What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the "Republic of the Equator." 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. Although Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period has been marred by political instability. Protests in Quito have contributed to the mid-term ouster of Ecuador's last three democratically elected Presidents. In September 2008, voters approved a new constitution; Ecuador's twentieth since gaining independence. General elections, under the new constitutional framework, are expected in April 2009.

Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru

2 00 S, 77 30 W

South America

slightly smaller than Nevada

2,237 km

tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands

coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)

petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower

8,650 sq km (2003)

432 cu km (2000)

frequent earthquakes; landslides; volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts

deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands

Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world

14,573,101 (July 2009 est.)

1.497% (2009 est.)

20.77 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)

4.99 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)

-0.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

2.51 children born/woman (2009 est.)

0.3% (2007 est.)

26,000 (2007 est.)

1,400 (2007 est.)

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%

Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)

1% of GDP (2001)

republic

24 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, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe

24 May 1822 (from Spain)

Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)

20 October 2008

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters

unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats; members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve four-year terms)

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (according to the Constitution, new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in December 2004, however, Congress successfully replaced the entire court by a simple majority resolution)

Alianza PAIS Movement [Rafael Vicente CORREA Delgado]; Christian Democratic Union or UDC [Diego ORDONEZ Guerrero]; Democratic Left or ID [Andres PAEZ Benalcazar]; Ethical and Democratic Network or RED [Leon ROLDOS]; Institutional Renewal and National Action Party or PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA]; Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement - New Country or MUPP-NP [Jorge GUAMAN]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Ciro GUZMAN Aldaz]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO]; Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Gustavo AYALA Cruz]

Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Marlon SANTI, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA CRUZ, president]

CAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINURCAT, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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

Ecuador is substantially dependent on its petroleum resources, which have accounted for more than half of the country's export earnings and one-fourth of public sector revenues in recent years. In 1999/2000, Ecuador suffered a severe economic crisis, with GDP contracting by more than 6%. Poverty increased significantly, the banking system collapsed, and Ecuador defaulted on its external debt later that year. In March 2000, Congress approved a series of structural reforms that also provided for the adoption of the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, and positive growth returned in the years that followed, helped by high oil prices, remittances, and increased non-traditional exports. From 2002-06 the economy grew 5.5%, the highest five-year average in 25 years. The poverty rate declined but remained high at 38% in 2006. In 2006 the government imposed a windfall revenue tax on foreign oil companies, leading to the suspension of free trade negotiations with the US. These measures led to a drop in petroleum production in 2007. President Rafael CORREA raised the specter of debt default and followed through on those threats in December 2008 by defaulting on some commercial bond obligations. He also decreed a higher windfall revenue tax on private oil companies, then renegotiated their contracts to overcome the debilitating effect of the tax. This generated economic uncertainty; private investment has dropped and economic growth has slowed.

$107.1 billion (2008 est.)

$101.1 billion (2007)

$98.73 billion (2006)

$54.67 billion (2008 est.)

5.9% (2008 est.)

2.4% (2007 est.)

3.9% (2006 est.)

$7,500 (2008 est.)

$7,200 (2007 est.)

$7,100 (2006 est.)

4.64 million (urban) (2008 est.)

8.7% (2008 est.)

8.8% (2007 est.)

38.3% (2006)

46

23.3% of GDP (2008 est.)

29.2% of GDP (2008 est.)

8.6% (2008 est.)

2.3% (2007 est.)

9.14% (31 December 2008)

10.72% (31 December 2007)

12.5% (15 October 2008)

$5.907 billion (31 December 2008)

$4.395 billion (31 December 2007)

$9.383 billion (31 December 2008)

$7.974 billion (31 December 2007)

$10.13 billion (31 December 2008)

$8.926 billion (31 December 2007)

$4.266 billion (31 December 2007)

bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp

petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals

2% (2008 est.)

14.84 billion kWh (2006 est.)

12.9 billion kWh (2006 est.)

38.53 million kWh (2006 est.)

861 million kWh (2006 est.)

511,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

160,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)

421,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)

47,060 bbl/day (2005)

4.517 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

280 million cu m (2006 est.)

280 million cu m (2006 est.)

0 cu m (2007 est.)

0 cu m (2007 est.)

9.369 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

$2.008 billion (2008 est.)

$19.4 billion (2008 est.)

petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp, cacao, coffee, hemp, wood, fish

US 41.9%, Peru 8.5%, Chile 4.9%, Russia 4.8%, Colombia 4.7% (2007)

$16.6 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

industrial materials, fuels and lubricants, nondurable consumer goods

US 23.7%, Colombia 10.3%, China 7.6%, Brazil 5.3%, Japan 4.3% (2007)

$6.492 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$16.96 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$16.81 billion (2008 est.)

$598 million (2008 est.)

the US dollar is used; the sucre was eliminated in 2000

1.805 million (2007)

10.086 million (2007)

AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001)

7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2000)

.ec

45,404 (2008)

1.549 million (2006)

418 (2008)

1 (2007)

extra heavy crude 435 km; gas 5 km; oil 1,374 km; refined products 1,301 km (2008)

1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2008)

Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Bolivar

Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry, Naval Aviation, Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE) (2007)

20 years of age for selective conscript military service; 12-month service obligation (2008)

2.8% of GDP (2006)

organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border, which thousands of Colombians also cross to escape the violence in their home country

significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru, with much of the US-bound cocaine passing through Ecuadorian Pacific waters; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents (2008)