Ecuador (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain everything about Ecuador, and its physical and cultural characteristics. Also, what is its economy, religion and economic activities like.

Ecuador

Ecuador is a national state whose official name is Republic of Ecuador. Its capital is the city of Quito. It is located in the north of South America, and borders Colombia to the north and Peru to the south and east. It is the fourth smallest country in South America after Suriname, Uruguay and Guyana, and the seventh most populous.

Ecuador is a democratic, republican and presidential state. It was part of the former Spanish colonies in America and was one of the first South American nations to proclaim its independence in 1809. It was part of Gran Colombia along with New Granada (today Colombia), Panama and Venezuela.

Ecuador was the first country in the world to grant rights to naturewhich today are guaranteed in the National Constitution of Ecuador. Article 71 states that nature or “Pacha Mama” has the right to “respect for their existence and the maintenance and regeneration of their life cycles.”

Ecuador is a full member of the United Nations (UN)of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Why is it called that? Ecuador is called that because it is crossed by the equator, the imaginary line that divides the planet into two hemispheres, northern and southern. The name was proposed by Agustín Codazzi, a Venezuelan geographer who named the current territory of Ecuador that way when it was part of “Gran Colombia” along with the current territories of Colombia, Panama and Venezuela.

Characteristics of Ecuador

It has a population of 17,800,000 inhabitants
Its area is 256,370 square kilometers, which represents a population density of 69.4 inhabitants per square kilometer.
The capital is the city of Quito, which has 2 million inhabitants. Its metropolitan area reaches 3 million.
Its predominant climate is warm tropical equatorial. In the Andean zone, due to the influence of altitude, the climate becomes colder.
It presents two large plains (the coastal one to the west and the Amazonian one to the east) separated by the mountainous relief of the Andes mountain range.
The majority religion is Catholic.
The official language is Spanish.
Its main economic activities are agriculture, mining, fishing, industry and tourism.
The Galapagos Islands, located more than 1000 kilometers from the Ecuadorian coast, are the country's main tourist attraction.
It presents the only dollarized economy in South America. Its official currency is the US dollar.
Its main economic partners are the United States, China, Panama and Colombia.
Because it is located on the equator, this country is located in both the northern and southern hemispheres of the planet.

Population, extension and capital of Ecuador

Ecuador has an area of 283,561 km2 and a population of 17,800,000 inhabitants. Its population density is 69.4 inhabitants per square kilometer. The Galapagos Islands, located 1000 km from the country's Pacific coast, are also part of its territory.

Climate, relief and hydrography of Ecuador

Ecuador - Chimborazo Volcano — The Chimborazo volcano is 6,313 meters high.

Most of Ecuador's territory has a warm tropical equatorial climate.which is characterized by having high temperatures and very abundant rains throughout the year.

In the mountainous sectors of the Andes mountain range the climate is temperate subtropical. of altitude. Conditioned by the high altitude, this climate is rainy but has lower average temperatures than the warm tropical equatorial climate.

In the highest sectors of the mountain range the climate becomes cold and alpine tundrawith very low temperatures due to the altitude.

Ecuador presents three distinctive, well-differentiated reliefs:

The coastal plains. They extend from the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the west of the country to the Andes mountain range. They are low plains and on the coasts they have extensive sandy beaches and cliffs.
The Andes mountain range. It is located in the center of the country and runs through it longitudinally. It separates the coastal plains from the Ecuadorian Amazon plain. It is made up of mountains and active volcanoes. It is also an earthquake zone because it is located on the borders of the South American and Pacific tectonic plates.
The Ecuadorian Amazon plain. It is located in the east of the country. It occupies almost half of the Ecuadorian territory and is characterized by having low elevation and presenting the greatest abundance of flora and fauna in the country due to its warm and rainy climate.

The hydrography of Ecuador is characterized by the presence of extensive and mighty rivers.. They are born in the Andes mountain range and have two slopes: some flow towards the Pacific Ocean and others flow towards the Amazon, since they are part of the hydrographic basin of the Amazon River. The largest are the Napo River, 1,130 kilometers long, and the Curaray River, 800 kilometers long.

Flora and fauna of Ecuador

Ecuador's fauna is one of the richest on the planet. In this country you can see many mammals such as the monkey, the panther, the bear, the tiger, the jaguar, the puma, the tapir; reptiles such as snakes, boas, crocodiles, turtles; amphibians, such as frogs and toads; and birds such as the macaw, parakeet, toucan, ibis, eagle and condor.

Ecuador's flora is also characterized by its abundance and diversity. The rainy and warm regions of the country develop a humid forest biome that is home to a large number and variety of species. The Yasuni National Park, in the Ecuadorian Amazon region, is the area with the greatest biodiversity of the planet.

Culture of Ecuador

Church in Ecuador — About 84% of Ecuadorians are Catholic.

Around 84% of Ecuador's inhabitants profess the Catholic religion. There are also other important but minority religions such as Protestant and Mormon.

