Ecuador: Difference between revisions

Republic of Ecuador
*República del Ecuador*
Republic of Ecuador República del Ecuador
	Flag Coat of arms of Ecuador Coat of arms
	Motto: Spanish: "Dios, patria y libertad"; (English: "God, homeland and liberty")
	Anthem: Salve, Oh Patria
Capital	Quito
Largest city	Guayaquil
Official languages	Spanish1
Government	Republic
• President	Alfredo Palacio
• Vice-President	Alejandro Serrano
Independence
• From Spain	May 24, 1822
• From Gran Colombia	November 21, 1831
• Water (%)	8.8
Population
• July 2005 estimate	13,228,000 (67th)
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
• Total	$67 billion (73rd)
• Per capita	$4,083 (114th)
HDI (2003)	0.759; high (82nd)
Currency	U.S. dollar2 (USD)
Time zone	UTC-5; UTC -6 (Galápagos Islands)
Calling code	593
ISO 3166 code	EC
Internet TLD	.ec
	1 Quichua and other Amerindian languages spoken by indigenous communities.; 2 Sucre until 2000.

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Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador (Spanish: Ecuador or República del Ecuador, IPA [re'puβlika ðel ekwa'ðoɾ]) is a country in northwestern South America, bounded by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. The country also includes the Galápagos Islands (Archipelago de Colón) in the Pacific, about 965 kilometers (about 600 mi) west of the mainland. Named after the Spanish word for equator, Ecuador straddles the equator and has an area of 256,370 square kilometers (98,985 mi²). Its capital city is Quito.

History

Advanced indigenous cultures flourished in Ecuador long before the area was conquered by the Inca empire in the 15th century. By marriage, the region of Quito became part of the Inca-neglia Empire. Atahuallpa, one of the sons of the Incan emperor, was born in Quito. However, he could not receive the crown of the Empire since the emperor had another son, Huascar, born in Cuzco, the capital. Therefore the empire was divided in two: Atahuallpa received the north, with his capital in Quito, and Huascar received the south with its capital in Cuzco. In 1531, the Spanish conquistadors, under Francisco Pizarro, arrived in an Inca empire torn by civil war. Atahuallpa wanted to align with the Spanish to conquer Huascar and reign over a re-unified Incan empire. The Spanish established themselves in a fort in Cajamarca, captured Atahualpa and held him for ransom. A room was filled with gold to secure his release. During his capture, Atahuallpa arranged for the murder of his half-brother Huascar in Cusco. The stage was set for the Spaniards to take over the Incan empire. Despite being surrounded and vastly outnumbered, the Spanish executed Atahualpa. To escape the confines of the fort, the Spaniards fired all their cannons and broke through the lines of the bewildered Incans. In subsequent years the Spanish colonists became the new elite centering its power in Peru.

The indigenous population was decimated by disease in the first decades of Spanish rule — a time when the natives also were forced into the "encomienda" labor system for Spanish landlords. In 1563, Quito became the seat of a royal "audiencia" (administrative district) of Spain and part of the Peruvian Viceroyalty with its capital in Lima.

After nearly 300 years of Spanish colonization, Quito was a city of about 10,000 inhabitants, and it was there in 1822 that Ecuador joined Simón Bolívar's Republic of Gran Colombia, only to become a separate republic in 1830.

The 19th century was marked by instability, with a rapid succession of rulers. The conservative Gabriel Garcia Moreno unified the country in the 1860s with the support of the Roman Catholic Church. In the late 1800s, world demand for cocoa tied the economy to commodity exports and led to migrations from the highlands to the agricultural frontier on the coast.

A coastal-based liberal revolution in 1895 under Eloy Alfaro reduced the power of the clergy, and this liberal wing retained power until the military coup of 1925. The 1930s and 1940s were marked by populist politicians such as five-time President José María Velasco Ibarra.

