Ecuador Facts

Here is a selection of Ecuador facts you may not be aware of.  If you know something interesting that we missed, especially if it's an unusual or little-known fact, let us know.  

Ecuador is named for the equator, which divides the country

Capital of Ecuador – Quito – 2850 meters high, (9350 ft)

Largest City – Guayaquil – 5 meters high (16.4 ft.)

Colonial City - Cuenca – 2530 meters high (8300 ft.)

Population –  Quito – 1.8 million
                    Guayaquil – 2 million
                    Cuenca – 500,000
                     Total - 13.2 million

Ethnicity –Mestizos(Spanish & Indigenous) 64%
               Indigenous – 22 -25%
               White – 7-12%
               Afro-Ecuadorian – 2-3%

Indigenous Groups – 40+

Language – Spanish and Quichua

Major Religion – Catholic – 95%

Life Expectancy – 76 years

Literacy Rate – 93%

Independence - May 24, 1822, from Spain

Current Ecuador President – Rafael Correa

Form of Government – representative democratic republic

Area - 256,370 square kilometers

Bordered by - Peru on the south and east
                    Columbia on the north
                    Pacific Ocean on the west

More Ecuador Facts:  

Ecuador has 24 provinces

Major Exports – oil, flowers, bananas, shrimp, palm oil, cacao, coffee, sugar, tropical fruits

Climate – 2 seasons (wet and dry) with a tropical coast and cooler inland highlands

Currency of Ecuador – Ecuador went to the US Dollar in the late 90's due to an economic crisis

Electricity – 110 volts, 60 hz

Weights and Measures – metric system

Ecuador is one of 17 megadiverse countries in the world with:

                25,000 plant species
                1600 bird species
                6000 butterfly species
                106 endemic reptiles
                138 endemic amphibians

The Panama hat actually originated in Ecuador.

Cotapaxi Volcano is the highest active volcano in the world - 5900 meters (19,357 ft)

The Galapagos Islands, 600 miles off the coast, are part of Ecuador.

There are almost no self-service laundromats in Ecuador.