Ecuador Maps

Ecuador is a country located in northwestern South America, and is also known as “Republic of the Equator” due to its location. Ecuador is bordered by both Peru and Colombia. Ecuador also includes the Galápagos Islands in the pacific, which are located about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away from the coast of Ecuador. The total population of Ecuador is 17,715,822 inhabitants, and the capital city is Quito.

The country is made up of four geographical regions, and they are as follows: La Costa (“the coast”), La Sierra (“the highlands”), La Amazonia (“the east), and La Región Insular. La Costa consists of the coastal regions west of the Andean mountain range, La Sierra consists of the Andean and Interandean highland provinces, La Amazonia consists of the Amazon jungle, while La Región Insular refers to the Galápagos Islands. Ecuador is a very diverse country when it comes to climate, and this is mainly because of the varied altitudes found in the country. In the mountain valleys, one can expect it to be mild year round. In coastal areas, there is a humid subtropical climate, and a rainforest climate found in the lowlands of the country. Climate change is becoming a threat to the country, as in the past forty years, the country has seen its seven glaciers lose 54.4% of their surfaces. It is predicted that these glaciers will be completely gone by the year 2100.

Ecuador is one of seventeen countries in the world that have the megadiverse title. Ecuador is home to 1,600 bird species (which makes up about 15% of the world’s known bird species), as well as 38 more endemic species found in the Galápagos Islands. There are also 16,000 plant species found within the country, as well as 106 endemic reptiles, 138 endemic amphibians, and around 6,000 different species of butterfly. Within the rainforest, monkeys, jaguars, ocelots, foxes, weasels, otters, skunks, raccoons, coatis, and kinkajous are commonly found. Many different rodents and bats live around the area as well.

Ecuador is home to a relatively young population. This is due to a decreasing death rate and a rising birth rate. And although the total birth rate of Ecuador has started to fall since the end of the 1990s, the country is still home to a birth rate that is slightly higher than the world’s average, with around 2.40 births per woman. A great majority of the Ecuador population is located in an urban setting, with citizens living in rural areas typically migrating. This is because in the cities, one can find better pay and more job opportunities that may be unavailable in the countryside.

Ecuador is governed by a democratically elected president who serves for a four year term. The current president is Guillermo Lasso, serving his position since May 24th, 2021. In Ecuador, there are five branches of government, and they are as follows: the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, the Judicial Branch, the Electoral Branch, and Transparency and Social Control.