Sources: World Resources Institute, the Economist Intelligence Unit, The World Fact Book, and the World Bank Group.

Basics

• Name: Republic of Ecuador
• Independence: May 24, 1822 (from Spain)
• Type of government: Democratic Republic
• Area: 256,370 sq. kilometers
• Population: 13,927,650
• Capital City: Quito (population 1.2 million)
• Principal cities: Guayaquil, Quito, and Cuenca
• Official language: Spanish
• Currency: U.S. Dollar

People

• Population: 13,927,650 (July 2008 est.)
  • 0-14 years: 32.1% (male 2,274,986/female 2,189,437)
  • 15-64 years: 62.7% (male 4,355,909/female 4,381,141)
  • 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 340,861/female 385,316) (2008 est.)
• Population density: 47.7 people per sq. km (one of the highest in South America)
• Population growth rate: 0.935% (2008 est.)
• Birth rate: 21.54 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
• Death rate: 4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
• Ethnic Division:
  • Mestizo (mixed Indigenous and White) 65%
  • Indigenous: 25%
  • Spanish and other European: 7%
  • Black: 3%
• Indigenous groups: over 40 indigenous nations including the Quichua, Huaorani, Shuar (Jivaro), Achuar, Cofan, Siona, Secoya, Otavaleño, Tchatchilas (Colorados), Zaparo, Salasacas, Canaris, Saraguro & Chachi
• Languages: Spanish (official), numerous indigenous tongues. Quichua, the language of the Incas, is the most widely spoken indigenous language. English is commonly spoken among professionals and tourism providers.
• Religion:
  • 95% Roman Catholic (however most mestizos and indigenous converts combine Catholicism with animistic practices and beliefs)
  • 5% Other.

Social Welfare

• Net migration rate: -7.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
• Infant mortality rate: 21.35 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life expectancy at birth: 76.81 (male: 73.94; female: 79.84)
• Total fertility rate: 2.59 children born/woman (2008 est.)
• HIV/AIDS (adult prevelence rate): 0.3% (2003 est.)
• Poverty (% of population below national poverty line): 38.3% (2006).
• Child malnutrition (% of children under 5): 45% (2001)
• Access to improved water source: 70% (2001)
• Literacy: 91% of the population over 15 years of age (male: 92.3%; female: 89.7%)

Geography

• Location: north western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru
• Border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
• Area: 256,370 sq. km.- roughly the size of the U.S. State of Colorado
• Coastline: 2,237 kilometers
• Elevation extremes:
• Lowest point: Pacific Ocean, 0 meters
• Highest point: Chimborazo Volcano, 6,310 meters
  (note: Cotopaxi Volcano in the Andes is the highest active volcano in world)
• Climate: tropical along the coast and in the Amazon region, and cooler in the highlands
• Terrain: coastal plain (Costa), inter-Andean highlands (Sierra), rolling eastern rainforest plain (Oriente) & the Galapagos Island Archipelago
• Natural resources: oil, fish, timber, and various minerals
• Land use:
  • Arable land: 6%
  • Permanent crops: 5%
  • Permanent pastures: 18%
  • Forests and woodlands: 56%
  • Other: 15% (2001)
• Natural hazards: frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity, and periodic droughts
• Volcanic history: Ecuador has many active volcanoes, as well as one of the greatest densities of volcanoes in the world. Active volcanoes include Cotopaxi, Sangay, Reventador, Tungurahua & Guagua Pichincha.

Ecology & Environment

Overview: In the Ecuadorian Amazon, which represents just two percent of the whole basin, live one-third of all the bird species in the entire Amazon region, and 10 percent of all the tree species on earth. Over 24 tropical life zones are found in Ecuador (according to the Holdridge Life Zone system) including: mangrove swamp, dry tropical forest, tropical cloud forest, paramo, and tropical lowland rainforest. Due to its great variety of life zones, Ecuador boasts one the highest levels of bio-diversity in the world. For example one hectare of lowland rainforest can contain as many frog species as in all of North America; one tree can contain more ant species than in all of the British Isles combined; and of the world's known bird species (about 9,000), pint-sized Ecuador is home to over 1,500. Ecuador also has one of the greatest levels of endemism anywhere in the world.

Species:

mammals: 302
plants: 18,250
birds: 1,559
reptiles: 374
amphibians: 402
freshwater fish: 706

Threatened species:

mammals: 20
plants: 375
birds: 50
reptiles: 12
amphibians: 0
freshwater fish: 0

% of habitat remaining:

forests: 96.3
grasslands: 75.9
wetlands: no data

• Total area protected (ha): 11,114 (2001)
• % of land area protected: 39.3 (2001)
• No. of areas protected over 100,000 ha in size: 46.7 (2001)
• No. of areas protected over 1 million ha in size: 6.7 (2001)

Current environmental issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands

International environmental agreements: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

Government

• Type of government: Democratic Republic
• Capital: Quito
• Current President: President Rafael Correa Delgado (since 15 January 2007)
• Vice President: Lenin Moreno Garces (since 15 January 2007)
• Administrative division: 24 provinces: 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
• Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal, compulsory for literate people ages 18-65

Infrastructure

• Internet Service Providers: 31
• Internet dial-up accounts: 39,700 (2001)
• Internet users per 100: 1.7 (2001 est.)
• PC ownership: 20.3 per 1,000 (2001 est.)
• Cable TV subscribers: 78,200 (2001)
• Main phones lines: 1,426,200; Per 100: 11 (2001 est.)
• Cellphone subscribers: 1,560,900; Per 100: 7.1 (2001 est.)
• Roads paved: 18.9% (2000)

Economy (USD billions unless otherwise noted)

Overview: Ecuador has substantial oil resources and rich agricultural areas. Because the country exports primary products such as oil, bananas, and shrimp, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact.

• GDP: 41.7
• GDP real growth rate: 3.3%
• GDP per capita: USD $3,100
• Gross domestic investment/GDP: 12.2 (1999)
• Exports of goods and services/GDP: 37.3 (1999)
• Gross domestic savings/GDP: 24.9 (1999)
• Gross national savings/GDP: 24.8 (1999)
• TradeCurrent account balance/GDP: 5.0 (1999)
• Interest payments/GDP: 3.6 (1999)
• Debt - external 14.4
• GDP composition by sector (2001):
• Agriculture: 11%
• Industry: 33%
• Services: 56%
• Economic Aid - recipient: 120 million
• Labor force: 3.7 million
• Population distribution by occupation:
• Agriculture: 30%
• Industry: 25%
• Services and other activities: 45% (2001 est.)
• Inflation rate: 6.1% (yearend 2003 est.)
• Unemployment rate: 7.7% with widespread underemployment (2001)
• Poverty (% of population below national poverty line): 65%
• Main industries: oil, mining, food processing, textiles, metal work, paper products, wood products, chemical production, plastics, fishing, lumber, tourism
• Main agriculture products: bananas, coffee, cacao, rice, potatoes, manioc, plantains, sugarcane, cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy, balsa wood, fish, shrimp

Trade (USD billion)

• Total exports: 4.9
• Export commodities: petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee, cocoa, cut flowers, fish
• Total imports: 6.0
• Import commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, raw materials, fuels; consumer goods