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Ecuador

✨ The garden of the middle of the world

Ecuador is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia to the north, Peru to the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It covers about 256,000 km² and takes its name from the Equator, which crosses the country. Its capital, Quito, lies high in the Andes, while Guayaquil is the largest city and an important port on the Pacific coast.

The Andes divide Ecuador into distinct geographical regions: the coastal lowlands, the mountainous highlands and the eastern Amazon region. The country also includes the Galápagos Islands, an archipelago about 1,000 km west of the mainland. Ecuador has many volcanoes, including Cotopaxi, one of the world’s highest active volcanoes.

Ecuador’s varied relief and climate support a remarkable range of ecosystems. The coast includes beaches, dry forests and fertile lowlands, while the Andes contain valleys, high plateaus and mountain ecosystems. To the east, the country extends into the Amazon Basin, where humid tropical forests cover large areas.

The Galápagos Islands have distinctive ecosystems and many species found nowhere else in the wild, including the marine iguana and several species of giant tortoises. Ecuador is also one of the most biologically diverse countries relative to its size. Agriculture is important, with bananas, cacao, flowers, coffee and other crops produced in different regions. Petroleum, mining, manufacturing, tourism and services also contribute to the economy.

💡 Did you know?

Did you know that if you stand at the summit of the Chimborazo volcano, you are closer to the stars than anyone else on Earth? Even though Everest is higher relative to sea level, because the Earth is a bit more bulged at the equator, the summit of Chimborazo is the point on the planet furthest from the center of the Earth and therefore closest to the sun!

The Galápagos Islands are a true natural laboratory. This is where the scientist Charles Darwin understood how animals evolve. You can find strange creatures there: giant tortoises that can live more than 100 years, birds with bright blue feet called blue-footed boobies, and even the only iguanas in the world capable of swimming underwater to eat algae!

Next to the capital, Quito, there is a monument called 'Mitad del Mundo' (Middle of the World). A yellow line is drawn on the ground to mark the equator. Visitors love to take pictures straddling this line. It is also said that on this line, because of physics, it is easier to balance an egg on the head of a nail!