ECUADOR AT A GLANCE

Name of the state
– República del Ecuador

Currency
– US-Dollar

Time difference compared to MET
– 7 Std. ( summertime ) – 6 Std. ( wintertime )

Climate
– Humid and hot tropical climate at the coast and in the Amzon region; in the Andes mild climate with strong temperature changes (05 – 25ºC) during the day.

Location
– Northwestcoast of Southamercia, Andean country at the equator line

Surface
– 283.600 qkm; the Galápagos Islands form part of Ecuador

Capital
– Quito (estimated 1,7 Mio. Inhabitants)

Population
– app. 12,4 Mio. inhabitants;

Ethnic groups:
– app. 50% Mestizos, app. 35% Indigenas, app. 10% Whites and app 5% Afro-Ecuadorian;

Growth of the population
-app. 2,2% annual growth with high emmigration numbers to Spain and the USA

Life expectancy
-men: 66 years; women: 71 years

Population density
– app. 48 inhabitants/qkm

Languages
– Spanish, indigenous dialects – mainly Quechua

Literacy rate
– app. 10%

Religion
-85 % Catholics, 15% Protestants, Jews and Nature religions

National Independance day
– 10th of August 1809 (though officially independent from Spain since 1822)

Government type
-Presidential Republic with a parliament (congreso nacional)

Administrative divisions
– 24 Provinces which are divided into more cantons

Gross national product
– 3050 US$ per inhabitant

Inflation rate
– 9% (estimated 2006)

Raw materials
– Oil, natural gas, gold, fish, timber

Import products
– Means of transport, machines, chemical products

Biggest Cities
– Quito (app. 2,78 million inhabitants), Guayaquil (app. 2,72 million inhabitants), Cuenca (app. 580.000 inhabitants)