Ecuador

• 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

0-14 years:

26.64% (male 2,242,148 /female 2,153,776)

15-24 years:

18.19% (male 1,526,300 /female 1,474,626)

25-54 years:

39.82% (male 3,207,692 /female 3,362,464)

55-64 years:

7.67% (male 615,769 /female 649,777)

65 years and over:

7.67% (male 599,221 /female 666,729) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

55.6 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

45.1 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

10.4 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

9.6 (2015 est.)

total:

28.1 years (2018 est.)

male:

27.3 years

female:

28.8 years

• 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:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.9 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

total:

15.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male:

18.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

12.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

77.1 years (2018 est.)

male:

74.2 years

female:

80.3 years

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)

etymology:

named after the Quitus, a Pre-Columbian indigenous people credited with founding the city

note: Ecuador has two time zones, including the Galapagos Islands (UTC-6)

• 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

history:

many previous; latest approved 20 October 2008

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic through a referendum, by public petition of at least 1% of registered voters, or by agreement of at least one-third membership of the National Assembly;
• passage requires two separate readings a year apart and approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly, and approval by absolute majority in a referendum;
• amendments such as changes to the structure of the state, constraints on personal rights and guarantees, or constitutional amendment procedures are not allowed;
• amended 2011, 2015, 2018;
• note - a 2015 constitutional amendment lifting presidential term limits was overturned by a February 2018 referendum (2018)

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

3 years

• 18-65 years of age;
• universal and compulsory;
• 16-18, over 65, and other eligible voters, voluntary

chief of state:

• President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 24 May 2017);
• Vice President Otto Ramon SONNENHOLZNER Sper (since 11 December 2018);
• note - Vice President Jorge GLAS Espinel (since 24 May 2013) was jailed for corruption and absent from office for more than 3 months, causing him to be constitutionally stripped of his office;
• Vice President Maria Alejandra VICUNA Munoz (since 6 January 2018) resigned from office 4 December 2018;
• president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 24 May 2017); Vice President Otto Ramon SONNENHOLZNER Sper (since 11 December 2018)

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 in second round; percent of vote - 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%, CREO-SUMA 20.1%, PSC 15.9%, ID 3.8%, MUPP 2.7%, other 10.7;
• seats by party - PAIS 74, CREO-SUMA 34, PSC 15, ID 4, MUPP 4, PSP 2, Fuerza Ecuador 1, independent 3;
• composition - men 85, women 52, percent of women 38%;
• note - defections by members of National Assembly are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties

highest courts:

• 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 [Lenin Voltaire MORENO Garces]
• Avanza Party or AVANZA [Ramiro GONZALEZ]
• Citizen Revolution Movement or MRC [Rafael CORREA]
• Creating Opportunities Movement or CREO [Guillermo LASSO]
• Democratic Left or ID
• Forward Ecuador Movement [Alvaro NOBOA]
• Fuerza Ecuador [Abdala BUCARAM] (successor to Roldosist Party)
• Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement or MUPP [Marlon Rene SANTI Gualinga]
• Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Gilmar GUTIERREZ Borbua]
• Popular Democracy Movement or MPD [Luis VILLACIS]
• Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO]
• Socialist Party [Patricio ZABRANO]
• Society United for More Action or SUMA [Mauricio RODAS]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Michael J. FITZPATRICK (since 18 June 2019)

telephone:

[593] (2) 398-5000

embassy:

Avenida Avigiras E12-170 y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Quito

mailing address:

Avenida Guayacanes N52-205 y Avenida Avigiras

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:

26.1%

industry:

18.4%

services:

55.5% (2017 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.4%

highest 10%:

35.4% (2012 est.)

note: data are for urban households only

general assessment:

• fixed-line service and sophisticated 4G LTE ultra-broadband network;
• much of the country's fixed-line structure is influenced by topographical challenges associated with the Andes Mountains;
• Ecuador has a small telecom market with a dominant mobile sector;
• the state-owned incumbent CNT dominates the fixed-line market, and therefore the DSL broadband market as well (2018)

domestic:

• fixed-line services with digital networks 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 (2018)

international:

• country code - 593;
• landing points for the PAN-AM, PCCS, America Movil-Telxius West Coast Cable and SAm-1 submarine cables that provide links to South and Central America, and extending onward to the Caribbean and the US;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

• about 60 media outlets are recognized as national;
• the Ecuadorian Government controls 12 national outlets and multiple radio stations;
• there are multiple TV networks and many local channels, as well as more than 300 radio stations;
• many TV and radio stations are privately owned;
• broadcast media is required by law to give the government free airtime to broadcast programs produced by the state;
• the Ecuadorian Government is the biggest advertiser and grants advertising contracts to outlets that provide favorable coverage;
• an antimonopoly law and communication law limit ownership and investment in the media by non-media businesses (2019)

• 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 incidents, there has been an increase over the last two years with four attacks reported in 2018

number of registered air carriers:

7 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 35 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

5,762,485 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

86,128,720 mt-km (2015)

total:

965 km (2017)

narrow gauge:

965 km 1.067-m gauge (2017)

note: passenger service limited to certain sections of track, mostly for tourist trains

total:

43,216 km (2015)

paved:

8,161 km (2015)

unpaved:

35,055 km (2015)

total:

137

by type:

container ship 1, general cargo 6, oil tanker 34, other 96 (2018)

major seaport(s):

Esmeraldas, Manta, Puerto Bolivar

container port(s) (TEUs):

Guayaquil (1,871,591) (2017)

river port(s):

Guayaquil (Guayas)

• 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