What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period has been marred by political instability. Protests in Quito have contributed to the mid-term ouster of Ecuador's last three democratically elected Presidents.
Location
Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru
Geographic coordinates
2 00 S, 77 30 W
Map references
South America
Area
total
283,560 sq km
land
276,840 sq km
water
6,720 sq km
note
includes Galapagos Islands
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Nevada
Land boundaries
total
2,010 km
border countries
Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
Coastline
2,237 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
200 nm
continental shelf
100 nm from 2,500 meter isobath
Climate
tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands
Terrain
coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands
Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world
Population
13,755,680 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
32.6% (male 2,282,319/female 2,196,685)
15-64 years
62.3% (male 4,271,848/female 4,301,149)
65 years and over
5.1% (male 330,302/female 373,377) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
23.9 years
male
23.4 years
female
24.3 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
1.554% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
21.91 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
-2.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.039 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.993 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.885 male(s)/female
total population
1.002 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
22.1 deaths/1,000 live births
male
26.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female
17.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
76.62 years
male
73.74 years
female
79.63 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.63 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
21,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
1,700 (2003 est.)
Nationality
noun
Ecuadorian(s)
adjective
Ecuadorian
Ethnic groups
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%
Religions
Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%
Languages
Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
91%
male
92.3%
female
89.7% (2001 census)
Country name
conventional long form
Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form
Ecuador
local long form
Republica del Ecuador
local short form
Ecuador
Government type
republic
Capital
name
Quito
geographic coordinates
0 13 S, 78 30 W
time difference
UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
22 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, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe
Independence
24 May 1822 (from Spain)
National holiday
Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)
Constitution
10 August 1998
Legal system
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters
Executive branch
chief of state
President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government
President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January 2007)
cabinet
Cabinet appointed by the president
elections
the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 2006 with a runoff election on 26 November 2006 (next to be held in October 2010)
election results
Rafael CORREA Delgado elected president; percent of vote - Rafael CORREA Delgado 56.7%; Alvaro NOBOA 43.3%
Legislative branch
unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats; members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 15 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRIAN 28; PSP 24; PSC 13; ID 7; PRE 6; MUPP-NP 6; RED 5; UDC 5; other 6; note - defections by members of National Congress are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties
Judicial branch
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (according to the Constitution, new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in December 2004, however, Congress successfully replaced the entire court via a simple-majority resolution)
Political parties and leaders
Alianza PAIS Movement [Rafael Vicente CORREA Delgado]; Christian Democratic Union or UDC [Dr. Juan Manuel FUERTES]; Concentration of Popular Forces or CFP; Democratic Left or ID [Guillermo LANDAZURI]; Ethical and Democratic Network or RED [Leon ROLDOS]; National Action Institutional Renewal Party or PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA]; Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement - New Country or MUPP-NP [Gilberto TALAHUA]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Gustavo TERAN Acosta]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Leon FEBRES CORDERO]; Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Victor GRANDA]
Political pressure groups and leaders
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Luis MACAS, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA CRUZ, president]
Chicago, Houston, Jersey City (New Jersey), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
Ambassador Linda L. JEWELL
embassy
Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria, Quito
mailing address
APO AA 34039
telephone
[593] (2) 256-2890
FAX
[593] (2) 250-2052
consulate(s) general
Guayaquil
Flag description
three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms
Economy - overview
Ecuador has substantial petroleum resources, which have accounted for 40% of the country's export earnings and one-third of central government budget revenues in recent years. Consequently, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. In the late 1990s, Ecuador suffered its worst economic crisis, with natural disasters and sharp declines in world petroleum prices driving Ecuador's economy into free fall in 1999. Real GDP contracted by more than 6%, with poverty worsening significantly. The banking system also collapsed, and Ecuador defaulted on its external debt later that year. The currency depreciated by some 70% in 1999, and, on the brink of hyperinflation, the MAHAUD government announced it would dollarize the economy. A coup, however, ousted MAHAUD from office in January 2000, and after a short-lived junta failed to garner military support, Vice President Gustavo NOBOA took over the presidency. In March 2000, Congress approved a series of structural reforms that also provided the framework for the adoption of the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, and growth returned to its pre-crisis levels in the years that followed. Under the administration of Lucio GUTIERREZ - January 2003 to April 2005 - Ecuador benefited from higher world petroleum prices. However, the government under Alfredo PALACIO reversed economic reforms that reduced Ecuador's vulnerability to petroleum price swings and financial crises, allowing the central government greater access to oil windfalls and disbursing surplus retirement funds.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$61.52 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$32.73 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
4.1% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$4,500 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
6.3%
industry
33.5%
services
60.2% (2006 est.)
Labor force
4.57 million (urban) (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
8%
industry
24%
services
68% (2001)
Unemployment rate
10.6% official rate; but underemployment of 47% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
38.5% (FY0506)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
2%
highest 10%
32%
note
data for urban households only (October 2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
42
note: data are for urban households (2003)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.4% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
22.6% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$11.5 billion
expenditures
planned $10.46 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (2006 est.)
US 24%, Colombia 14.4%, Venezuela 7.7%, Brazil 7%, China 6.3% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$2.514 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$18.1 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$216 million (2002)
Currency (code)
US dollar (USD)
Currency code
USD
Exchange rates
the US dollar is used; the sucre was eliminated in 2000
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
1.701 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
6.246 million (2005)
Telephone system
general assessment
generally elementary but being expanded
domestic
facilities generally inadequate and unreliable
international
country code - 593; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001)
Radios
5 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations
7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2000)
Televisions
2.5 million (2001)
Internet country code
.ec
Internet hosts
19,027 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
31 (2001)
Internet users
616,000 (2005)
Airports
359 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
98
over 3,047 m
3
2,438 to 3,047 m
4
1,524 to 2,437 m
19
914 to 1,523 m
29
under 914 m
43 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
261
914 to 1,523 m
33
under 914 m
228 (2006)
Heliports
1 (2006)
Pipelines
extra heavy crude oil 578 km; gas 71 km; oil 1,386 km; refined products 1,185 km (2006)
Railways
total
966 km
narrow gauge
966 km 1.067-m gauge (2005)
Roadways
total
43,197 km
paved
6,467 km
unpaved
36,730 km (2004)
Waterways
1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2006)
Merchant marine
total
31 ships (1000 GRT or over) 184,819 GRT/300,339 DWT
by type
chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 7, petroleum tanker 21, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned
2 (Norway 1, Paraguay 1)
registered in other countries
1 (Georgia 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar
Military branches
Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry, Naval Aviation, Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE) (2007)
Military service age and obligation
20 years of age for conscript military service; 12-month service obligation (2004)
Manpower available for military service
males age 20-49
2,792,770
females age 20-49
2,849,519 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 20-49
2,338,428
females age 20-49
2,380,327 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
133,922
females age 20-49
129,758 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
2.8% (2006)
Disputes - international
organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border, which thousands of Colombians also cross to escape the violence in their home country
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin): 9,851 (Colombia); note - UNHCR estimates as many as 250,000 Columbians are seeking asylum in Ecuador, many of whom do not register as refugees for fear of deportation (2006)
Illicit drugs
significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru, with over half of the US-bound cocaine passing through Ecuadorian Pacific waters; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents
