Ecuador is about double the size of Pennsylvania, USA, or about half the seize of France, totaling almost 280 thousand sq km. Most countries in South America. For tourism schedules, Ecuador is quite pleasant, because most distances can be done by road within a day's travel. Buses are cheap and for a bit more money you can buy a really luxurious ride. From Quito one can fly to many cities in the country on flights that usually take 30-45 minutes, facilitating efficient and comfortable tourism schedules.
The mainland has three very different regions, being the Eastern and Western lowlands, divided by the Andean highlands. As the earth is a somewhat flattened sphere, it is wider along the Equator, and there the distance to the center of the earth is greater than from the poles. With 6,267 m above sea level, the Chimborazo , is further away from the center of the earth than the Mount Everest. The Andes and the Galapagos archipelago have quite a few very active volcanoes.
You'll find 7 climate zones in Ecuador, with precipitation varying from extremely wet along the Andes slopes to semi arid in the southern coast and temperatures varying from tropical in the lowlands to permanently cold high up in the mountains. The Central Valley of the Andes is particularly comfortable with a permanently spring-like climate.
Indian cultures thrived in Ecuador many centuries before their lands were conquered by the Incas in the late 14 hundreds. Still quite a number of languages are spoken, besides the official Spanish language and the widely spoken Inca language. Ingapirca is the principle archaeological remnant of the Inca period, as all other pre-colonial buildings have been destroyed by the Spanish. Many Indians died during the first years of Spanish rule from diseases brought over from Europe. During the first centuries of colonial rule many were forced into the "encomienda", the forced labor system for the colonial rulers.
In 1563, Quito became the seat or "audiencia" (administrative district) of the new colony and in 1717 the Vice-royalty of New Granada was created, which included Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. New Granada became independent in 1822 taking Gran Colombia as its new name.
In 1830 Ecuador became independent from the federation. Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of armed conflicts with its the neighboring countries and several border issues remained in dispute. In 1999 all disputes were resolved following a brief border war with Peru in 1995 had trigger negotiations under the beneath the guidance of Brazil, Argentina, Chile and the USA. The country has enjoyed four decades of democracy.
Ecuador's has a population of about 15 million inhabitants which was concentrated in the central Andes until a few decades ago. Currently, the population is distributed about equally between the Andes and the coast. Much of the population has moved to the cities which now occupy about 60% of the inhabitants, with Guayaquil - 2,600,000 - and Quito - 1.8 million - being the major metropoles. But in the Amazon region, the "Oriente" (East) the population remains quite low (3%).
The national economy is heavily depends on oil production, while complimented by manufacturing for the internal market, commerce and agriculture. Besides oil, bananas, shrimp, flowers, and some other minor agricultural products are important for the export. In 2010, oil oil sales made up 56% of the export earnings. Being the world's largest exporter of the world of bananas and plantains its annual sales exceed $2 billion per year while Ecuador also is a major player at the shrimp ($800 million) and cacao ($400 million) markets. Non-traditional export products are flowers ($600 million), canned fish ($600 million), and cars ($375 million).
Particularly over the last two decades, Ecuador has developed as a great tourist destination with highlights including Galapagos World Heritage Site, historical Quito, the old city of Cuenca, Fauna Reserve Cuyabeno, Cajas National Park, Cotopaxi National Park and the Otavalo Indian handicraft market. Particularly, Cuyabeno has become the new tourist attraction as it is becoming famous at the best Amazon Park in the world.
The mainland has three very different regions, being the Eastern and Western lowlands, divided by the Andean highlands. As the earth is a somewhat flattened sphere, it is wider along the Equator, and there the distance to the center of the earth is greater than from the poles. With 6,267 m above sea level, the Chimborazo , is further away from the center of the earth than the Mount Everest. The Andes and the Galapagos archipelago have quite a few very active volcanoes.
You'll find 7 climate zones in Ecuador, with precipitation varying from extremely wet along the Andes slopes to semi arid in the southern coast and temperatures varying from tropical in the lowlands to permanently cold high up in the mountains. The Central Valley of the Andes is particularly comfortable with a permanently spring-like climate.
Indian cultures thrived in Ecuador many centuries before their lands were conquered by the Incas in the late 14 hundreds. Still quite a number of languages are spoken, besides the official Spanish language and the widely spoken Inca language. Ingapirca is the principle archaeological remnant of the Inca period, as all other pre-colonial buildings have been destroyed by the Spanish. Many Indians died during the first years of Spanish rule from diseases brought over from Europe. During the first centuries of colonial rule many were forced into the "encomienda", the forced labor system for the colonial rulers.
In 1563, Quito became the seat or "audiencia" (administrative district) of the new colony and in 1717 the Vice-royalty of New Granada was created, which included Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. New Granada became independent in 1822 taking Gran Colombia as its new name.
In 1830 Ecuador became independent from the federation. Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of armed conflicts with its the neighboring countries and several border issues remained in dispute. In 1999 all disputes were resolved following a brief border war with Peru in 1995 had trigger negotiations under the beneath the guidance of Brazil, Argentina, Chile and the USA. The country has enjoyed four decades of democracy.
Ecuador's has a population of about 15 million inhabitants which was concentrated in the central Andes until a few decades ago. Currently, the population is distributed about equally between the Andes and the coast. Much of the population has moved to the cities which now occupy about 60% of the inhabitants, with Guayaquil - 2,600,000 - and Quito - 1.8 million - being the major metropoles. But in the Amazon region, the "Oriente" (East) the population remains quite low (3%).
The national economy is heavily depends on oil production, while complimented by manufacturing for the internal market, commerce and agriculture. Besides oil, bananas, shrimp, flowers, and some other minor agricultural products are important for the export. In 2010, oil oil sales made up 56% of the export earnings. Being the world's largest exporter of the world of bananas and plantains its annual sales exceed $2 billion per year while Ecuador also is a major player at the shrimp ($800 million) and cacao ($400 million) markets. Non-traditional export products are flowers ($600 million), canned fish ($600 million), and cars ($375 million).
Particularly over the last two decades, Ecuador has developed as a great tourist destination with highlights including Galapagos World Heritage Site, historical Quito, the old city of Cuenca, Fauna Reserve Cuyabeno, Cajas National Park, Cotopaxi National Park and the Otavalo Indian handicraft market. Particularly, Cuyabeno has become the new tourist attraction as it is becoming famous at the best Amazon Park in the world.
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