|
| Background: |
The "Republic of the Equator"
was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse
of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Venezuela).
Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series
of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that
flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. |
| Location: |
Western South America, bordering
the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru
|
| Geographic
coordinates: |
2 00 S, 77 30 W |
| Map
references: |
South America |
| Area: |
total: 283,560
sq km
land: 276,840 sq km
water: 6,720 sq km
note: includes Galapagos Islands |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller than Nevada |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 2,010
km
border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420
km |
| Maritime
claims: |
continental shelf:
claims continental shelf between mainland and Galapagos Islands
territorial sea: 200 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical along coast, becoming
cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian
jungle lowlands |
| Terrain: |
coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean
central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle
(oriente) |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m |
| Natural
resources: |
petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower
|
| Land
use: |
arable land:
6%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 18%
forests and woodland: 56%
other: 15% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
5,560 sq km (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
frequent earthquakes, landslides,
volcanic activity; periodic droughts |
| Environment
- current issues: |
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification;
water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
| Geography
- note: |
Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active
volcano in world |
| Population: |
13,183,978 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
35.8% (male 2,398,801; female 2,320,537)
15-64 years: 59.81% (male 3,900,193; female 3,984,797)
65 years and over: 4.39% (male 269,372; female
310,278) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
25.99 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
5.44 deaths/1,000 population (2001
est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-0.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
|
| Infant
mortality rate: |
34.08 deaths/1,000 live births
(2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
71.33 years
male: 68.52 years
female: 74.28 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
3.12 children born/woman (2001
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.29% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
19,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
1,400 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and
white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%
|
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 95% |
| Languages: |
Spanish (official), Amerindian
languages (especially Quechua) |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.1%
male: 92%
female: 88.2% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador
local long form: Republica del Ecuador
local short form: Ecuador |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| Administrative
divisions: |
22 provinces (provincias, singular
- provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi,
El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los
Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha,
Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe |
| Independence: |
24 May 1822 (from Spain) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day (independence
of Quito), 10 August (1809) |
| Constitution: |
10 August 1998 |
| Legal
system: |
based on civil law system; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal, compulsory
for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible
voters |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
President Gustavo NOBOA Bejarano (since 22 January 2000) selected
president following coup that deposed President MAHUAD; Vice
President Pedro PINTO Rubianes (since 28 January 2000) elected
by National Congress from a slate of candidates submitted
by President NABOA; note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government
head of government: President Gustavo NOBOA Bejarano
(since 22 January 2000) selected president following coup
that deposed President MAHUAD; Vice President Pedro PINTO
Rubianes (since 28 January 2000) elected by National Congress
from a slate of candidates submitted by President NABOA; note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected
on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year term (no
reelection); election last held 31 May 1998; runoff election
held 12 July 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: results of the last election
prior to the coup were: Jamil MAHUAD elected president; percent
of vote - 51%
note: a military-indigenous coup toppled democratically
elected President Jamil MAHAUD on 21 January 2000; the military
quickly handed power over to Vice President Gustavo NOBOA
on 22 January; National Congress then elected a new vice president
from a slate of candidates submitted by NOBOA; the new administration
is scheduled to complete the remainder of MAHAUD's term, due
to expire in January 2003 |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral National Congress or
Congreso Nacional (121 seats; 79 members are popularly elected
at-large nationally to serve four-year terms; 42 members are
popularly elected by province - two per province - for four-year
terms)
elections: last held 31 May 1998 (next to
be held NA 2002)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - DP 32, PSC
27, PRE 24, ID 18, P-NP 9, FRA 5, PCE 3, MPD 2, CFP 1; note
- defections by members of National Congress are commonplace,
resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held
by the various parties |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema
(new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Concentration of Popular Forces
or CFP [Averroes BUCARAM]; Democratic Left or ID [Rodrigo
BORJA Cevallos]; Ecuadorian Conservative Party or PCE [Sixto
DURAN Ballen]; Independent National Movement or MIN [leader
NA]; Pachakutik-New Country or P-NP [Rafael PANDAM]; Popular
Democracy or DP [Ramiro RIVERA]; Popular Democratic Movement
or MPD [leader NA]; Radical Alfarista Front or FRA [Fabian
ALARCON, director]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM
Ortiz, director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Jaime NEBOT
Saadi, president] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities
of Ecuador or CONAIE [Antonio VARGAS]; Coordinator of Social
Movements or CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Popular Front or FP
[Luis VILLACIS] |
| International
organization participation: |
CAN, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
|
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Ivonne A-BAKI
chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC
20009
telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200
FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles,
Miami, New Orleans, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and San
Francisco |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Gwen C. CLARE
embassy: Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria,
Quito
mailing address: APO AA 34039
telephone: [593] (2) 562-890
FAX: [593] (2) 502-052
consulate(s) general: Guayaquil |
| Flag
description: |
three horizontal bands of yellow
(top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed
at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia
which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms |
| Economy
- overview: |
Ecuador has substantial oil 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.
Ecuador joined the World Trade Organization in 1996, but has
failed to comply with many of its accession commitments. In
recent years, growth has been uneven due to ill-conceived
fiscal stabilization measures. The aftermath of El Nino and
depressed oil market of 1997-98 drove Ecuador's economy into
a free-fall in 1999. The beginning of 1999 saw the banking
sector collapse, which helped precipitate an unprecedented
default on external loans later that year. Continued economic
instability drove a 70% depreciation of the currency throughout
1999, which eventually forced a desperate government to "dollarize"
the currency regime in 2000. The move stabilized the currency,
but did not stave off the ouster of the government. The new
president, Gustavo NOBOA has yet to complete negotiations
for a long sought IMF accord. He will find it difficult to
push through the reforms necessary to make "dollarization"
work in the long run. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $37.2
billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
0.8% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $2,900
(2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
14%
industry: 36%
services: 50% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
50% (1999 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
2.2%
highest 10%: 33.8% (1995) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
96% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 30%, industry 25%,
services 45% (1999 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
13%; note - widespread underemployment
(2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: planned
$5.1 billion (not including revenue from potential privatizations)
expenditures: $5.1 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1999) |
| Industries: |
petroleum, food processing, textiles,
metal work, paper products, wood products, chemicals, plastics,
fishing, lumber |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
2.4% (1997 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
10.065 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
29.51%
hydro: 70.49%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
9.386 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
25 million kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice,
potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle,
sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish,
shrimp |
| Exports: |
$5.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
|
| Exports
- commodities: |
petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee,
cocoa, cut flowers, fish |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 37%, Colombia 5%, Italy 5%,
Chile 5%, Peru 4% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$3.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
|
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and equipment, raw materials, fuels;
consumer goods |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 30%, Colombia 13%, Venezuela
6%, Japan 5%, Venezuela 6%, Mexico 3% (1998) |
| Debt
- external: |
$15 billion (1999) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$695.7 million (1995) |
| Currency: |
US dollar (USD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
sucres per US dollar - 25,000
(January 2001), 24,988.4 (2000), 11,786.8 (1999), 5,446.6
(1998), 3,988.3 (1997), 3,189.5 (1996)
note: on 7 January
2000, the government passed a decree "dollarizing" the economy;
on 13 March 2000, the National Congress approved a new exchange
system whereby the US dollar is adopted as the main legal
tender in Ecuador for all purposes; on 20 March 2000, the
Central Bank of Ecuador started to exchange sucres for US
dollars at a fixed rate of 25,000 sucres per US dollar; since
30 April 2000, all transactions are denominated in US dollars
|
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
899,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
160,061 (1997) |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
NA
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and
unreliable
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 392, FM 27, shortwave 29 (1998)
|
| Radios: |
4.15 million (1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
15 (including one station on the
Galapagos Islands) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
1.55 million (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ec |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
13 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
20,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total: 965
km
narrow gauge: 965 km 1.067-m gauge (2000) |
| Highways: |
total: 43,197
km
paved: 8,165 km
unpaved: 35,032 km (1999 est.) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 800 km; petroleum products
1,358 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad,
Manta, Puerto Bolivar, San Lorenzo |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 30 ships
(1,000 GRT or over) totaling 233,312 GRT/385,784 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, liquefied
gas 1, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 22, specialized tanker
1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports: |
180 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 59
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 19 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 121
914 to 1,523 m: 32
under 914 m: 89 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army (Ejercito Ecuatoriano), Navy
(Armada Ecuatoriana, includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza
Aerea Ecuatoriana), National Police (Policia Nacional) |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
20 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
3,382,567 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
2,280,899 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 132,978
(2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$720 million (FY98) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
3.4% (FY98) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
significant transit country for
cocaine and derivatives of coca originating in Colombia and
Peru; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of
illicit narcotics; important money-laundering hub; increased
activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and
Colombian insurgents |
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