Control over territory in the Amazon has led to a long-lasting dispute between Ecuador and Peru. In 1941, in midst of fast-growing tensions between the two countries, war broke out. Peru claimed that Ecuador's military presence in Peruvian-claimed territory was an invasion. Ecuador, on the other hand claimed Peru invaded Ecuador. In July 1941 troops were mobilized. Peru had an army of 11,681 troops, much better trained and equipped than Ecuador's force of 5,300 poorly-trained soldiers. Over the course of the war Peru gained control over all the disputed territory and occupied two Ecuadorian provinces (El Oro and Loja, some 6% of the country), demanding the Ecuadorian government to gave up their territorial claims. The Peruvian Navy blocked the port of Guayaquil, cutting supplies to the Ecuadorian troops. After a few weeks of war and under pressure by the U.S and several Latin American nations, Ecuador and Peru came to an accord formalised in the Rio Protocol and fighting stopped in favor of hemispheric unity against the Axis Powers in WWII. As a result of its victory, Peru was awarded the disputed territory. Two more wars would follow to finally end the dispute. See Paquisha Incident and Cenepa War

Recession and popular unrest led to a return to populist politics and domestic military interventions in the 1960s, while foreign companies developed oil resources in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In 1972, the construction of of the Andian pipeline, which brought oil from the east to the coast was completed, making Ecuador South America's second largest oil producer. That same year a nationalist military junta overthrew the government, remaining in power until 1979 when more democratic consitutional measures were implemented. By 1982, the government faced an economic crisis, characterized by high inflation, budget deficits, a falling currency, mounting debt service, and uncompetitive industries, leading to chronic government instability.

Many years of mismanagement, starting with the mishandling of the country's debt during the 1970s military regime, have left the country essentially ungovernable. By the mid 90s, the government of Ecuador has been characterized by a weak executive branch that struggles to appease the ruling classes, represented in the legislative and judiciary. The last three democratically elected presidents have failed to finish their terms during that period.

Among the most relevant factors in the democratic instability is the emergence of the indigenous population as an active constituency. The population were motivated by government failures to deliver on promises of land reform and lower unemployment, and by historical exploitation by the land-holding elite.

Their movement, along with the continuing destabilizing efforts by both the Elite and Leftist movements, have led to a deterioration of the executive office. The public and the other branches of government give the president very little political capital to work with, as happened when in April 2005 Ecuador's Congress ousted President Lucio Gutiérrez. The Vice-President, Alfredo Palacio, took his place and is expected to be in power until the next scheduled election.

Politics

Template:Morepolitics Politics of Ecuador takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Ecuador is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Congress. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

Foreign relations

Ecuador has often placed great emphasis on multilateral approaches to international issues. Ecuador is a member of the United Nations (and most of its specialized agencies) and also is a member of many regional groups, including the Rio Group, the Latin American Economic System, the Latin American Energy Organization, the Latin American Integration Association, and The Andean Pact.

Geography

Ecuador has three main geographic regions, plus an insular region in the Pacific Ocean.

The Costa comprises the low-lying litoral lying in the western part of the country. Its coastlines are on the Pacific.
The Sierra region is the mountainous, high-altitude vertical belt running along the centre of the country. This region's topography is as a result of the Andes mountain range running along it.
The Oriente (literally "East") comprises the Amazon rainforest areas in the eastern part of the country, accounting for just under half of the country's total surface area, though populated by under 5% of the population.
Finally, the Región Insular is the region comprising the Galápagos Islands, some 1,000 kilometers (620 mi) west of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.

Ecuador's capital is Quito, and is located in the province of Pichincha in the Sierra region. Its largest city is Guayaquil, located in the province of Guayas in the Costa. Cotopaxi, which is located just south of Quito, in the neighbouring province of that same name, is often wrongly claimed to be the world's highest active volcano, but several peaks in northern Chile and southern Peru are higher and (at least currently) more active.

Provinces

Ecuador is divided into twenty two provinces, each with its own administrative capital. The capitals are provided in parentheses.

Economy

Ecuador has substantial petroleum resources and rich agricultural areas. Because the country exports primary products such as oil, bananas, and shrimp, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. Industry is largely oriented to servicing the domestic market. Deteriorating economic performance in 1997-98 culminated in a severe economic and financial crisis in 1999. The crisis was precipitated by a number of external shocks, including the El Niño weather phenomenon in 1997, a sharp drop in global oil prices in 1997-98, and international emerging market instability in 1997-98. These factors highlighted the Government of Ecuador's unsustainable economic policy mix of large fiscal deficits and expansionary money policy and resulted in an 7.3% contraction of GDP, annual year-on-year inflation of 52.2% and a 65% devaluation of the national currency in 1999, which helped precipitate an unprecedented default on external loans later that year.

