Ecuador

agricultural land:

29.7%;

• arable land 4.7%;
• permanent crops 5.6%;
• permanent pasture 19.4%

forest:

38.9%

other:

31.4% (2011 est.)

• nearly half of the population is concentrated in the interior in the Andean intermontane basins and valleys, with large concentrations also found along the western coastal strip;
• the rainforests of the east remain sparsely populated

• frequent earthquakes;
• landslides;
• volcanic activity;
• floods;
• periodic droughts

volcanism:

• volcanic activity concentrated along the Andes Mountains;
• Sangay (5,230 m), which erupted in 2010, is mainland Ecuador's most active volcano;
• other historically active volcanoes in the Andes include
  • Antisana,
  • Cayambe,
  • Chacana,
  • Cotopaxi,
  • Guagua Pichincha,
  • Reventador,
  • Sumaco,
  • and Tungurahua
  ;
• Fernandina (1,476 m), a shield volcano that last erupted in 2009, is the most active of the many Galapagos volcanoes;
• other historically active Galapagos volcanoes include
  • Wolf,
  • Sierra Negra,
  • Cerro Azul,
  • Pinta,
  • Marchena,
  • and Santiago

• deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• desertification;
• water pollution;
• pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands

party to:

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

noun:

Ecuadorian(s)

adjective:

Ecuadorian

• nearly half of the population is concentrated in the interior in the Andean intermontane basins and valleys, with large concentrations also found along the western coastal strip;
• the rainforests of the east remain sparsely populated

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.91 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Ecuador

conventional short form:

Ecuador

local long form:

Republica del Ecuador

local short form:

Ecuador

etymology:

the country's position on the globe, straddling the Equator, accounts for its Spanish name

name:

Quito

geographic coordinates:

0 13 S, 78 30 W

time difference:

UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• 24 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia);
• Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe

• many previous;
• latest approved 20 October 2008;
• amended 2011, 2015;
• note - a 2015 constitutional amendment lifting presidential term limits became effective 2017 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

3 years

chief of state:

• President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 24 May 2017);
• Vice President Jorge GLAS Espinel (since 24 May 2013);
• note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 24 May 2017); Vice President Jorge GLAS Espinel (since 24 May 2013)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 19 February 2017 with a runoff on 2 April 2017 (next to be held in 2021)

election results:

Lenin MORENO Garces elected president; percent of vote in second round - Lenin MORENO Garces (Alianza PAIS Movement) 51.1%, Guillermo LASSO (CREO) 48.9%

description:

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (137 seats; 116 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 15 members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote, and 6 directly elected in multi-seat constituencies for Ecuadorians living abroad by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 19 February 2017 (next to be held in 2021)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - PAIS 39.1%, SUMA 20.1%, PSC 15.9%, IP 3.8%, MUPP 2.7%;
• seats by party - PAIS 74, SUMA 34, PSC 15, ID 4, MUPP 4, Independents 3, PSP 2, Fuerza Ecuador 1;
• note - defections by members of National Assembly are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties

highest court(s):

• National Court of Justice or Corte Nacional de Justicia (consists of 21 judges including the chief justice and organized into 5 specialized chambers);
• Constitutional Court or Corte Constitucional (consists of 9 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• justices of National Court of Justice elected by the Judiciary Council, a 9-member independent body of law professionals;
• judges elected for 9-year, non-renewable terms, with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years;
• Constitutional Court judges appointed by the executive, legislative, and Citizen Participation branches of government;
• judges appointed for 9-year non-renewable terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years

subordinate courts:

• Fiscal Tribunal;
• Election Dispute Settlement Courts, provincial courts (one for each province);
• cantonal courts

• Alianza PAIS movement [Ricardo PATINO]
• Avanza Party or AVANZA [Ramiro GONZALEZ]
• Creating Opportunities Movement or CREO [Guillermo LASSO]
• Democratic Left or ID [Paco MONCAYO]
• Forward Ecuador Movement [Alvaro NOBOA]
• Fuerza Ecuador [Abdala BUCARAM] (successor to Roldosist Party)
• Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement or MUPP [Rafael ANTUNI]
• Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]
• Popular Democracy Movement or MPD [Luis VILLACIS]
• Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO]
• Socialist Party [Fabian SOLANO]
• Society United for More Action or SUMA [Mauricio RODAS]

• Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Humberto CHOLANGO]
• Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or FEINE [Manuel CHUGCHILAN]
• National Federation of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN

chief of mission:

Ambassador Francisco Jose BORJA Cevallos (since 18 May 2015)

chancery:

2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:

[1] (202) 234-7200

FAX:

[1] (202) 667-3482

consulate(s) general:

Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Haven (CT), New Orleans, New York, Newark (NJ), Phoenix, San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador Todd C. CHAPMAN (since 14 April 2016)

embassy:

Avenida Avigiras E12-170 y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Quito

mailing address:

Avenida Guayacanes N52-205 y Avenida Avigiras

telephone:

[593] (2) 398-5000

FAX:

[593] (2) 398-5100

consulate(s) general:

Guayaquil

• three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag;
• the flag retains the three main colors of the banner of Gran Colombia, the South American republic that broke up in 1830;
• the yellow color represents sunshine, grain, and mineral wealth, blue the sky, sea, and rivers, and red the blood of patriots spilled in the struggle for freedom and justice

note: similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms

name:

"Salve, Oh Patria!" (We Salute You, Our Homeland)

lyrics/music:

Juan Leon MERA/Antonio NEUMANE

note: adopted 1948; Juan Leon MERA wrote the lyrics in 1865; only the chorus and second verse are sung

• bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, cassava (manioc, tapioca), plantains, sugarcane;
• cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products;
• fish, shrimp;
• balsa wood

agriculture:

27.8%

industry:

17.8%

services:

54.4% (2012)

lowest 10%:

1.4%

highest 10%:

35.4%

note: data for urban households only (2012 est.)

general assessment:

elementary fixed-line service but increasingly sophisticated mobile-cellular network

domestic:

• fixed-line services provided by multiple telecommunications operators;
• fixed-line teledensity stands at about 15 per 100 persons;
• mobile-cellular use has surged and subscribership has reached 85 per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 593;
• landing points for the PAN-AM and South America-1 submarine cables that provide links to the west coast of South America, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and extending onward to Aruba and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2016)

• multiple TV networks and many local channels, as well as more than 300 radio stations;
• many TV and radio stations are privately owned;
• the government owns or controls 5 national TV stations and multiple radio stations;
• broadcast media required by law to give the government free air time to broadcast programs produced by the state (2007)

number of registered air carriers:

7; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 35

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

5,762,485

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

86,128,720 mt-km (2015)

• extra heavy crude 527 km;
• gas 71 km;
• oil 2,131 km;
• refined products 1,526 km (2013)

total:

965 km

narrow gauge:

965 km 1.067-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 90

total:

43,670 km

paved:

6,472 km

unpaved:

37,198 km (2007)

country comparison to the world: 84

total:

44

by type:

cargo 1, chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 1, passenger 9, petroleum tanker 28, refrigerated cargo 1

registered in other countries:

4 (Panama 3, Peru 1) (2010)

country comparison to the world: 74

major seaport(s):

Esmeraldas, Manta, Puerto Bolivar

river port(s):

Guayaquil (Guayas)

container port(s) (TEUs):

Guayaquil (1,405,762)

• 18 years of age for selective conscript military service;
• conscription has been suspended;
• 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
• Air Force 18-22 years of age, Ecuadorian birth requirement;
• 1-year service obligation (2012)

• the International Maritime Bureau continues to report the territorial and offshore waters as at risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships;
• vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway;
• crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen;
• after several years with no incident, in January 2017 a ship anchored in the port of Quayaquil was boarded and robbed

refugees (country of origin):

101,161 (Colombia) (2016)

IDPs:

11,137 (earthquake April 2016) (2016)

• significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru, with much of the US-bound cocaine passing through Ecuadorian Pacific waters;
• importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics;
• attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime;
• increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents