Ecuador
Ecuador is a small country located on the west coast of South America. It is about the size of Colorado in the United States. It was originally controlled by pre-Columbian ethnic groups and conquered by the Incas in the 1400s. Ecuador became independent from Spain in the 1800s. The capital, Quito, is located in a valley high in the Andes Mountains where the elevation is approximately 9200 feet.
Despite it being the smallest Andean country, Ecuador has four distinct and contrasting regions. The Costa (or coastal plain), grows enough bananas to make the country the world’s largest exporter of the fruit, the Sierra (or Andean uplands), is rich in productive farmland and oil from the Oriente jungles east of the Andes (the longest mountain range in the world), enriches the economy. The unique Galapagos Islands (volcanic islands 960 kilometres west of Ecuador) with their incredible reptiles, birds and plants.
The yellow in Ecuador’s flag represents sunshine, corn and wealth, blue for rivers, sea and air and red for the blood of patriots who fought for freedom and justice.
Ecuador is located in an area with both dormant and active volcanoes and is considered a biodiversity hotspot.
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Country profile: Ecuador
