Machala

Machala
Country	Ecuador
Province	El Oro
Canton	Machala
Government
• Mayor	Carlos Falquez Batallas
Population  (2008)
• City	426,901
• Metro	587,696
Time zone	UTC-5 (ECT)
Website	http://www.machala.gov.ec

Machala is a city in south-west Ecuador, capital of the El Oro Province. It is located near the Gulf of Guayaquil on fertile lowlands. It has a population of 426,901 (2008 estimate). Machala is sought to be the "Banana Capital of the World"

Machala is a commercial centre for the surrounding agriculture industries. There is a large trade in bananas, coffee and cocoa. Especially banana industry is orientated to exportation, and plays a huge role in the city's economy. It houses a university and serves as a stopping-off point on the way to nearby port Puerto Bolívar and the Jambelí Islands. Machala has a small airport which currently has no commercial flights (IATA location identifier: MCH). In the past there have been flights to Guayaquil and Quito with Ecuadorian airline TAME.

Most hotels are situated in the centre of the city.

Esmeraldeño soccer forward Eduardo Hurtado played in Machala's professional soccer team Audaz Octubrino.

External links

• Municipio de Machala Web site of the municipality in Spanish
• Diario Correo - El Diario de Todos News about Machala in Spanish
• Universidad Technica de Machala
• Sitio informativo de la Capital Bananera del Mundo