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This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008


Map of Ecuador
Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Ecuador Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
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.
   Geography    Ecuador Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
2 00 S, 77 30 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
South America
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 283,560 sq km
land: 276,840 sq km
water: 6,720 sq km
note: includes Galapagos Islands
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than Nevada
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 2,010 km
border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
2,237 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500 meter isobath
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 5.71%
permanent crops: 4.81%
other: 89.48% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
8,650 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing
432 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing
Total: 16.98 cu km/yr (12%/5%/82%)
Per capita: 1,283 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world
   People    Ecuador Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
13,755,680 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
total: 23.9 years
male: 23.4 years
female: 24.3 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
1.554% (2007 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
21.91 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
-2.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
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:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 76.62 years
male: 73.74 years
female: 79.63 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.63 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
21,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1,700 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91%
male: 92.3%
female: 89.7% (2001 census)
   Government    Ecuador Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador
local long form: Republica del Ecuador
local short form: Ecuador
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
republic
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Quito
geographic coordinates: 0 13 S, 78 30 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
24 May 1822 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
10 August 1998
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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; as of 29 November 2007, Congress is on indefinite recess
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
Alianza PAIS Movement [Rafael Vicente CORREA Delgado]; Christian Democratic Union or UDC [Diego ORDONEZ Guerrero]; Concentration of Popular Forces or CFP; Democratic Left or ID [Andres PAEZ Benalcazar]; 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 [Ciro GUZMAN Aldaz]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO]; Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Gustavo AYALA Cruz]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
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]
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
CAN, CSN, 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, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Benigno GALLEGOS Chiriboga
chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200
FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Jersey City (New Jersey), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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    Ecuador Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Ecuador is substantially dependent on its petroleum resources, which have accounted for more than half of the country's export earnings and one-fourth of public sector revenues in recent years. 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. In March 2000, with inflation rising at an annual rate of 80%, 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 positive growth returned in the years that followed. However, the government of Alfredo PALACIO (2005-07) reversed economic reforms that reduced Ecuador's vulnerability to petroleum price swings and financial crises, and in 2006, seized the assets of Occidental Petroleum for alleged contract violations and increased taxes on other foreign oil companies. PALACIO's successor and former Economy Minister, Rafael CORREA, has repeatedly raised the specter of another debt default, rejected a partially negotiated free trade agreement with the US, and decreed additional tax hikes on private oil companies. Consequently, foreign direct investment remains below 2001-04 levels, and economic growth has slowed significantly.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$98.28 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$43.76 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$7,100 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 10%
industry: 35%
services: 54% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.55 million (urban) (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 8%
industry: 24%
services: 68% (2001)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.8% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
38.3% (2006)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 35%
note: data for urban households only (October 2006)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
46
note: data are for urban households (2006)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.2% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
26.4% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $13.1 billion
expenditures: planned $11.3 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
30.4% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.4% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
12.94 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8.855 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
16 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
1.723 billion kWh (2005)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
532,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
155,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
420,600 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
44,680 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.63 billion bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
249.4 million cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
249.4 million cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.369 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
-$600 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$13.3 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
US 53.6%, Peru 8.2%, Colombia 5.6%, Chile 4.4% (2006)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$13 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
US 23.1%, Colombia 13.3%, Brazil 7.3%, Panama 4% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$209.5 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$3.618 billion (30 November 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$17.56 billion (31 October 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$14.67 billion (2006 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$8.442 billion (2006 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$4.04 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
US dollar (USD)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
1 the US dollar is used; the sucre was eliminated in 2000
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Ecuador Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.754 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8.485 million (2006)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded
domestic: fixed-line services provided by three state-owned enterprises; plans to transfer the state-owned operators to private ownership have repeatedly failed; fixed-line density stands at about 13 per 100 persons; mobile cellular use has surged and has a subscribership of nearly 65 per 100 persons
international: country code - 593; landing point for the PAN-AM submarine telecommunications cable that provides links to the west coast of South America, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and extending onward to Aruba and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2000)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.ec
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
28,420 (2007)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.549 million (2006)
   Transportation    Ecuador Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
406 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 104
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 26
under 914 m: 54 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 302
914 to 1,523 m: 34
under 914 m: 268 (2007)
Heliports:
Definition Field Listing
1 (2007)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
extra heavy crude oil 578 km; gas 71 km; oil 1,386 km; refined products 1,185 km (2006)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 966 km
narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 43,197 km
paved: 6,467 km
unpaved: 36,730 km (2004)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2006)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 33 ships (1000 GRT or over) 190,931 GRT/306,280 DWT
by type: chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 22, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 2 (Philippines 1, US 1)
registered in other countries: 3 (China 1, Panama 2) (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Bolivar
   Military    Ecuador Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry, Naval Aviation, Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE) (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
20 years of age for selective conscript military service; 12-month service obligation (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 20-49: 2,792,770
females age 20-49: 2,849,519 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 20-49: 2,338,428
females age 20-49: 2,380,327 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 133,922
females age 20-49: 129,758 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.8% (2006)
   Transnational Issues    Ecuador Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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

This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008


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