| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador
local long form: Republica del Ecuador
local short form: Ecuador |
| Capital: |
Quito |
| Location: |
Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
2 00 S, 77 30 W |
| Area: |
total: 283,560 sq km
land: 276,840 sq km
water: 6,720 sq km
note: includes Galapagos Islands |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly smaller than Nevada |
| Land
Boundaries: |
total: 2,010 km
border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km |
| Coastline: |
2,237 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500 meter isobath |
| Climate: |
tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands |
| Terrain: |
coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente) |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
republic |
| Administratives
Divisions: |
22 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe |
| Independence |
24 May 1822 (from Spain) |
| National
Holiday: |
Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809) |
| Constitution: |
10 August 1998 |
| Legal
System; |
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters |
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: President Lucio GUTIERREZ (since 15 January 2003); Vice President Alfredo PALACIO (since 15 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Lucio GUTIERREZ (since 15 January 2003); Vice President Alfredo PALACIO (since 15 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term (no immediate reelection); election last held 20 October 2002; runoff election held 24 November 2002 (next to be held October 2006)
election results: results of the 24 November 2002 runoff election - Lucio GUTIERREZ elected president; percent of vote - Lucio GUTIERREZ 54.3%; Alvaro NOBOA 45.7% |
| Legislative
Branch: |
unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats; members are popularly elected by province to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2002 (next to be held October 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PSC 25, PRE 15, ID 16, PRIAN 10, PSP 9, Pachakutik Movement 6, MPD 5, DP 4, PS-FA 3, independents 7; note - defections by members of National Congress are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (according to the Constitution, new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in December 2004, however, Congress successfully replaced the entire court via a simple-majority resolution) |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
Concentration of Popular Forces or CFP [Averroes BUCARAM]; Democratic Left or ID [Guillermo LANDAZURI]; National Action Institutional Renewal Party or PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA]; Pachakutik Movement [Gilberto TALAHUA]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democracy or DP [Dr. Juan Manuel FUERTES]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Gustavo TERAN Acosta]; Radical Alfarista Front or FRA [Fabian ALARCON, director]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Leon FEBRES CORDERO]; Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Victor GRANDA] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
13,363,593 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 33.5% (male 2,282,252/female 2,195,942)
15-64 years: 61.5% (male 4,094,146/female 4,130,096)
65 years and over: 4.9% (male 310,336/female 350,821) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 23.27 years
male: 22.82 years
female: 23.74 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian |
| Ethnic groups: |
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 95%, other 5% |
| Languages: |
Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua) |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
1.549 million (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
2,394,400 (2003) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable
international: country code - 593; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2001) |
| Internet country
code: |
.ec |
| Internet hosts: |
3,188 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
569,700 (2003) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 966 km
narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 43,197 km
paved: 8,164 km
unpaved: 35,033 km (2002) |
| Waterways: |
1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2003) |
| Pipelines: |
extra heavy crude 578 km; gas 71 km; oil 1,386 km; refined products 1,185 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: |
Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, San Lorenzo |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 31 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 241,403 GRT/391,898 DWT
by type: chemical tanker 2, liquefied gas 1, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 20
foreign-owned: 3 (Germany 1, Greece 1, Paraguay 1) (2005) |
| Airports: |
205 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 62
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 18 (2004 est. |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 143
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 113 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
1 (2004 est.) |
