Ecuador

Ecuador (pronounced /ˈɛkwədɔr/), officially the Republic of Ecuador (Spanish: República del Ecuador, pronounced [reˈpuβlika ðel ekwaˈðoɾ]), literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America (with Chile) that do not have a border with Brazil. The country also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 965 kilometres (600 mi) west of the mainland. Ecuador straddles the equator, from which it takes its name, and has an area of 256,371 square kilometres (98,985 sq mi). Its capital city is Quito, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the 1970s for having the best preserved and least altered historic centre in Latin America. ^[2] The country's largest city is Guayaquil. The historic centre of Cuenca, the third largest city of this country, was also declared World Heritage Site in 1999, for being an outstanding example of a planned inland Spanish style colonial city in the Americas.^[3] Ecuador is a medium-income country with an HDI score of 0,807 (2007), where about 38,3% of the people live below the poverty line. ^[4] Ecuador is also home—despite its size—to a great variety of species, many of them endemic, like those of the Galapagos islands. This species diversity makes Ecuador one of the top eighteen megadiverse countries in the world.

• 1 History
  • 1.1 Inca Empire
  • 1.2 Colonization
  • 1.3 Independence
  • 1.4 Liberal Revolution
  • 1.5 War with Peru
  • 1.6 Military governments (1972–1979)
  • 1.7 Return to democracy
• 2 Politics
• 3 Administrative divisions
• 4 Geography
  • 4.1 Climate
  • 4.2 Biodiversity
• 5 Economy
• 6 Demographics
  • 6.1 Immigration and emigration
  • 6.2 Religion
  • 6.3 Population density
  • 6.4 Nations
• 7 Culture
  • 7.1 Food
  • 7.2 Literature
  • 7.3 Art
  • 7.4 Film
  • 7.5 Sports
• 8 Education
• 9 Science and technology
• 10 Transportation
  • 10.1 Road
  • 10.2 Rail
• 11 Military
• 12 See also
• 13 References
• 14 External links

Capital		Quito 00°9′S 78°21′W / 0.15°S 78.35°W / -0.15; -78.35
Largest city		Guayaquil
Official languages		Spanish
Ethnic groups		55% Mestizo, 25% Amerindian, 15% White, 5% Black
Demonym		Ecuadorian
Government		Presidential republic
-	President	Rafael Correa
-	Vice President	Lenín Moreno
Independence
-	from Spain (Failed)	August 10, 1809
-	from Spain	May 24, 1822
-	from Gran Colombia	May 13, 1830
Area
-	Total	256,370 km2 (73rd) 98,985 sq mi
-	Water (%)	4
Population
-	2009 estimate	14,573,101 (66th)
-	Density	53.8/km2 (151st) 139.4/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$106.993 billion[1]
-	Per capita	$7,685[1]
GDP (nominal)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$52.572 billion[1]
-	Per capita	$3,776[1]
Gini		42 (medium)
HDI (2006)		▲ 0.807 (high) (72nd)
Currency		U.S. dollar2 (USD)
Time zone		ECT, GALT (UTC-5, -6)
Drives on the		right
Internet TLD		.ec
Calling code		593