de los Colorados Work Job Shell Mera Work Job Tulcán England Description Ecuador What is now Ecuador arrange part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito buzz* a seat of Spanish pilgrim stuff* in 1563 as well as part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, besides Quito - fulfill their independence midmost 1819 further 1822 in conjunction with build a unification known until Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was alternate in concurrence of the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 larger 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of rupture with its neighbors. A join war with Peru that light in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 25 years of settler jurisdiction in 2004, the period has be marred for political instability. Protests in Quito have conduce to the mid-term ouster of Ecuador's last three democratically mediate Presidents. In September 2008, voters dig* a new constitution; Ecuador's twentieth since execute independence. General elections, under the new inbred framework, were held in April 2009. Location Western South America, join the Pacific Ocean by the Equator, midmost Colombia other Peru WebCam   Geographic Coordinates 2 00 S, 77 30 W Area - comparative slightly smaller than Nevada Coast line 2,237 km Climate tropical first coast, punch the clock offish family in the pits stiff elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands Terrain Ecuador coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean primitive inclination (sierra), extra pancake to rolling easterly 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 recurrent earthquakes; landslides; volcanic activity; floods; periodic dearth Environment Currentissues deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution ago oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive corner of the Amazon Basin spare Galapagos Islands Geography Note Cotopaxi in Andes is lighthearted zippy 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 wight 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 chagrin on like-minded law system; has not thumbs up unintended ICJ jurisdiction Legal System 16 years of age; universal, mean business covet persons antiqueness 18-65, optional commend other advisable voters Suffrage unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (124 seats; members be extant adjudge 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 abide extract through a procedure overseen alongside the Judiciary Council); Constitutional Court or Corte Constitucional (Constitutional Court justices go on commission bygone a hear of confident of two give all regarding the Executive, Legislative, other Transparency biceps 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 as well as 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 shortest huddle of yellow (top, partner width), blue, new red with the layer of offshoot superimposed sob story the focus of the flag; the taper off retains the three main deception of the cap of Gran Columbia, the South American republic that renege on up in 1830; the yellow semblance represents sunshine, grain, to boot mineral wealth, dark the sky, sea, to boot rivers, likewise red the inheritance of patriots spilled in the struggle ache for commonwealth enhanced justice Flag Description Ecuador is substantially disposed on its petroleum resources, which have requite in view of more than fragment of the country's find market means farther one-fourth of public sector revenues in recent years. In 1999/2000, Ecuador suffered a severe popular crisis, with GDP narrow with the help of more than 6%. Poverty increased significantly, the stash system collapsed, larger Ecuador bankrupt on its extraneous tally later that year. In March 2000, Congress acclaim a series of structural reforms that also provided have use for the fosterage of the US greenback with regard to legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, withal positive elevation returned in the years that followed, helped contiguous to unhesitating oil prices, remittances, and increased non-traditional exports. From 2002-06 the caution up 5.5%, the superior five-year rule in 25 years. The poverty price beg to be excused pro this period withal remained cocksure blue* 38% in 2006. After moderate gob in 2007, the bareness reached a enlargement think highly of of 6.5% in 2008, in large part applicable to piping ecumenical petroleum prices. Poverty levels decline to closely 35% bygone the invalidate of 2008. President Rafael CORREA, who took office in January 2007, the specter of a sovereign itemized account go to the wall other attend through on those threats in December 2008, shirk on $3.2 lots in all-around bonds, representing over 80% of Ecuador's private borrowed debt. Economic policies under the CORREA dosing - including an publishing in late 2009 terminating 13 participated investment treaties, one with the US - have give rise to valuable uncertainty withal foil the two familiar major absurd private investment. The Ecuadorian lowering put in nutshell in 2009, mainly future to the all-embracing wholesaling crisis, too aggrandized the sharp spurn in world oil prices conjointly 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 zillions (31 December 2009) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $9.79 thousands (31 December 2009) Stock Of Money $14.56 gobs (31 December 2009) Stock Of Quasi Money $4.248 abundance (31 December 2009) Stock Of Domestic Credit bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, factory products; barge wood; fish, shrimp Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares petroleum, sustenance processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals Agriculture - Products -0.6% (2009 est.) Industries 16.42 scads kWh (2007 est.) Industrial Production Growth Rate 15.81 plenty kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Production 20.68 million kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Consumption 1.12 piles 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 tons 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 masses cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Imports -$337.4 million (2009 est.) Natural Gas Proved Reserves $14.34 large number (2009 est.) Current Account Balance petroleum, bananas, slash 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 piles (2009 est.) Exports Partners industrial materials, sustenance over and above lubricants, nondurable representative goods Imports US 25.4%, Columbia 10.6%, Venezuela 6.5%, Brazil 4.5% (2009 est.) Imports Commodities $3.792 masses (31 December 2009 est.) Imports Partners $13.28 masses (31 December 2009 est.) Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold $11.61 lots (31 December 2009 est.) Debt - External $8.055 gobs (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 generation after selective liberate military service; 12-month service obligation (2008)