On January 9, 2000, the administration of President Jamil Mahuad announced its intention to adopt the U.S. dollar as the official currency of Ecuador to address the ongoing economic crisis. The adoption of the U.S. dollar as currency, as opposed to pegging a local currency to it, means that the benefits of seigniorage accrue to the U.S. economy whether or not there is any compensation for this. Subsequent protest led to the removal of Mahuad from office and the elevation of Vice President Gustavo Noboa to the presidency.

The Noboa government confirmed its commitment to dollarize as the centerpiece of its economic recovery strategy. The government also entered into negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), culminating in the negotiation of a 12-month stand-by arrangement with the Fund. Additional policy initiatives include efforts to reduce the government's fiscal deficit, implement structural reforms to strengthen the banking system and regain access to private capital markets. Buoyed by high oil prices, the Ecuadorian economy experienced a modest recovery in 2000, with GDP rising 1.9%. However, 70% of the population lives below the poverty line, more than double the rate of 5 years ago. Inflation in 2000 remained high at 96.1%, but the rate of inflation continues to fall. Monthly inflation in February 2001 was 2.9%.

Demographics

Ecuador's population is ethnically diverse. The largest ethnic group is comprised of Mestizos, the mixed descendants of Spanish colonists and indigenous Amerindians, who constitute just over 65% of the population. Amerindians are second in numbers and account for approximately a quarter of the current population, around 25%. Whites are mainly criollos, primarily of Spanish descent, and account for 7%. The small Afro-Ecuadorian minority — including Mulattos and zambos — constitutes the remainder.

The tropical forest region to the east of the mountains remains sparsely populated and contains only about 3% of the population.

Although the constitution demands that 30% of gross revenue be dedicated to education, the government’s stated goal is to dedicate 11% of the budget. It is estimated that gross domestic product (GDP) spending will reach 4% in 2003. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) places adult literacy at 90%, but notes that this rate has been stagnant for more than ten years. The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reports that only 87% of the primary school teachers and 72% of high school teachers have received training. The public education system is tuition-free, and attendance is mandatory from ages five to fourteen. However, the Ministry of Education reports that only 10% of five year olds actually have access to daily education and that only 66% of youngsters finish six years of schooling. In rural areas, only 10% of the youngsters go on to high school. Ministry statistics give the mean number of years completed as 6.7. Ecuador has sixty one universities, many of which now offer graduate degrees, although only 18% of the faculty in public universities possess graduate 300 Higher Institutes, offering two to three years of post-secondary vocational or technical training. The Higher Education Reform Act transferred oversight of these poorly regulated institutes from the Ministry of Education to the CONESUP.

Religion

Approximately 94% of Ecuadorians are Roman Catholic. Much of the population is practicing and attends Mass regularly. In the rural parts of Ecuador, indigenous beliefs and Christianity have been syncretized.

As in every other Latin American nation, Protestant Evangelicalism has had massive growth, especially in the poor rural areas. Other groups such as Jehovah's Witness and Mormons have also seen increasing numbers. The latter, bettwer known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, now are one third of one percent of the national population, even though they began in Ecuador only in 1964. The church has a beautiful Temple in Guayaquil, and numerous chapels throughout the country.

There is a small Muslim minority numbering in the low thousands. The Jewish community numbers just over 1,000 individuals and is mostly of German and Italian origin;

Culture

Ecuador's mainstream culture is defined by Ecuador's mestizo majority and, like their ancestry, is a mixture of European and Amerindian influences infused with African elements inherited from slave ancestors. Ecuador's indigenous communities are largely integrated into that mainstream culture to varying degrees, but some may also practise their own autochthonous cultures, particularly the more remote indigenous communities of the Amazon basin.

Sport

The most popular sport in Ecuador, as in most South American countries, is football. Some of its best known professional teams include Barcelona S.C. and F.C. Emelec, from Guayaquil, Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito and El Nacional (the Ecuadorian Armed Forces team) from Quito, Olmedo from Riobamba, and Deportivo Cuenca, from Cuenca. The matches of the Ecuadorian national football team are the most watched sports events in the country. Ecuador has qualified for the final rounds of both the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups . Then in the 2006 world cup Ecuador has managed to come 2nd in the group and will face England in the last 16.

Futsal is particularly popular for mass participation. There is considerable interest in tennis in the middle- and upper classes in the Ecuadorian society, and several Ecuadorian professional players have attained considerable international fame, including Francisco Segura, Andrés Gomez and, in the 1990s, Nicolas Lapentti. Basketball also has a high profile, while Ecuador's specialities include Ecuavolley, a 3 person variation of volleyball. Bullfighting is practiced at a professional level only in Quito, during the annual festivities which commemorate the Spanish founding of the city, although bloodless variations of this sport, called rodeos montubios are practiced in many rural areas during local festivities.

