Ecuador

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Ethnic groups
- Languages
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Trade
- Services
- Labour and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Local government
- Justice
- Political process
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- Cultural milieu
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts
- Cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- Pre-Spanish era
- The colonial period
- Early national history, 1830–c. 1925
  - Liberal-Conservative hostilities
  - Rivalry between Flores and Rocafuerte (1830–45)
  - Breakdown of national government (1845–60)
  - The regime of García Moreno (1860–75)
  - Shift to liberalism (1875–97)
  - Problems of the early 20th century
- Modern history
  - Economic development and loss of territory in the 1940s
  - Domination of Velasco Ibarra after World War II
  - Ecuador from the late 20th century

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images

Map of northern South America highlighting Ecuador in orange, with its capital Quito labeled. Surrounding countries including Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and others in the region are outlined and labeled for geographic context.

Map of Ecuador showing provincial boundaries, major cities, and neighboring countries Colombia and Peru. The map includes the Pacific coastline and an inset locating the Galapagos Islands to the west, as well as a small locator map highlighting Ecuador's position in South America.

Physical map of Ecuador showing major geographic features such as the Andes Mountains, Chimborazo and Cotopaxi volcanoes, the Amazon basin (Eastern Region), and the Pacific coastline. The map also highlights national parks and ecological reserves, with an inset locator map of Ecuador within South America and a detailed inset of the Galapagos Islands. Neighboring countries Colombia and Peru are labeled.

Stone monument with a large globe on top marks the Equator near Quito, Ecuador, with a red line and the letter E on the ground in front.

Snow-capped Chimborazo Volcano rises above rolling hills and patchwork farmland in the Ecuadorian Andes under a cloudy sky.

Galapagos Islands: Sierra Negra

A narrow stream winds through dense, lush green vegetation in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, with moss-covered rocks and overhanging trees.

At a Glance

default image

Ecuador summary

Ecuador: Media

country, South America

Images

Ecuador

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of northern South America highlighting Ecuador in orange, with its capital Quito labeled. Surrounding countries including Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and others in the region are outlined and labeled for geographic context.

Ecuador

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi volcano, Ecuador.

Jeremy Woodhouse—Digital Vision/Getty Images

Map of Ecuador showing provincial boundaries, major cities, and neighboring countries Colombia and Peru. The map includes the Pacific coastline and an inset locating the Galapagos Islands to the west, as well as a small locator map highlighting Ecuador's position in South America.

Ecuador

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Physical map of Ecuador showing major geographic features such as the Andes Mountains, Chimborazo and Cotopaxi volcanoes, the Amazon basin (Eastern Region), and the Pacific coastline. The map also highlights national parks and ecological reserves, with an inset locator map of Ecuador within South America and a detailed inset of the Galapagos Islands. Neighboring countries Colombia and Peru are labeled.

Physical features of Ecuador

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Stone monument with a large globe on top marks the Equator near Quito, Ecuador, with a red line and the letter E on the ground in front.

Mitad del Mundo

A monument on the outskirts of Quito, Ecuador, marks the Equator.

© Steve Mann/Shutterstock.com

Snow-capped Chimborazo Volcano rises above rolling hills and patchwork farmland in the Ecuadorian Andes under a cloudy sky.

Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador

Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador.

© Leonardo/stock.adobe.com

Galapagos Islands: Sierra Negra

Galapagos Islands: Sierra Negra

Sierra Negra (“Black Range”), Isabela Island, Galapagos National Park, Ecuador.

© estivillml/Fotolia

A narrow stream winds through dense, lush green vegetation in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, with moss-covered rocks and overhanging trees.

Amazon basin

A stream in Ecuador's Amazon basin.

© Dr. Morley Read/Shutterstock.com

Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) with bright blue feet, brown wings, and white body stands on a rock on North Seymour Island, Galapagos National Park, Ecuador.

Blue-footed booby

A blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii), Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

© Don Mammoser/Shutterstock.com

Map of South America highlighting in purple the regions where Quechuan languages are spoken, primarily along the Andes Mountains in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and smaller areas in Colombia, Chile, and northern Argentina.

Map of Quechuan language distribution

Quechuan languages, including Quichua, are spoken throughout Ecuador's Andean highlands...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Refugio Mariscal

Quito, Ecuador: Church of San Agustín

Quito, Ecuador: Church of San Agustín

Church of San Agustín, on the Plaza Mayor, also called Plaza de la Independencia...

mdmworks—iStock/Thinkstock

Farmers in colorful traditional clothing dig potatoes on a sloped field near Hacienda Zuleta, with mountains and green valleys visible in the background.

potato farming in Ecuador

Farmers dig potatoes in the Sierra region northeast of Quito, Ecuador.

Mathias Oppersdorff/Photo Researchers

Plaza de San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador

Plaza de San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador

The historic Plaza de San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador, with the Church and Convent...

© Bogdan Lazar/Dreamstime.com

Ecuador: corn farm

Ecuador: corn farm

A farmer inspecting his corn (maize) crop in Ecuador.

Arco Images/age fotostock

Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala: El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno, depiction of an Inca bookkeeper using a quipu

Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala: El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno, depiction of an Inca bookkeeper using a quipu

Bookkeeper (right) rendering accounts to the Inca ruler Topa Inca Yupanqui. The contents...

Courtesy, Library Services Department, American Museum of Natural History, New York City (Neg. No. 321546)

Simón Bolívar

Simón Bolívar

Simón Bolívar.

North Wind Picture Archives

Historical map showing the division of Gran Colombia in 1830, with the territory divided into three color-coded departments: Cundinamarca in yellow, Quito in pink, and Venezuela in green. Dashed lines indicate disputed areas, and major cities such as Bogota, Quito, and Caracas are labeled. The map covers the region of northern South America, including present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and parts of Peru.

The division of Gran Colombia (1830)

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Gabriel García Moreno

Gabriel García Moreno

Gabriel García Moreno.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Ecuador: rainforest

Ecuador: rainforest

Rainforest vegetation grows along the northern coast of Ecuador.

© Victor Englebert

flag of Ecuador

flag of Ecuador

National flag of Ecuador, which shares design similarities with the flags of Colombia...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Ecuador

Ecuador

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Audio

National anthem of Ecuador

The instrumental version of the national anthem of Ecuador.

Interactives

Ecuador: Ethnic composition

Ecuador: Ethnic composition

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Ecuador: Religious affiliation

Ecuador: Religious affiliation

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Ecuador: Urban-rural

Ecuador: Urban-rural

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Ecuador: Age breakdown

Ecuador: Age breakdown

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Ecuador: Major export destinations

Ecuador: Major export destinations

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Ecuador: Major import sources

Ecuador: Major import sources

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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