With its relatively small territory (256.370 Km2 98.985
square miles), >
Ecuador has the biggest biodiversity per area in the world!
In a study of Conservation International, Ecuador is among
the 17 “
mega
diverse” countries, such as the United States,
China, Australia, Brazil and Mexico. With 9.2 species
per km2, it occupies the first place in the world with
regards to species per area.
The richness of this country lies in its DIVERSITY, both
natural and cultural.
Ecuador has 4 diverse and rich regions:
the
Amazon Rain forest,
the
Coast,
the highland
Andes,
and the
Galapagos Archipelago. These four regions are subdivided
into 24 provinces. Besides its exuberant biodiversity,
Ecuador embraces an impressive variety of ethnic groups,
including some untouched communities, which still preserve
traditional values and cultural manifestations from ancient
times
LOCATION: Ecuador is
one of the smallest countries in America. It lies on both
the northern and the southern Hemispheres, and is divided
by the equator, which gave Ecuador its name in the 19th
Century. Ecuador borders Colombia (North), Peru (and East),
and the Pacific Ocean (West).
AREA: about 270.670 km2
or 168.186 square miles.
DISTANCE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH: 1.081 km or 672 miles.
POPULATION: approximately
13 million.
LANGUAGE: Spanish.
Most of the indigenous population speaks Quichua. In many
schools English is the second language taught. There are
18 different languages among Ecuadorian
communities.
COAST REGION: Esmeraldas, Manabi,
Los Rios, Guayas,
Santa Elena
and El Oro.
HIGHLANDS REGION: Carchi,
Imbabura, Pichincha,
Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, Bolivar, Chimborazo,
Cañar, Azuay and Loja.
JUNGLE REGION: Sucumbíos,
Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Morona Santiago and Zamora Chinchipe.
NOTE: The Santa Elena province - previously part of Guayas- and Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas province - previously part of Pichincha- have been recently approved as such. They do not appear in our maps of this edition as the official borders have not yet been published.
INSULAR REGION: The Galapagos
Islands.
RELIGION:
95% Catholics
CURRENCY: Dollars. The
government has produced a series of local coins of 1,5,10,25
and 50 cents that have the same value as the American
coins (which are also accepted). Banks open from 9h00
to 17h00 and on Saturdays only half day. Money exchange
offered every day in main hotels.
GOVERNMENT: Democratic.
Current President is Rafael Correa (2007 - 2011).
CLIMATE: Ecuador
is located in the Tropical Zone. The climate throughout
the country ranges from tropical equatorial rainy weather
to perpetual snow on the top of the mountains due to the
influence of the Andean Mountain range in the highlands.
Cities in the highlands have temperatures that vary from
50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, while coastal cities’
temperatures vary from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit during
the day. The jungle has constant weather conditions: rainy,
humid and warm. The Galapagos Islands are always sunny
and warm. Temperature drops a bit during the months of
June to November.
Ecuador lies close to and on the equator, the amount of
heat energy received from the sun does not vary much through
the year; so this is not the cause of seasonal differences.
coastal currents are a key influence on seasonal rainfall.
The Humboldt current brings an upwelling of cold water
from a deep ocean trench that runs along the west coast
of South America. This current prevails in April/May through
October/November, yielding dry weather. During the rest
of the year, a southward-flowing warm equatorial current
forces the cold water upwelling south of Ecuador. The
resulting warm, moist air off the ocean brings rain. At
its extreme, this El Niño current has a devastating
effect on the coast; and the large thunderstorms that
result can disrupt high altitude jet stream winds, causing
climatic disturbances over large parts of the planet.
Often moist air from the Amazon and from the Pacific coast
spills over the eastern and western flanks of the Andes,
falling as a heavy mist or fine cold rain called the paramo
mist into the andean valleys. The mist often results in
late afternoon double rainbows, especially in May. Cool
air also flows down from higher elevations along canyons
and gullies, bringing cooler evening temperatures, and
influencing microclimates.
What to wear:
AIRPORT TAX:
For anyone leaving the country, there is a tax
fee leaving from Quito $25 and from Guayaquil $10.
Tourist Visa: Visitors can stay up to
90 days without a tourist visa.
Taxi rates: approximately $3 to $6 per
ride from the airport to the city. These rates vary among
the main cities.
Transportation: Main cities (Guayaquil,
Quito and Cuenca) have local airports serviced by the
local airlines Tame, Austroaereo, and Icaro, besides international
airlines. Bus lines offer Land transportation where you
can just jump on the next bus leaving to your destination.
Each city has its own terminal, with frequent departure
to each one of the different provinces of our country.
Office of Tourism Public Prosecutor:
The highest duty of the Ecuadorian Republic is
to respect and support human and personal rights; they
offer judicial safety to tourists who visit the country.
It is cost free. Hours of operation: Monday thru Friday
from 8:00 am to 12:00pm and from 2:00pm to 6:00pm
| City |
Phones |
| Quito |
| Guayaquil |
| Cuenca |
| Galapagos Island, Santa Cruz |
| Loja |
| Puyo |
|
| 250-559/560 |
| 042-320-685 |
| 072-844-2820 |
| 052-526-048 |
| 072-572-668 |
| 032-883-767 |
|
>> important phone
numbers
