Where is Ecuador?
About Ecuador
The Land
The People
Life and Death
Health, Energy and the Environment
Education and Work
Travel, Communication and the Media
Ecuador is an above average size country in the north west of South America. It includes the Galapagos Islands which are about 1,000 kms off the west coast of Ecuador.
Ecuador has a border on Pacific Ocean.
The land is a mixture of coastal plains, the Andes Mountains in the centre and flat jungle in the east.
The geographical coordinates for the centre of Ecuador, also known as lines of latitude and longtitude, are:-
Latitude - 2 00S
Longitude - 77 30W
Check the weather in Quito now.
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The Ecuadorian flag is 3 horizontal
stripes of yellow, blue and red, with the yellow stripe twice the width of the other two. The Ecuadorian coat of arms is in the centre of the flag.
We have already written our own history of England but are asking schools in Ecuador to provide us with a detailed history of
their own country. Check how here.
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The total land area of Ecuador is 276,841 sq kms which is the 11th largest in South America.
Ecuador has lakes, rivers and canals which total 6,720 sq kms.
Ecuador has boundaries with 2 countries
Ecuador has a coastline of 2,237 kms which is the 7th longest in South America.
The highest point in Ecuador is Chimborazo at 6,267 metres.
The total population of Ecuador is 16.08 million people, making it the 7th largest country in South America by population.
Of this number 8.09 million are females and 7.99 million are males.
A person from Ecuador is called a Ecuadorian.
To be a citizen of Ecuador you must be born in Ecuador or one of your parents must be a citizen of Ecuador. You have to live in Ecuador for
3 years before you can begin to apply for citizenship.
The largest five cities in Ecuador, by population are:-
The birth rate in Ecuador is 18.2 births per 1,000 of population
The death rate in Ecuador is 5.1 deaths per 1,000 people.
Check this against the birth rate. If the death rate is higher than the birth rate then
the population will decrease unless immigrants arrive in the country.
There are 13.7 deaths of girls under 1 year per 1,000 of births and 19.9 deaths of boys.
The median age for females is 28.1 and for males is 26.7. The median age is that age which divides the population exactly in half so there are the same number
of people above the median age as below it.
We have no figures for the average age of a woman when she has her first child.
The elderly dependency ratio is 10.4. This is the number of elderly people (ages 65+) per 100 people of working age (ages 15-64).
The potential support ratio is 9.6. This is the number of working-age people (ages 15-64) per one elderly person (ages 65+). As a population ages, the potential support ratio tends to fall, meaning there are fewer potential workers to support the elderly.
Ecuador spends 9.2% of its total income on health care.
There are 1.72 doctors per 1,000 people.
There are 1.6 hospital beds per 1,000 people.
19.9% of the population are estimated as obese.
93.4% of the urban population and 75.5% of the rural population have drinking water that is either piped into their home or they have access to a public tap, a protected borehole, well, spring or
protected rainwater collection facility.
87.0% of the urban population and 80.7% of the rural population have access to a flushing toilet that is connected to a sewer. a pit latrine (that is a
permanent hole in the ground that is looked after) or a composting toilet.
Ecuador spends 4.9% of its total income on education.
Children usually start school at age 6 in Ecuador. Primary education is for six years until age 12 and secondary education must continue till 15 but can go on to 18/19. This may be followed
by further education at a university or college.
The school year varies according to the region. However both variations have 2 terms. Inland the school year starts at the beginning of September and finishes at the
beginning of July. As well as a break between terms in February, there is 1 week break at Christmas and a 1 week break in March or April. In the coastal region and on
the Galapagos Islands the school year runs from the first week of April and finishes at the beginning of February. As well as a break between terms in September, there
is a 1 week break at Christmas.
93.3% of females and 95.4% of males are able to read and write by the age of 15.
8.4% of all people aged between 16 and 24 are not in work. Among females 11.4% are unemployed while with males 6.6% can't find work.
The total number of people available for work in Ecuador is 4.85 million.
They work in the following sectors.
There are 104 paved airports in Ecuador, which is the 5th highest number in South America.
There are 965 kilometres of railways in Ecuador, the 8th longest in South America.
There are 6,472 kilometres of roads in Ecuador, which means Ecuador is in 9th place for the most kilometres of roads in South America.