INTRODUCTION - Geography

Andean chain - Pacific Coast - Galapagos - Amazon - Maps

General

Ecuador is a South American republic bordered by Peru to the south and east, Colombia to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is slightly bigger than the United Kingdom with 270670 square meters and a population over 13 million. Quito , the capital, has about 1.5 million inhabitants. It is situated in the northern Sierra, in the valley between the Andes at an altitude of 2800 meters ( 9300 feet ). The biggest city in Ecuador is Guayaquil , a port town on the southern coast, with about 2 million inhabitants. It is considered the economic center of the country.

Position

The country is crossed by the equatorial line from west to east and by the volcanic Andean mountain chain from north to south. Thanks to its position at the equator and where two major Pacific currents meet, Ecuador is blessed with a diversity of microclimates. These unique areas help sustain a variety of plant and animal life rarely found anywhere else on earth. For example, Ecuador has about 16000 different species of birds and about 3500 species of orchids.