Food

The food in Ecuador is very diverse, varying with altitude as do the agricultural conditions. Cuy (roasted guinea pig) is popular in the mountain regions. There is a great variety of fresh fruit available, particularly at lower altitudes. Seafood is popular at the coast, particularly corvina and prawns. Shrimp is very popular and is very fresh in Ecuador. A street food in Ecuador is potatoes served with roasted pig. Fanesca is also a dish that has been made famous in Ecuador, it is a soup made during the time of lent and it contains dry cod fish, it also contains milk and is composed by different numerous styles of beans, i.e. green beans, lima beans, chochos.

Film

Ratas, Ratones, Rateros (1999) written and directed by Ecuadorian Sebastián Cordero is an Ecuadorian film about an 18 year quiteño whose cousin, a thief from the more violent coastal city of Guayaquil, embroils all those around him. The film has been accused by several critics of painting an extremely distorted contrast between the coast (Guayaquil) and the highlands (Quito), which stems from the ever-present feelings of regionalism between the aforementioned parties.

The Waorani tribe (located in Ecuador) will be heavily portrayed in the 2006 theatrical release of "The End of the Spear," the story about five missionaries speared to death, as told through the eyes of a Waorani tribesman.

The film Proof of Life (2000), starring Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe, was filmed in Ecuador. The film, nontheless, takes place in a fictitious South American country named 'Tecala'. The guerrilla movement depicted in the film is reminiscent of Peru's Shining Path or Colombia's FARC.

The 2005 film Crónicas, written and directed by Ecuadorian Sebastián Cordero starring John Leguizamo in his Spanish-language debut, is set and filmed entirely in Ecuador.

The 1980s film Vibes57, starring Cyndi Lauper and Jeff Goldblum, was also shot in Ecuador. The Andean cities served as a backdrop for the film.

In the The Fairly Oddparents episode Oh, Brother, they made a spoof of Ecuador. He lied that Tommy was from Tibecuador.

In addition to film, the science fiction novel by Rod Glenn, The King of America, features locations in Ecuador.

Famous Ecuadorians

Notable people born in Ecuador include:

Artists/Musicians

Arauz

Manuel Chili Caspicara

Beatriz Parra Durango

Authors

José Joaquín de Olmedo

Ángel Felicísimo Rojas

Jorge Icaza Coronel

José de la Cuadra

Alfredo Pareja Diezcanseco

Demetrio Aguilera Malta

Adalberto Ortiz

Enrique Gilbert

Humberto Salvador

Academics

Benjamín Urrutia

Sportsmen/women

Films

Sebastián Cordero

Camilo Luzuriaga

External links

Government

Presidencia de la República, official government site
Superintendence of Telecommunications, Control telecommunications services

General information

CIA - The World Factbook - Ecuador
Country Studies - Federal Research Division, Library of Congress - Ecuador 1989 report
Open Directory Project - Ecuador directory category
LANIC Ecuador page of the Latin American Network Information Center
Schema-root.org: Ecuador twenty two Ecuador topics, each with a current news feed

Tourism

Galapagos travel advisor Reviews of tourism services in the Galapagos Islands
Galapagos Islands travel guide
Galapagos map map and travel guide
About Ecuador Travel guide
Ecuador AnyTravels Overview travel guide
First business, touristic, information portal from Loja - Ecuador
Exploring Ecuador Ecuador and Galapagos Travel Guide and map center
Ecuador and Galapagos Travel Guide
Ecuador and Galapagos Islands Virtual Tours
Ecuador National Anthem Downloads
Quito guide
Ecuador travel guide
South American Explorers South American Explorers, a non-profit organisation that specializes in assisting independent travelers
historic Haciendas of Ecuador and the Andes
Ecuador pictures organized by regions
Reserva Ecologica in Mindo
The King of America by Rod Glenn
Google Ecuador
Registro de Dominios .EC del Ecuador, ccTLD Network Information Centre
[http://www.ecuadoronline About Ecuador Travle Line / Guide

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 *[http://www.google.com.ec Google Ecuador]
 *[http://www.nic.ec/nicec.htm Registro de Dominios .EC del Ecuador], [[ccTLD]] [[Network Information Centre]]
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