ecuador
Ecuador is a small Latin American republic located on the West Coast of
South America on the equator (hence its name). Though its small size (283.000 km3)
and population (12 millions) it has an incredible diversity in landscape, nature and cultures.
The country is divided in four regions:
La Sierra
Running North-South through the country's center are the two chains of
volcanoes: Cordillera Occidental and Cordillera Oriental
with active volcanoes peaking above 6000 meter (Chimborazo).
In the valleys between the two Cordilleras are the beautiful colonial cities of
Ecuador. The most beautiful of them are Quito and Cuenca, the latter known for
its industry of ceramics and furniture.
In the Sierra live the Quechua Indians and the mestizos. The handicrafts of the Indians
(woven cloths, hammocks, jewelry) are famous. The center of their
textile industry is in Otavalo in the North.
La Costa
The Western coastal plain with its tropical climate, precipitation and fertile
soils has ideal conditions for agriculture and produces coffee, cacao,
bananas and sugar cane. From the sea come tuna fish and shrimps. The population is
Indian, mestizo or from African descent.
Guayaquil is the country's largest harbor and the country's largest city.
El Oriente
The Eastern part of the country is part of the Amazon basin. For the most
part it is still covered with tropical rainforest. Here dwell traditional Indian
tribes known for their ceramics and jewelry.
Since the last twenty years the discovery of oil in the Oriente and the
overpopulation in the highlands has fueled increasing colonization from the
overpopulated highlands pressuring the rainforest and the native Indian tribes.
Las Islas Galápagos
In the Pacific thousand kilometers from the mainland one finds the Galapagos. On these
paradisiacal islands and
islets, whose 19 biggest reach a surface of 18 km2, thanks to its isolation an exceptional flora and fauna could develop.
Darwin visited the islands in 1835 and was inspired here for his theory on the origin of species.
The Galapagos as a whole is a nature park and the country's principal tourist destination.
ã artes saquíl s.a. 2000-2006