Ecuador

Travels in Ecuador:

Cotopaxi - Chimborazo (16 days)
Climb both mountains in one tour

Cotopaxi Trekking & Climbing (15 days)
Ascent of Ecuador's second-highest volcano

Quick Facts:

Official Name:	Republic of Ecuador
Capital:	Quito
Area:	283,560 sq km (incl. Galapagos)
Languages:	Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)
Currency:	US Dollar (USD); the sucre was eliminated in 2000
Population figure:	13,927,650
Ethnology:	Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and White) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, Black 3%
Religions:	Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%
National holiday:	Independence Day, 10 August (1809, independence of Quito)
Government type:	Republic

History

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 25 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period has been marred by political instability. Protests in Quito have contributed to the mid-term ouster of Ecuador's last three democratically elected Presidents. In 2007, a Constituent Assembly was elected to draft a new constitution; Ecuador's twentieth since gaining independence.

Climate

Although the country is not particularly large (the size of the U.S. state of Colorado), there is great variety in the climate, largely determined by altitude. The Pacific coastal area has a tropical climate, with a severe rainy season. The climate in the Andean highlands is temperate and relatively dry; and the Amazon basin on the eastern side of the mountains shares the climate of other rain forest zones.
Because of its location at the equator, Ecuador experiences little variation in daylight hours during the course of a year.

This article is partly based on a free article of the encyclopaedia Wikipedia and is subject to GNU-licence for free documentation. A list of authors is available on Wikipedia