The official language is Spanish But several native languages are also spoken such as Quichua, Shuar and Huaorani. 71.9% of the inhabitants of Ecuador are mestizos7.4% are Montubios, 7.2% are Afro-Ecuadorian, 7% are indigenous and only 6% are white.

Ecuadorian music encompasses a wide variety of rhythms and styles that represent the different regions and traditions of the country. Among the most prominent rhythms are the hallwaywhich is one of the most emblematic genres of Ecuador, the parade and the sanjuanito Some exponents of Ecuadorian music include Julio Jaramillo, Carlota Jaramillo and Fresia Saavedra.

Regarding literature, Juan Montalvo, Jorge Icaza, Gabriela Alemán and Alicia Yánez Cossío stand out, considered the most important Ecuadorian writer of the 20th century.

In the field of painting, Oswaldo Guayasamín is one of the most recognized worldwide. The muralist Pilar Bustos also stands out.

Ecuadorian gastronomy stands out for the use of fish and fruits. Some typical dishes include llapingachos, made with mashed potatoes and cheese, and encebollado, a fish soup with onion, tomato and yucca.

National symbols of Ecuador

The flag of Ecuador contains the official coat of arms of the country.

The national symbols of Ecuador are:

The flag of Ecuador. It is made up of three horizontal stripes. The upper one is yellow and occupies half the height, and the remaining two, blue in the middle and red below, the other half. In the center it has the official coat of arms of the country. It has been the official flag of the country since 1860.
The national anthem of Ecuador. Its name is “Hail, O Fatherland.” Its lyrics were composed by Juan León Mera in 1865 and the music by Antonio Neumane in 1869. It was adopted as the national anthem in 1948.
The coat of arms of Ecuador. It was officially adopted in 1900. It is oval in shape, and shows a flat landscape, a blue river with a steamboat and a snow-capped mountain and the sun in the background. Outside the oval, at the top, is a black eagle. On the sides and down it is surrounded by flags with the colors of the country.

Economic activities of Ecuador

The most important economic activities in Ecuador are:

Agriculture. It is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of bananas and cocoa. In addition, crops such as cassava, tubers, coffee, tropical fruits and grains stand out.
Mining. Oil production is one of the most important economic activities in the country. Crude oil is exported but also petroleum products.
Fishing. Shrimp and tuna are two of the products most produced by fishing activities. It is an activity that generates a large number of jobs in the coastal areas of the country.
Industry. The manufacturing, petrochemical, food and beverage, and metalworking industries are some of the economic activities that generate the greatest amount of employment in the country.
Tourism. Tourism is an important economic activity. The most visited sites are the Galapagos Islands, the city of Quito and the monolith in the middle of the world, representative of the equator line, located in the Metropolitan District of Quito.

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Historically, the currency of Ecuador was the Ecuadorian sucre. Starting in 2000 it was replaced by the US dollar. Currently it is the only country in South America that has a dollarized economy.. Its main trading partners are the United States, China, Panama and Colombia.

History of Ecuador

The Incas conquered Ecuador before the arrival of the Spanish.

In the current territory of Ecuador, some of the earliest testimonies of agriculture and ceramics in America were documented. After a period of regional development, with a variety of cultures on the coast, the mountains and the Amazon region, a period of integration occurred in which large lordships emerged.

In 1463 the Incas began the conquest of Ecuador. When the Spanish conquerors defeated the Incas in 1533, they occupied the territory of Ecuador and they incorporated it into the Viceroyalty of Peru.

The colonial era ended when the Napoleonic invasion of Spain led to the formation of an autonomous government junta in Quito in 1809, which led to independence through the intervention of the armies of Antonio José de Sucre and Simón Bolívar in 1822.

Ecuador was part of Gran Colombia (along with Venezuela, Colombia and Panama) until 1830, when the Republic of Ecuador was born. The rest of the 19th century was characterized by conflicts between liberals (mainly merchants from Guayaquil) and conservatives (mainly landowners from Quito), who alternated in government.

During the First World War, the export of cocoa was complemented by an increase in the export of sugar and rice, but in the early 1920s prices fell and social unrest was responded to with military repression. In 1925 there was a coup d'état that implemented partial reforms.

From his first presidency in 1934-1935, the populist leader José María Velasco Ibarra dominated much of Ecuadorian politics and served five non-consecutive terms until he was deposed in 1972. During the seventies, oil exports also became important. . In 1941 a war broke out with Peru over border reasons, which was followed by a new conflict in 1981 and another war in 1995.

In 1979 democracy was restored. Since then, different parties and coalitions have governed, there were dismissals (1997, 2005) and a coup d'état (2000), the economy was dollarized (2000) and demands for the rights of indigenous populations grew.

References

Economic activities (2023) Economic activities of Ecuador. https://activitieseconomicas.org/
Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School (sf). Galapagos Islands. https://www.igepn.edu.ec/
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2023) Ecuador. Country sheet. Diplomatic Information Office of Spain. https://www.exteriores.gob.es/
CELAC website https://celacinternational.org/
Middle of the World Monument website. https://mitaddelmundo.gob.ec/
Relief types.com (sf) Relief of Ecuador. https://tiposderelieve.com/