Ecuador Geography: Location, Climate & Key Features

Geography of Ecuador Browse the article Geography of Ecuador

Introduction to Geography of Ecuador

Ecuador, a country on the coast of northwestern South America. It lies on the Equator, for which the country is named. Ecuador is bounded by Colombia, Peru, and the Pacific Ocean.

Facts in brief about EcuadorCapital: Quito.Official language: Spanish.Official name: Republica del Ecuador (Republic of Ecuador).Area: 109,484 mi2 (283,561 km2). Greatest distances—north-south, 450 mi (724 km); east-west, 395 mi (636 km). Coastline—1,278 mi (2,057 km), including the Galapagos Islands.Elevation: Highest—Chimborazo Volcano, in the Andes Mountains, 20,702 ft (6,310 m) above sea level. Lowest—sea level, along the coast.Population: Current estimate—13,832,000; density, 126 per mi2 (49 per km2); distribution, 63 percent urban, 37 percent rural. 2001 census—12,156,608.Chief products: Agriculture—bananas, barley, beef, cacao, coffee, corn, milk, oranges, potatoes, rice, sugar cane, wheat. Fishing—herring, mackerel, shrimp, tuna. Forestry—balsa wood. Manufacturing—chemicals, processed foods, straw hats, textiles, wood products. Mining—petroleum.National holiday: Independence Day, August 10.National anthem: "Salve, O Patria" ("Hail, O Fatherland").Flag and coat of arms: The state flag of Ecuador, used by the government, has horizontal stripes of yellow, blue, and red (top to bottom) and bears the coat of arms. The civil flag, flown by the people, has no coat of arms. The coat of arms shows a condor, Chimborazo Mountain, and the first steamboat built in Ecuador.Money: Basic unit—United States dollar. One hundred cents equal one dollar.

Physical Geography

Ecuador is a country in South America.Land

Two roughly parallel ranges of the Andes Mountains run north and south through Ecuador. These two ranges, frequently called the Avenue of Volcanoes, have more than 20 active volcanoes. Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world, rises 19,347 feet (5,897 m) above sea level. Even higher is Chimborazo, a dormant volcano that reaches 20,702 feet (6,310 m).

The country divides into three natural regions. The Costa is the fertile tropical coastal plain west of the Andes. The Sierra is the Andean region of high mountains, valleys, and basins. About half of Ecuador's people live in this mountainous section. The Oriente region is an almost uninhabited jungle lowland east of the Andes.

Water

Among the largest rivers flowing from the Andes to the Pacific are the Guayas-Daule and the Esmeraldas. Those flowing eastward through the Oriente to the Amazon River include the Napo, Pastaza, and Santiago. If properly harnessed, these and other rivers could help solve Ecuador's power shortage by supplying large amounts of electricity.

Climate

Although equatorial in location, Ecuador has a climate that ranges from tropical to cold, depending on elevation. It is tropical in the lowlands of the Costa and Oriente, but varies from temperate to cold in the mountains. Quito, at an elevation of 9,350 feet (2,850 m), has a year-round average temperature of about 59° F. (15° C.). Guayaquil, on the coast, has an average temperature of about 78° F. (26° C.). Rainfall is heavy throughout the year in the Oriente and along some parts of the coast; other parts of the coast have only limited rainfall. Most of the rest of the country has marked wet and dry seasons. High mountain peaks are snowcapped during the entire year.

Animals

Llamas, monkeys, pumas, wildcats, bears, tapirs, deer, and alligators live in the temperate and tropical sections. Birds include the condor, which appears on the Ecuadoran national seal, herons, flamingos, hummingbirds, and ibises. Many species of plants and animals on the Galápagos Islands are found nowhere else in the world.

Economy

Agriculture

Until a petroleum boom began in the early 1970's, agriculture was the mainstay of Ecuador's economy. It is still an important sector, providing about one-third of all employment and many of the nation's exports. Most of the arable land is owned by a tiny minority of Ecuadorians—the landed upper class. Farmers are largely illiterate and poor. Virtually all the Indians are subsistence farmers.

Both tropical and temperate crops are grown. Commercial plantations of bananas, coffee, cacao, sugarcane, rice, and cotton are typical along the coastal plain. In the hill country and mountain valleys, temperate crops are grown, mostly for home use. These crops include cereals, especially corn; vegetables, particularly beans and potatoes; and fruits. Except on large plantations, farming methods are poor and crop yields are low.

Mining, Forestry, and Fishing

Until 1972 the production of minerals was insignificant. Since then, crude oil has become a major product—a result of the discovery of large petroleum deposits in the Oriente in the late 1960's and completion of a trans-Andean pipeline to the Pacific coast near Esmeraldas in 1972. Income from petroleum made possible a favorable balance of trade. Small amounts of gold, silver, copper, and zinc are mined.

Ecuador's forests are a potential source of wealth. Among the commercial forest products are hardwood, balsa wood, tagua nuts, cinchona bark (the source of quinine), palm fibers, rubber, palm oil, and kapok.

Fish are plentiful in rivers and coastal waters and commercial fishing is an increasingly important sector of the national economy.

Manufacturing and Trade

Ecuador's manufacturing accounts for only about 13 per cent of the country's employment. Textiles, mostly cottons, rank as the leading product, engaging a high percentage of the manufacturing labor force. Other manufactured goods include petroleum products, processed foods, chemicals, drugs, leather goods, and cement. Panama hats, made of toquilla straw, come chiefly from Ecuador. Guayaquil and Quito are Ecuador's chief manufacturing centers.

Petroleum accounts for roughly one-half to two-thirds of the value of all exports. Bananas, coffee, cacao, and shrimp make up most of the rest.

Transportation

Railway and highway construction is difficult and costly in Ecuador, largely because of the rough terrain. Nevertheless, the government is improving and extending the limited transportation system. Railways are nationally owned and connect most of the major cities. The Pan American Highway, which runs between two parallel ranges of the Andes, is Ecuador's principal north-south route. Most of the highways extend westward to the coast; a few go east ward into the Oriente. Guayaquil, the largest city, is the major seaport. All leading cities are linked by regular air service. There are international airports near Quito and Guayaquil.

Economic production in EcuadorEconomic activitiesPercent of GDP producedNumber of employed workersPercent of total employed workersManufacturing & mining 24555,10012Transportation & communication 17264,7006Trade, restaurants, & hotels 161,267,30027Community, government, & personal services 14902,60019Finance, insurance, real estate, & business services 12238,9005Construction 8248,7005Agriculture, forestry, & fishing 81,242,00026Utilities 222,900Total 1004,742,200100

People and Government

Some 40 per cent of the people are mestizos (mixed Indian and white), 40 per cent are Indians, 10 per cent are whites, and the remainder are blacks, mulattoes (mixed black and white), and others. Spanish is the official language of the country. Most of the Indians speak various dialects of Quechua; the Jívaro tribes speak their own language.

Primary education is free and compulsory, and about 80 per cent of the people are literate. The Central University in Quito, founded in 1769, is the oldest of the country's universities. Catholicism is the predominant religion.

Ecuador is a republic governed under a constitution approved in 1978, effective in 1979. Executive power is vested in a president, elected by universal adult suffrage. He is limited to a single four-year term. There is also an elected one-chamber legislature. The judiciary is headed by a supreme court.

Ecuador is divided into provinces, each headed by a governor. The Galápagos Islands are a territory of Ecuador.