The National Geographic Bee Ultimate Fact Book: Countries A to Z Paperback - 2012

Excerpt

ECUADOR
 
Ecuador:
Country name: Republic of Ecuador
Continent: South America
Area: 109,483 sq mi / 283,560 sq km
Population: 14,666,000
Population Density: 134 people per sq mi / 52 people per sq km (most dense in South America)
Capital: Quito
 
Physical
Highest Point: Chimborazo 20,561 ft / 6,267 m
Lowest Point: Pacific Ocean 0 ft / 0 m (sea level)
Mountain ranges:
     Andes:
            •cover much of Ecuador
            •extend into Colombia and Peru
Peaks (minimum elevation of 8,000 ft / 2,400 m):
     Chimborazo:
            •located in the Andes
            •highest point in Ecuador
Rain Forests:
     Amazon:
            •located in eastern Ecuador
            •extends into Colombia and Peru
            •largest rain forest in the world
Oceans:
     Pacific:
            •forms most of the western coast of Ecuador Gulfs:
            Gulf of Guayaquil:
            •forms the southwestern coast of Ecuador
Rivers:
     Pastaza:
            •has its source in the Andes
            •extends into Peru Putumayo:
            •forms part of the Ecuador-Colombia border
            •extends into Colombia
 
Political:
Independence: May 24, 1822 (from Spain)
Bordering Countries: Peru, Colombia (2)
Administrative Divisions: Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi,
El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe (24 provinces)
Ethnic/Racial Groups: mestizo, Amerindian, black
Religion: Christianity (Roman Catholic)
Languages: Spanish, Quechua
Currency: U.S. dollar
Current President: Rafael Correa Delgado
Cities (capital, largest, or with at least a million people):
     Guayaquil:
            •located in western Ecuador
            •city in the Guayas province of Ecuador
            •most populated city in Ecuador (2,690,000 people)
            •chief port on the Gulf of Guayaquil
     Quito:
            •located in northern Ecuador
            •city in the Pichincha province of Ecuador
            •capital of Ecuador (1,801,000 people)
            •located in a valley in the Andes
 
Environmental/Economic:
Climate: tropical along the coasts and in the rain forest; cooler in the highlands
Natural Resources: petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower
Agricultural Products: bananas, coffee, cacao, rice, cattle major exports: petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee, cacao
Natural Hazards: earthquakes, landslides, volcanoes, floods, droughts