Ecuador

This article is about the country in South America. For other uses, see Ecuador (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Equator.

Republic of Ecuador
República del Ecuador (Spanish)
Motto: 
  • Dios, patria y libertad (Spanish)
  • Pro Deo, Patria et Libertate (Latin)
  • "God, homeland and freedom"
Anthem: Salve, Oh Patria (Spanish)
(English: "Hail, Oh Fatherland")
Location of Ecuador (dark green)
Location of Ecuador (dark green)
CapitalQuito[1]
00°13′12″S 78°30′43″W / 0.22000°S 78.51194°W / -0.22000; -78.51194
Largest cityGuayaquil[contradictory]
Official languagesSpanish[2]
Recognized regional languagesKichwa (Quechua), Shuar and others "are in official use for indigenous peoples"[3]
Ethnic groups
(2022[4])
Religion
(2020)[5]
  • 12.9% no religion
  • 0.4% other
Demonym(s)Ecuadorian
GovernmentUnitary presidential republic
• President
Daniel Noboa
Verónica Abad Rojas (suspended)
Sariha Moya (acting)
LegislatureNational Assembly
Independence
• Declared
10 August 1809
• from Spain
24 May 1822
• from Gran Colombia
13 May 1830
• Recognized by Spain
16 February 1840[6]
5 June 1895
28 September 2008
Area
• Total
283,561 km2 (109,484 sq mi)[7] (73rd)
• Excluding the Galapagos Islands
256,370 km2 (98,990 sq mi)[8][9]
Population
• 2023 estimate
17,483,326[10]
• 2022 census
16,938,986[11] (73rd)
• Density
69/km2 (178.7/sq mi) (148th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $268.1 billion[12] (66th)
• Per capita
Increase $14,485[13] (109th)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $122.762 billion[13] (63rd)
• Per capita
Increase $6,630[13] (95th)
Gini (2022)Positive decrease 45.5[14]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.765[15]
high (83rd)
CurrencyUnited States dollara (USD)
Time zoneUTC−5 / −6 (ECT / GALT)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Drives onright
Calling code+593
ISO 3166 codeEC
Internet TLD.ec
  1. Sucre until 2000, replaced by the US dollar and Ecuadorian centavo coins.

Ecuador,[a] officially the Republic of Ecuador,[b] is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 1,000 kilometers (621 mi) west of the mainland. The country's capital is Quito and its largest city is Guayaquil.[20]

The territories of modern-day Ecuador were once home to a variety of indigenous peoples that were gradually incorporated into the Inca Empire during the 15th century. The territory was colonized by Spanish Empire during the 16th century, achieving independence in 1820 as part of Gran Colombia, from which it emerged as a sovereign state in 1830. The legacy of both empires is reflected in Ecuador's ethnically diverse population, with most of its 17.8 million people being mestizos, followed by large minorities of Europeans, Native American, African, and Asian descendants. Spanish is the official language spoken by a majority of the population, although 13 native languages are also recognized, including Quechua and Shuar.

Ecuador is a representative democratic presidential republic and a developing country[21] whose economy is highly dependent on exports of commodities, primarily petroleum and agricultural products. The country is a founding member of the United Nations, Organization of American States, Mercosur, PROSUR, and the Non-Aligned Movement. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, between 2006 and 2016, poverty decreased from 36.7% to 22.5% and annual per capita GDP growth was 1.5 percent (as compared to 0.6 percent over the prior two decades). At the same time, the country's Gini index of economic inequality improved from 0.55 to 0.47.[22]

One of 17 megadiverse countries in the world,[23][24] Ecuador hosts many endemic plants and animals, such as those of the Galápagos Islands. In recognition of its unique ecological heritage, the new constitution of 2008 is the first in the world to recognize legally enforceable rights of nature.[25]

  1. ^ "Proyecciones Poblacionales". (in Spanish). National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC). Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference CIA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Constitución Política de la República del Ecuador". Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Ecuador: Censo de Población y Vivienda 2022" (PDF). censoecuador.gob.ec. 21 September 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Religion affiliations in Ecuador 2020". Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  6. ^ España (1 January 1841). "Tratado de paz y amistad celebrado entre España y la República del Ecuador: en 16 de febrero de 1840". en la Imprenta Nacional. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Ecuador". Central Intelligence Agency. 27 February 2023. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2023 – via CIA.gov.
  8. ^ "Ecuador country profile". BBC News. 11 September 2012. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Welcome to Ecuador – Geography | Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility" (in Spanish). 1 May 2015. Archived from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Ecuador". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Inicio". ecuadorencifras.gob.ec. Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  12. ^ "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Ecuador)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  13. ^ a b c "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Ecuador)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Gini Index". World Bank. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Constitución de la República del Ecuador en Shuar". Issuu. 27 June 2011. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  17. ^ "¡Iniuri seamkur!, Ayamrumamu nuyá Iniankasrik Ayamruma Papi" (PDF). INREDH. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  18. ^ "Chicham atiakur metek atin turakur, pénke takakainiachu tuke enentaimtusartiniaitji" (PDF). (in Shuar). Secretaría Nacional de Planificación y Desarrollo. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2019.
  19. ^ Pellizzaro, Siro M.; Nàwech, Fàusto Oswaldo (2003). Chicham: Dictionario Enciclopédico Shuar-Castellano. Wea Nekaptai.
  20. ^ "Población y Demografía". 2024. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  21. ^ "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2019". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  22. ^ "Decade of Reform: Ecuador's Macroeconomic Policies, Institutional Changes, and Results" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  23. ^ "South America Banks on Regional Strategy to Safeguard Quarter of Earth's Biodiversity". Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2012., Conservation.org (16 September 2003).
  24. ^ "Oficialmente Ecuador es el país de las orquídeas- Noticias de Cuenca – Azuay – Ecuador – Eltiempo de Cuenca". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  25. ^ "Ecuador Adopts New Constitution – With CELDF RIGHTS of NATURE Language". Archived from the original on 3 October 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2008., Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund. Retrieved 7 September 2009.


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