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Location: Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru
Map references: South America
Area:
total area: 283,560 sq km
land area: 276,840 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Nevada
note: includes Galapagos Islands
Land boundaries: total 2,010 km, Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
Coastline: 2,237 km
Climate: tropical along coast becoming cooler inland
Terrain: coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, timber
Land use:
arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 3%
meadows and pastures: 17%
forest and woodland: 51%
other: 23%
Irrigated land: 5,500 sq km (1989 est.)
Population: 10,890,950 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (female 1,928,977; male 1,990,036)
15-64 years: 60% (female 3,281,575; male 3,230,082)
65 years and over: 4% (female 244,862; male 215,418) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.95% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 25.08 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 5.55 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 37.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.35 years
male: 67.83 years
female: 72.99 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.97 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian
Ethnic divisions: mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish) 55%, Indian 25%, Spanish 10%, black 10%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%
Languages: Spanish (official), Indian languages (especially Quechua)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population: 87%
male: 90%
female: 84%
Labor force: 2.8 million
by occupation: agriculture 35%, manufacturing 21%, commerce 16%, services and other
activities 28% (1982)
Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador
local long form: Republica del Ecuador
local short form: Ecuador
Digraph: EC
Type: republic
Capital: Quito
Administrative divisions: 21 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Pastaza,Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe
Independence: 24 May 1822 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 10 August (1809) (independence of Quito)
Constitution: 10 August 1979
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
Overview: Ecuador has substantial oil resources and rich agricultural areas. Growth has been uneven in recent years because of fluctuations in prices for Ecuador's primary exports - oil and bananas - as well as because of government policies designed to curb inflation. President Sixto DURAN-BALLEN launched a series of macroeconomic reforms when he came into office in August 1992 which included raising domestic fuel prices and utility rates, eliminating most subsidies, and bringing the government budget into balance. These measures helped to reduce inflation from 55% in 1992 to 25% in 1994. DURAN-BALLEN has a much more favorable attitude toward foreign investment than his predecessor and has supported several laws designed to encourage foreign investment. Ecuador has implemented free or complementary trade agreements with Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela, as well as applied for World Trade Organization membership. Ecuador signed a standby agreement with the IMF and rescheduled its $7.6 billion commercial debt in 1994 thereby regaining access to multilateral lending. Growth in 1994 speeded up to 3.9%, based on increased exports of bananas and non-traditional products, while international reserves increased to a record $1.6 billion.
National product: GDP - purchasingpower parity - $41.1 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 3.9% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $3,840 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 25% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 7.1% (1994)
Budget:
revenues: $2.76 billion
expenditures: $2.76 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994)
Exports: $3.3 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: petroleum 39%, bananas 17%, shrimp 16%, cocoa 3%, coffee 6%
partners: US 42%, Latin America 29%, Caribbean, EU countries 17%
Imports: $3 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: transport equipment, consumer goods, vehicles, machinery, chemicals
partners: US 28%, EU 17%, Latin America 31%, Caribbean, Japan
External debt: $13.2 billion (yearend 1993 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 6.4% (1993); accounts for almost 35% of GDP, including petroleum
Electricity:
capacity: 2,230,000 kW
production: 6.9 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 612 kWh (1993)
Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, metal work, paper products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fishing, lumber
Agriculture: accounts for 14% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); leading producer and exporter of bananas and balsawood; other agricultural exports - coffee, cocoa, fish, shrimp; other crops- rice, potatoes, manioc, plantains, sugarcane; livestock products - cattle, sheep, hogs, beef, pork, dairy products; net importer of foodgrains, dairy products, and sugar
Currency: 1 sucre (S/) = 100 centavos
Fiscal year: calendar year
Railroads:
total: 965 km (single track)
narrow gauge: 965 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways:
total: 43,709 km
paved: 5,245 km
unpaved: 38,464 km
Inland waterways: 1,500 km
Pipelines: crude oil 800 km; petroleum products 1,358 km
Ports: Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, San Lorenzo
Merchant marine:
total: 33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 222,822 GRT/326,447 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 2, container 2, liquefied gas tanker 2, oil tanker 13,
passenger 3, refrigerated cargo 10
Airports:
total: 175
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 15
with paved runways under 914 m: 107
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 5
with unpaved runways 914to 1,523 m: 31