Ecuador

“The Republic of the Equator”

A Country of Diversity Ecuador is a country that includes: A coast on the Pacific Ocean The Andes mountains A tropical rainforest, the Amazon Galapagos Islands

La Bandera The condor is posed to attack its enemies and protect the nation under its wings. Blue – independence from Spain Yellow – recalls the Federation of Greater Colombia Red – stands for courage

National Holiday August 10 (1809) – Independence Day This celebrates the independence of the capital, Quito.

El Presidente Presidente Lenin Moreno Since May 24, 2017

Quito La capital de Ecuador The capital of Ecuador, Quito lies at the foot of the Pichincha volcano, and has been damaged several times by the area's frequent earthquakes

Cotopaxi Volcano Located in the Andes It is the HIGHEST, active volcano in the world! It has erupted 50 times since 1738.

What does their money look like?

Languages Spanish (of course!)  Quichua – the language of the Incas

Ecuadorian Facts 13,364,000 people live in Ecuador The population consists of: Mestizos (mixed Indian & Caucasian) – 65% Indian – 25% Spanish & other – 7% African – 3% Ecuador is slightly smaller than Nevada 95% of population is Roman Catholic

Indigenous Population Ecuador’s Indigenous population is made up of 11 different cultures. The largest ethnic group is the Andean Quichua.

Huaroni Indians This group lives in the Amazon Rainforest. Deforestation has taken the homes of these people. They are on the verge of becoming extinct.

Market

Clothing People familiar with native dress can often tell roughly where an Indian is from based on what they wear.

Men’s Clothing Otavalenos, most often seen in the Quito area, are very distinctive. For men, dress consists of a blue poncho, a fedora, or felt hat, and white calf-length knickers. A shimba -- a long braid that hangs down nearly to the man's waist -- dates back to pre-Inca times, and is deeply rooted in tradition. In fact, the shimba is so important as a symbol of Indigenous ethnic identity, that when Indigenous men serve in the Ecuadorian army, they are not required to cut it off.

Women’s Clothes The women's dress is the closest to Inca costume worn anywhere in the Andes. Women dress in a white blouses, a blue skirt and shawl. Jewelry is important -- layers of necklaces of predominantly gold beads, and red coral bracelets are the most common form of jewelry worn by the Otavalo women. Although visitors to the area view their dressing styles as quaint or cute, to the Otavaleno, their dress is a way to outwardly express their ethnicity.

History The Inca Empire extended over the highland region to an area near Quito. The Spanish colonists established themselves in the country in 1534, and ruled for nearly three centuries. The first uprising against Spanish rule took place in 1809.

Independence On May 24, 1822, independence was won by the armies of Simon Bolivar, with the key battles in Ecuador lead by Antonio Jose de Sucre, one of Bolivar's field marshals Antonio Jose de Sucre Simon Bolivar

An Independent Country? After independence from Spain, Ecuador tried a federation with Colombia and Venezuela. This was unsuccessful. Ecuador became an independent country in 1830.

Agriculture Products Plantains Sugar Cane Potatoes Coffee Bananas

This was a favorite hideout for pirates between 1593-1710. It is officially named: "Archipélago de Colón" in honor of Christopher Columbus Who made these islands famous after spending 20 years of research there????

Sir Charles Darwin Founded the theory of evolution of species by mutation & natural selection Wrote “The Origin of the Species by Natural Selection”

Bizarre foods in Ecuador https://youtu.be/2D5yhlr25hc