1. The Republic of EQUADOR  By  Aleksi Nieminen  Ville Kontinen  T569SN 2009

2. Republic of Ecuador  Capital: Quito  Largest city: Guayaquil  Official language is Spanish  Government: Presidential Republic  President Rafael Correa  Land area 256 370km 2  Population app. 13 million  Currency is USD  GDP 108 389 billion (7 785 per capita)

4. History  Cultures have existed in the area of Ecuador from 3500 BC  At first there were many different civilizations (e.g. Valdivia culture and Machalilla culture)  The region came under the Inca empire in 1463 and was ruled by Atahualpa (who was in charge of the northern parts of the empire)  In 1531 the Spanish conquistadors invaded most of South America and the Incas fell under their rule

5. History from Spanish rule to the Republic of Ecuador  After 300 years of Spanish rule, the city of Guayaquil became the first city in Ecuador to gain independence (Oct 9 1820)  The rest of Ecuador gained independence in May 24 1822 after a victorious battle against the Spaniard Royalist forces  The 19 th century was tainted by instability  There were multiple skirmishes and takeovers for the sovereignty of Ecuador, but ultimately it unified to meet the demand of cocoa for the growing world market  There were still many coups and revolutions until the threat of Peru arose in 1940’s

6. History from liberal revolutions to modern democracy  Peru and Ecuador fought over territorial control for the area near the Amazon  Disputes ended in peace agreement in 1998  Military governments ruled the country from 1972 to 1979 after which the military junta stepped down  Elections were held under a new constitution and a new president was elected  After that the domestic political disturbances settled

7. Culture  Mainstream culture is a mixture of mestizo majority, European and Amerindian influences with African elements  Spanish is the common language (about 98% of the population speak it as either first or second language)  Cuisine varies by region  In the coastal region seafood is the main ingredient  Different types of meat and beans are used for dishes in the mountain region  Near the Amazon rainforest the main components are products grown there (e.g. bananas, grapes)

8. Culture Arts and literature  In general there are multiple writers and artists who unfortunately haven’t achieved global recognition  The indigenous people of Tigua have gained popularity for their tradicional paintings  Film industry was founded in 1924 and it enjoyed it’s golden era during that time  Soccer and tennis are the most popular sports  New forms of activity such as Capoiera, paintball and motocross are gaining popularity

9. Geography  Ecuador is environmentally rich with a diverse habitat  One of the 17 megadiverse countries  The climate varies from tropical climate to arid mountaneous atmosphere  Because of the position the amount of daylight doesn’t vary much

10. Geography Galápagos Islands  Galápagos Islands are located app. 1000 km west from the mainland  The islands are rich with fauna  Unfortunately the islands are threatened by oil exploitation of the Amazon rain forest

11. Economy  Main export is crude oil  Industry is mainly focusing on domestic market  Products include fish, shrimp, timber, gold and tropical fruits  Due to multiple factors the country faced a major economic crisis (from 1997-1999), and in order to avert complete market destabilisation US dollar was introduced as the new currency in 2000  Foreign debt is estimated at two billion dollars (2009)

12. Demographics  There are multiple ethnic groups  Main religion is Roman Catholic (95%)  Protestants 4%  Rest are a mixture of ancient religions and customs  Majority of the population is located in the central and western part of the country

13. Interesting facts  Position  currency  Transportation  Jipijapa  Active volcano Cotopaxi  Mt Chimborazo (6310m) furthest away from the centre of Earth due the shape of the planet