By: T

 The government is a republic and has a president.  The name of the president is Rafael Correa.

 In the beginning, Ecuador was populated by many different indigenous cultures. The main group was the people of the Inca Empire. The Inca Empire populated Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and parts of Chile. The Amazon natives populated the Amazon area.  Later, people from Spain came and conquered the Inca Empire and Ecuador.  In 1809, the Ecuadorians called for independence. Ecuador went to war and was liberated from Spain in  Francisco Pizarro was one of the first and most famous explorers to help conquer Ecuador. Juan Pio Montufar was important also.  Spanish is the official language of Ecuador. Most of the population speak Spanish. Many indigenous people, like the Incas, speak Quechua. People in the Amazon area speak Quechua and two other languages (Shuar and Kichwa) on a smaller degree.

 Ecuador has three geographic regions: the Andes Mountains in the middle of the country, the coast on the western side, and the Amazon or jungle area in the eastern part.  The total estimated population is around 15 million.  Quito is the capital of Ecuador. Quito's nickname is Luz de America. Luz means light in Spanish.

 The major imports are: autos, fertilizers for the banana plantations, pharmaceutical products, chemicals, and machinery/equipment.  The major exports are: oil or petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp and different fish, cacao or cocoa, coffee, and wood or trees from the Amazon rain forest.  Agriculture was the main economic activity before oil was discovered. A lot of potatoes, bananas, cacao, tropical fruit, sugar cane and rice are grown in different areas.  Tourism is important. The Galapagos Islands are Ecuador’s leading tourist attraction. The islands are the site of Charles Darwin’s evolution studies. Other points of interest are the Amazon rain forest and the capital, Quito, which is located almost directly on the equator line. Pretty snow-capped volcanos are located in the Andes Mountains.  Ecuador’s currency is in U.S. Dollars.

 About 80% of Ecuador’s religion is Roman Catholic.  Ecuador’s holidays include: Christmas, New Year’s eve/day, Carnival during the Lent season, All Soul’s Day on November 2 nd, and Foundation of Quito.  Typical foods from the Andes Mountain region are based around meat, potatoes, corn, and cheese. Typical dishes are roasted pigs (“hornado”) and crackling, fried pork, lamb, and potato and cheese soups. Guinea pig or “cuy” is a famous dish. On the coast, a lot of seafood is used in soups and other dishes like “ceviche”. Many tropical fruits are eaten on the coast like bananas, coconut, papaya, and pineapple.

 Ecuador means equator in English. The equator line runs through Ecuador.  Galapagos ( from Galapagos Islands) is a certain species of tortoises.  Panama hats are actually from Ecuador and not from Panama.  The Andes Mountains are the second highest mountain range in the world. The Himalayas in China are higher and the Colorado Rocky Mountains are lower. Mount Chimborazo is the highest mountain or volcano and is about 20,500 feet above sea level. It is located just outside the city of Riobamba in the Andes Mountains. My father was born in Riobamba, Ecuador.   Potatoes originated in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador, Peru, and Boliva. There are over 300 different types. They come in various shapes and colors. They even have purple and orange potatoes.  Ecuador is the largest exporter of bananas and one-third of the exports are to the United States.  The llama is native to the country. The people make warm clothes and blankets from the lllama wool.  A famous snack called “chifles” is made from thinly sliced bananas or plantains and fried in lard.  Ecuador is next to the smallest country in South America. Uruguay is the smallest. Or, in other words, Ecuador is the 9 th largest country of 10 countries in South America.