The Republic of

EQUADOR

ByAleksi

NieminenVille KontinenT569SN 2009

Republic of Ecuador Capital: Quito

Largest city: Guayaquil Official language is Spanish Government: Presidential Republic

President Rafael Correa Land area 256 370km2

Population app. 13 million Currency is USD

GDP 108 389 billion (7 785 per capita)

History

Cultures have existed in the area of Ecuador from 3500 BC

At first there were many different civilizations (e.g. Valdivia culture and Machalilla culture)

The region came under the Inca empire in 1463 and was ruled by Atahualpa (who was in charge of the northern parts of the empire)In 1531 the Spanish conquistadors invaded most of South America and the Incas fell under their rule

History from Spanish rule to the Republic of Ecuador

After 300 years of Spanish rule, the city of Guayaquil became the first city in Ecuador to gain independence (Oct 9 1820)The rest of Ecuador gained independence in May 24 1822 after a victorious battle against the Spaniard Royalist forcesThe 19th century was tainted by instabilityThere were multiple skirmishes and takeovers for the sovereignty of Ecuador, but ultimately it unified to meet the demand of cocoa for the growing world market

There were still many coups and revolutions until the threat of Peru arose in 1940’s

History from liberal revolutions to modern democracy

Peru and Ecuador fought over territorial control for the area near the Amazon Disputes ended in peace agreement in 1998

Military governments ruled the country from 1972 to 1979 after which the military junta stepped down

Elections were held under a new constitution and a new president was elected

After that the domestic political disturbances settled

Culture

Mainstream culture is a mixture of mestizo majority, European and Amerindian influences with African elementsSpanish is the common language (about 98% of the population speak it as either first or second language)Cuisine varies by region

In the coastal region seafood is the main ingredientDifferent types of meat and beans are used for dishes in the mountain regionNear the Amazon rainforest the main components are products grown there (e.g. bananas, grapes)

Culture Arts and literature

In general there are multiple writers and artists who unfortunately haven’t achieved global recognition

The indigenous people of Tigua have gained popularity for their tradicional paintings

Film industry was founded in 1924 and it enjoyed it’s golden era during that time

Soccer and tennis are the most popular sports New forms of activity such as Capoiera, paintball

and motocross are gaining popularity

GeographyEcuador is environmentally rich with a diverse habitat

One of the 17 megadiverse countries

The climate varies from tropical climate to arid mountaneous atmosphereBecause of the position the amount of daylight doesn’t vary much

Geography Galápagos Islands

Galápagos Islands are located app. 1000 km west from the mainland

The islands are rich with fauna

Unfortunately the islands are threatened by oil exploitation of the Amazon rain forest

Economy

Main export is crude oilIndustry is mainly focusing on domestic market

Products include fish, shrimp, timber, gold and tropical fruits

Due to multiple factors the country faced a major economic crisis (from 1997-1999), and in order to avert complete market destabilisation US dollar was introduced as the new currency in 2000Foreign debt is estimated at two billion dollars (2009)

DemographicsThere are multiple ethnic groupsMain religion is Roman Catholic (95%)

Protestants 4%Rest are a mixture of ancient religions and customs

Majority of the population is located in the central and western part of the country

Interesting factsPositioncurrencyTransportationJipijapaActive volcano CotopaxiMt Chimborazo (6310m) furthest away from the centre of Earth due the shape of the planet