Ecuador

Location

• Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru
• Cotopaxi in the Andes is highest active volcano in world

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Quito	2,781,641	Capital
Guayaquil	2,723,665
Cuenca	636,996
Santo Domingo de los Colorados	458,580
Ambato	387,309
Portoviejo	321,800
Eloy Alfaro	315,724
Machala	289,141
Loja	274,112
Manta	264,281

Size

• 109,483 square miles
• 283,560 square kilometers
• slightly smaller than Nevada

History

What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito -- the traditional name for the area -- became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty -- New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito -- gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew to become an independent republic in 1830, the traditional name was changed to the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador has had nearly 50 years of civilian governance, the period has been marked by political instability.

Climate

tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands

Terrain

coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)

Languages

Spanish (Castilian; official) 98.6%, indigenous 3.9% (Quechua 3.2%, other indigenous 0.7%), foreign 2.8%, other 0.6% (includes Ecuadorian sign language) (2022 est.)major-language sample(s): La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.note 1: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the censusnote 2: Quechua and Shuar are official languages of intercultural relations; other indigenous languages are in official use by indigenous peoples in the areas they inhabit

Religions

Roman Catholic 68.2%, Protestant 19% (Evangelical 18.3%, Adventist 0.6%, other Protestant 0.2%), Jehovah's Witness 1.4%, other 2.3%, none 8.2% don't know/no response 1% (2023 est.)

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: many previous; latest approved 20 October 2008amendment process: 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
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18-65 years of age; universal and compulsory; voluntary for 16-18, over 65, and other eligible voters
• Legal System: civil law based on the Chilean civil code with modifications; traditional law in ethnic communities
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Daniel NOBOA Azin (since 23 November 2023)head of government: President Daniel NOBOA Azin (since 23 November 2023)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the presidentelection/appointment process: 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)most recent election date: 9 February 2025, with a runoff on 13 April 2025election results: 2025: Daniel NOBOA Azin reelected president; percent of vote in the first round - Daniel NOBOA Azin (ADN) 44.2%, Luisa GONZÁLEZ Alcivar (MRC) 44%, Leonidas IZA (MUPP) 5.3%, other 6.5%; percent of vote in the second round - Daniel NOBOA Azin 55.6%, Luisa GONZÁLEZ Alcivar 44.4%2023: Daniel NOBOA Azin elected president; percent of vote in the first round - Luisa GONZÁLEZ Alcivar (MRC) 33.6%, Daniel NOBOA Azin (ADN) 23.5%, Christian Gustavo ZURITA Ron (Construye) 16.4%, Jan Tomislav TOPIĆ Feraud (Por Un País Sin Miedo) 14.7%, Otto Ramón SONNENHOLZNER Sper (Avanza) 7.1%, other 4.7%; percent of vote in the second round - Daniel NOBOA Azin 51.8%, Luisa GONZÁLEZ Alcivar 48.2%2021: Guillermo LASSO Mendoza elected president; percent of vote in the first round - Andres ARAUZ (UNES) 32.7%, Guillermo LASSO Mendoza (CREO) 19.7%, Yaku PEREZ Guartambel (MUPP) 19.4%, Xavier HERVAS Mora (ID) 15.7%, other 12.5%; percent of vote in the second round - Guillermo LASSO Mendoza (CREO) 52.5%, Andres ARAUZ (UNES) 47.5%expected date of next election: 28 February 2029note 1: the president is both chief of state and head of governmentnote 2: though eligible for a second term, former president Guillermo LASSO announced that he would not run in the 2023 election; President Daniel NOBOA Azin is serving out the remainder of the presidential term (2021–2025)
• Judicial Branch: 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 the court president and 8 judges)judge selection and term of office: candidates for the National Court of Justice evaluated and appointed justices by the Judicial Council, a 9-member independent body of law professionals; justices elected for 9-year, non-renewable terms, with one third of the membership renewed every 3 years; candidates for the Constitutional Court evaluated and appointed judges by a 6-member independent body of law professionals; judges appointed for 4-year renewable termssubordinate courts: provincial courts (one for each province except Galapagos); fiscal, criminal, and administrative tribunals; Election Dispute Settlement Courts; cantonal courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 151 (all directly elected)electoral system: proportional representationscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 2/9/2025parties elected and seats per party: Citizen Revolution Movement (RC) - Renewal Movement (RETO) (67); National Democratic Action (ADN) (66); Pachakutik (9); Other (9)percentage of women in chamber: 45%expected date of next election: February 2029note 1: all Assembly members have alternates from the same party who cast votes when a primary member is absent, resigns, or is removed from officenote 2: on 18 May 2023, Ecuador’s National Electoral Council announced that the legislative and presidential elections - originally scheduled for February 2025 - would be held on 20 August 2023 after President Guillermo LASSO dissolved the National Assembly by decree on 17 May 2023; a return to a regular election cycle will occur in February 2025

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• highly informal South American economy; USD currency user; major banana exporter; hard hit by COVID-19; macroeconomic fragility from oil dependency; successful debt restructuring; China funding budget deficits; social unrest hampering economic activity
• Budget: revenues: $35.962 billion (2022 est.)expenditures: $35.969 billion (2022 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower
• Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals
• Agricultural Products: bananas, sugarcane, milk, oil palm fruit, maize, rice, plantains, chicken, pineapples, cocoa beans (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 21.5% (2022 est.)arable land: 3.9% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 5.5% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 12.1% (2022 est.)forest: 49.8% (2022 est.)other: 28.7% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, coal tar oil, cars, packaged medicine, plastics (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: USA 27%, China 20%, Colombia 7%, Brazil 4%, Peru 4% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: crude petroleum, shellfish, bananas, fish, gold (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: USA 22%, China 21%, Panama 12%, Japan 3%, Peru 3% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports