About Ecuador
The history of Ecuador is similar to the rest
of its South American neighbors. Advanced indigenous
groups flourished in Ecuador's territory long before
the area was conquered by the Inca Empire in the 15
th century. In 1534 the Spanish conquerors arrived and
defeated the Inca armies, and soon the Spanish colonists
became the new elite. The indigenous population was
decimated by disease in the first decades of Spanish
rule a time when the natives also were forced into the
"encomienda" labor system for Spanish landlords.
In 1563, Quito, its current capital became the seat
of a royal "audiencia" (administrative district)
of Spain. That is why the city's well preserved historic
district is considered one of the best in South America.
The 19th century was marked by instability, with a rapid succession of rulers, until the country was unified in the 1860s with the support of the Catholic Church. In the late 1800s, world demand for cocoa tied the economy to commodity exports and led to migrations from the highlands to the agricultural frontier on the coast.
A coastal-based liberal revolution in 1895 further reduced the power of the clergy and opened the way for capitalist development. The end of the cocoa boom produced renewed political instability and a military coup in 1925. The 1930s and 1940s were marked by populist politicians. In January 1942, Ecuador signed the Rio Protocol to end the war with Peru the year before. Ecuador agreed to a border that conceded too much territory Ecuador previously had claimed in the Amazon basin.
Ecuador 's description
The extraordinary geography of Ecuador makes it a very special country. It is located right in the equatorial line in South America that is why it’s in both hemispheres. It borders Colombia to the north and Peru to the east and south. To the west it borders the Pacific Ocean. It has an area of 256.370 square kilometers and it is divided in four Regions, the Coastal, the Andean, the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands.
Because of its location, Ecuador's climate
varies among its four Regions. They have very different
climates determined by their altitude, location and
most of all by the presence of the Andes mountain range
and the marine currents. That is why they also have
a great variety of climates inside each Region. The
Andean Region has a rainy cold climate from November
to April and dry from May to October. Its temperature
varies between 13 and 18 degrees centigrade. The Coastal
Region is influenced by the Humboldt and El Niño
currents, which is why it has two main seasons throughout
the year, a rainy winter from December to April and
summer from May to November. In the Amazon Region the
rainy humid season is from January to September and
the dry season is from October to December. The Galapagos
Islands has a tepid climate with temperatures ranging
between 22 y 32 degrees centigrade.
Since it is a nation with various ethnicities,
Ecuador's culture is very diverse. It has a population
of around 12.6 million habitants. Inside its three continental
regions live 14 indigenous nationalities with different
traditions and their own culture, which they have kept
for centuries.
Ecuador has an ecology unique in the world. It is considered one of the 17 countries where the majority of the biodiversity of the planet is concentrated. Its very diverse climates in the four Regions have made it possible for the emergence of thousands of species in their natural territories, which are protected by the government. Inside this relatively small territory you can find tropical rainforests, jungles, cloud forests, deserts, mountains, islands, paramos, valleys and snow-covered mountains. One of its most important landmarks are the Galapagos Islands and its marine reserve that harbors endemic species unique in the planet.
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