Independence Year : 1822
Population : 13212742
Life Expectancy : 71.1
Capital : 594
GNP : 19770.00
GNP Old : 19769.00
Local Name : Ecuador
Government Form : Republic
Location : Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru.
Terrain : Jungle east of the Andes, a rich agricultural coastal plain west of the Andes, high-elevation valleys through the mountainous center of the country and an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Climate : Varied, mild year-round in the mountain valleys; tropical, hot and humid in coastal and Amazonian jungle lowlands
Ethnic Group : Mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish) 65%, Indigenous 25%, Caucasian and others 7%, African 3%.
Religions : Predominantly Roman Catholic (95%), but religious freedom recognized.
Official Website :
www.presidencia.gov.ec/
|
|
General Information - Ecuador
Background
Advanced indigenous cultures flourished in Ecuador long before the area was conquered by the Inca empire in the 15th century. In 1534, the Spanish arrived and defeated the Inca armies.
The "Republic of the Equator" was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Venezuela). 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.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)
|
