Ecuador
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The smallest country in the rugged Andean highlands, Ecuador is among
the most rewarding travel destinations in South America. With its array
of vibrant indigenous cultures, well preserved colonial architecture,
otherworldly volcanic landscapes and dense rainforest, it packs its perimeters
with more points of interest than many countries twice its size. Touch
down in its picture-perfect capital, Quito, and you are no more than a
day's drive from a slog through all-swallowing Amazonian jungle, a snow
swept ascent of an active volcano, a sociable haggle with indigenous artesanos
or a welcome wallow on a tropical beach. And all that in a nation no bigger
than the US state of Nevada.
Squint your eyes at a map of the region and Ecuador looks something like
a grinning skull, gazing across the Pacific at its lone 'overseas' holding,
the blissfully distant Galápagos Islands. Owned by Ecuador since
1832, the far-flung islands are lauded as one of the world's greatest
natural history treasures, their unique diversity of plant and animal
life providing a living textbook for ecologists and oglers alike. It'll
cost you plenty to get out to see them, but when you weigh that against
the immense affordability of mainland adventuring and the rarity of the
experience, you'll be hard pressed to let your purse strings tie you down.
Full country name: Republic of Ecuador
Area: 283,520 sq km (175,780 sq mi)
Population: 12,920,092 (growth rate: 2.1%)
Capital city: Quito (pop 1.5 million)
People: 40% mestizo, 40% Indian, 15% Spanish descent, 5% African
descent
Language: Spanish, Quechua, Quichua, other indigenous languages
Religion: Over 90% Roman Catholic, small minority of other Christian
denominations
Government: Democracy
GDP: US$58.7 billion
GDP per head: US$4,800
Inflation:43%
Major industries: Oil, bananas, shrimp, fish, coffee, textiles,
metal work, paper products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fishing,
lumber
Major trading partners: US, Latin America, EU, Asia, Caribbean
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*The above information was obtained from
www.lonelyplanet.com and Youth International
wants to acknowlege all due credit to the source of the information.
