Ecuador is located on the northwestern coast of South America. It comprises the continental territory between coordinates of latitude 01 27’ 06’’ N and 05 00’ 56’’ S and longitude 75 11’ 49’’ W to 81 00’ 40’’ W, that covers approximately 104,550 square miles -270,670 km2- plus the Galapagos Islands (1,000 km. off the coast of Ecuador).

Its continental territory borders Peru to the south and the east (approx. 1,420 km), Colombia to the north (590 km.) and the Pacific Ocean to the west (2,237 km. of coastline).

Elevation extremes

Lowest point: Pacific Ocean, 0 meters

Highest point: Chimborazo Volcano, 6,300 meters.

Natural resources: Fish, timber, oil and mining.

Land use:

Arable land: 6%
Permanent crops: 5%
Permanent pastures: 18%
Forests and woodlands: 56%
Other: 15%

The Ecuadorian climate has two main seasons with a wet followed by a dry season as well as varying weather patterns which are affected by the dramatically differing geographical boundaries, as a general rule it is far cooler in the sierra highlands and more tropical with humid, wetter climates in the Oriente, Amazon and Coastal areas.

Due to a combination of the dry deserts of Peru in the south and the torrential heavier downpours of the north pacific from Colombia the climate is sandwiched between these two natural fronts, however in addition the country also receives cooler waters of the Humbolt currents which flow from Chile into Ecuador's warmer equatorial waters which in effect divides the coast line up further into two main climates. The result of the former fronts means in effect that the rain levels are less the further south you venture down the coastline from Guayaquil. This latter current occurs during May-December producing less rain but more damp, overcast days although in contrast the northwest sections of the pacific such as Esmeraldas and Manabi provinces which receive torrential rainfall as the current is turned west. The only exception to the rule on southerly and northerly rainfall patterns is when the El Niño effect comes into play which can lead to torrential storms and flooding also in the South as huge amounts of water are scooped from the ocean and thrown onshore disrupting services and agricultural production as happened during the 1990's.

The Sierra (Andes) with its Paramo highlands soaks up the rainfall with its spongy terrain distributing much of the water to the local sierra inhabitants. As a result of the volcanoes and high Andes mountain peaks of the sierra varying mini-climates result for example, the valleys and hollows of the Andes are baking in heat during the day but are much cooler in the evenings with rainfall at its highest during October to May. In contrast the southerly areas of Loja and Vilcabamba towards the Peruvian frontier and although contained within the Andes range enjoy more ambient temperatures ranging between 18-24ºC all year round.

To the eastern foothills of the Andes mountain range lies the Amazon deep tropical rain forests who's rivers are fed and previously formed through the melting snow from the volcanoes populating the area. The vegetation along with the animal and bird life contained in this region are rich in both numbers and species. In addition the rainfall is consistently heavy all year round especially May-December although the humidity levels and heat is omnipresent throughout the year.

There are two main climatic seasons on Galapagos, the hot season from December to May which sees increased sea temperatures and occasional heavy rain fall, worst around January to February, off peak season and the cooler season June to November with more cloud form and misty patches leading to lighter rains, After June however, trade winds can be significant affecting ocean temperatures which can dip to as low as 15ºC although with exception to the 2 months pre-mentioned the islands are favorable to visit for most of the year due to their Latitudial advantage.

The waters of the Archipelago are also affected by southeasterly Pacific cooler waters which move towards the west and the equator and between July-September the recorded temperatures can fall down to 16ºC which can form cloud coverage around the islands as well as lowering the air temperatures.

Net migration rate: 0.50 migrant(s) per 1,000.

Infant mortality rate: 34.5 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Total fertility rate: 2.60 children born per woman.

Poverty: 30%.

Literacy: Over 15 years old (Male: 91%; female: 88.5%).

Child malnutrition (% of children under 5): 40%.

Unemployment rate: 20%.

The country of Ecuador despite its small area is the most biological diverse place on earth. The Andes mountain range has of course been the major catalyst in this diversity and has effectively divided the country into two parts, west and east which has acted as an explosive catalyst in combining two climatic fronts and helps form new species.

FLORA.- The diversity of Ecuador's flora and fauna is correlated with its diverse climatic differences of the higher and lower Andes combined with the humid eastern Oriente and Amazon regions forming an explosive biological richness of animal, bird and plant life, as well as varied indigenous natives throughout the lands. As well as attracting nature lovers, the world over the eastern Oriente has provided 10% of the world's total plant species and with new life and species growing yearly due to the aforementioned climatic clashes the country has become a paradise of discovery for many of the world's leading botanists, scientists and other professional and green peace organizations.

FAUNA.- For bird watchers of the world it should be noted that around 15% of all protected, endangered and endemic bird species are only found in Ecuador through the Sierra, Amazon and lower coastal areas of the country. Of the 3000 species known throughout the world 50% are represented in Ecuador making it the densest bird population on the planet as well as having over double the birds of the continent such as Australia, North America or even Europe who are all at least 20-30 times the size of this country.

% of habitat remaining:

forests: 96.3
grasslands: 75.9

% of land area protected: 39.2

Total area protected (ha): 11,100

No. of areas protected over 1 million ha in size: 6.6

No. of areas protected over 100,000 ha in size: 46.6

Current environmental issues: Habitat loss, deforestation, desertification, soil erosion, over-fishing, water pollution, shrimp industry, oil, mining industries and endangered species.

Type of government: Democratic Republic.

Capital: Quito

President: Rafael Correa, is the current elected President of Ecuador (January 2007 - 2011).

Administrative division:

The Galapagos Islands and 22 provinces including:

Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua and Zamora-Chinchipe.

Infrastructure:

Main phones lines: 910,000

Cable TV subscribers: 200,000

Cellphone subscribers: 700,000

Internet dial-up accounts: 50,000

Internet Service Providers: 40

PC ownership: 5.5 per 1,000

Roads paved: 20.5%

Paging subscribers: 75,000

Ecuador is considered the premier exporter of Bananas to the entire world and in addition is also forefront in the fishing sector due to its fine shrimp farming areas down the pacific coastlines as well as high tuna, sardine and white fish exports with the latter providing much sushi to the Asian and North American Catering industries.

The country's main export is still however petroleum which specializes in crude and other quality oils for exporting as well as supporting the local inhabitants and light industry infrastructures.

Although income was good from Petroleum exports in the 70s the mid 80s on proved a difficult time for the economy and its stability due to declining oil prices and the catastrophic result of the el Niño effect around 1983 which disrupted coffee, banana, and agricultural harvesting of other fruits and vegetables due to severe coastal flooding when el Niño dumped tremendous levels of water from the ocean onto the lands.

The geo-economic influences from petroleum prices combined with climatic detours that result in loss of agricultural production countered with growing eco-ethno tourism and the introduction of a stabilizing policy through dollarization from the volatile Sucre, through the United States and World Monetary fund in 2000 has left the country in better shape and along with the I.M.F (International Monetary fund) and along with Brady bond loans the country has kept afloat and has shred its past Banana republic image away these days as more and more travellers prefer to visit this country in preference to many other countries, it is still one of the cheapest countries to visit, not only in South America but most other continents also, as well as being incredible value for money and quality time away.

Main agriculture products: Coffee, bananas, rice, potatoes, cacao, manioc, sugarcane, plantains, cattle, pigs, sheep, beef, pork, shrimp, balsa wood, dairy and fish.

Main industries: Mining, oil, textiles, food processing, paper products, wood, metal work, plastics, chemical production, fishing, tourism and lumber.

Trade (US$ M)

Total imports: 3,000

Food: N/A
Fuel and energy: 245
Capital goods: 820

Total exports: 4,400

Oil: 1,300
Bananas: 950
Manufactures: 1,200