Ecuador

   Introduction

Background:

What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty – New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito – gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the “Republic of the Equator.” Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 30 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period was marred by political instability. Protests in Quito contributed to the mid-term ouster of three of Ecuador’s last four democratically elected presidents. In late 2008, voters approved a new constitution, Ecuador’s 20th since gaining independence. General elections were held in February 2013, and voters re-elected President Rafael CORREA.

Ecuador

   Geography

Location:

Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru

Geographic coordinates:

2 00 S, 77 30 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total:  283,561 sq km

land:  276,841 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:

continental shelf:  claims continental shelf between mainland and Galapagos Islands

territorial sea:  200 NM

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)

Elevation extremes:

lowest point:  Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point:  Chimborazo 6,267 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 4.51%

permanent crops:  5.38%

other:  90.11% (2011)

Irrigated land:

8,534 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:

frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; periodic droughts

Environment – current issues:

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

Environment – international agreements:

party to: 

Geography – note:

Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world

Guayaquil, Ecuador

Ecuador

   People

Population:

15,654,411 (July 2014 est.)

Age structure:

Population growth rate:

1.37% (2014 est.)

Birth rate:

18.87 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Death rate:

5.04 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Sex ratio:

Infant mortality rate:

17.93 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:

total population:  76.36 years

male:  73..4 years

female:  79.46 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.29 children born/woman (2014 est.)

HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate:

0.6% (2012 est.)

HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS:

52,300 (2012 est.)

HIV/AIDS – deaths:

2,700 (2012 est.)

Nationality:

noun:  Ecuadorian(s)

adjective:  Ecuadorian

Ethnic groups:

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 71.9%, Montubio 7.4%, Afroecuadorian 7.2%, Amerindian 7%, white 6.1%, other 0.4% (2010 census)

Religions:

Languages:

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female: 90.2% (2011 est.) 

Ecuador

   Government

Country name:

conventional long form:  Republic of Ecuador

conventional short form:  Ecuador

local long form:  Republica del Ecuador

local short form:  Ecuador

Government type:

republic

Capital:

Quito

Administrative divisions:

24 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, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe

Independence:

24 May 1822 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)

Constitution:

many previous; latest approved 20 October 2008; amended 2011 (2011)

Legal system:

civil law based on the Chilean civil code with modifications; traditional law in indigenous communities

Suffrage:

18-65 years of age, universal and compulsory; 16-18, over 65, and other eligible voters, voluntary

Executive branch:

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (137 seats; members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch:

Political parties and leaders:

Political pressure groups and leaders:

International organization participation:

CAN, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

Diplomatic representation from the US:

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms

Ecuador

   Economy

Economy – overview:

Ecuador is substantially dependent on its petroleum resources, which have accounted for more than half of the country’s export earnings and approximately two-fifths of public sector revenues in recent years. In 1999/2000, Ecuador’s economy suffered from a banking crisis, with GDP contracting by 5.3% and poverty increasing significantly. In March 2000, the Congress approved a series of structural reforms that also provided for the adoption of the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, and positive growth returned in the years that followed, helped by high oil prices, remittances, and increased non-traditional exports. From 2002-06 the economy grew an average of 4.3% per year, the highest five-year average in 25 years. After moderate growth in 2007, the economy reached a growth rate of 6.4% in 2008, buoyed by high global petroleum prices and increased public sector investment. President Rafael CORREA Delgado, who took office in January 2007, defaulted in December 2008 on Ecuador’s sovereign debt, which, with a total face value of approximately US$3.2 billion, represented about 30% of Ecuador’s public external debt. In May 2009, Ecuador bought back 91% of its “defaulted” bonds via an international reverse auction. Economic policies under the CORREA administration – for example, an announcement in late 2009 of its intention to terminate 13 bilateral investment treaties, including one with the United States – have generated economic uncertainty and discouraged private investment. China has become Ecuador’s largest foreign lender since Quito defaulted in 2008, allowing the government to maintain a high rate of social spending; Ecuador contracted with the Chinese government for more than $9.9 billion in forward oil sales, project financing, and budget support loans as of December 2013. Foreign investment levels in Ecuador continue to be the lowest in the region as a result of an unstable regulatory environment, weak rule of law, and the crowding-out effect of public investments. In 2013, oil output marginally reversed a declining trend and production is expected to increase slightly in 2014, although prices will likely remain lower than in previous years. Faced with a 2013 trade deficit of $1.1 billion, Ecuador erected technical barriers to trade in December 2013, causing tensions with its largest trading partners. Ecuador also decriminalized intellectual property rights violations in February 2014

GDP:

purchasing power parity – $157.6 billion (2013 est.)

GDP – real growth rate:

4% (2013 est.)

GDP – per capita:

purchasing power parity – $10,600 (2013 est.)

GDP – composition by sector:

agriculture:  5.9%

industry:  35.1%

services:  59% (2013 est.)

Population below poverty line:

25.6% (December 2013 est)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%:  1.4%

highest 10%:  38.3% (2010)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.6% (2013 est.)

Labor force:

6.953 million (2013 est.)

Labor force – by occupation:

Unemployment rate:

4.2% (2013 est.)

Budget:

Industries:

petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals

Industrial production growth rate:

3.1% (2013 est.)

country comparison to the world: 39

Currency:

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar became Ecuador’s currency in 2001

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Ecuador

   Transnational Issues

Disputes – international:

organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador’s shared border, which thousands of Colombians also cross to escape the violence in their home country

Illicit drugs:

significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru, with much of the US-bound cocaine passing through Ecuadorian Pacific waters; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents (2008)

Ecuador

                                           Introducción