Match 71 DB Rec# - 7,523 Dataset-WOFACT
Title :Ecuador
Text :
Ecuador
Geography
Location:
Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between
Colombia and Peru
Map references:
South America
Area:
total area:
283,560 sq km
land area:
276,840 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than Nevada
note:
includes Galapagos Islands
Land boundaries:
total 2,010 km, Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
Coastline:
2,237 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
claims continental shelf between mainland and Galapagos Islands
territorial sea:
200 nm
International disputes:
three sections of the boundary with Peru are in dispute
Climate:
tropical along coast becoming cooler inland
Terrain:
coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to
rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, timber
Land use:
arable land:
6%
permanent crops:
3%
meadows and pastures:
17%
forest and woodland:
51%
other:
23%
Irrigated land:
5,500 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution
natural hazards:
frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; periodic droughts
international agreements:
party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands;
signed, but not ratified - Tropical Timber 94
Note:
Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world
People
Population:
10,890,950 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
36% (female 1,928,977; male 1,990,036)
15-64 years:
60% (female 3,281,575; male 3,230,082)
65 years and over:
4% (female 244,862; male 215,418) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.95% (1995 est.)
Birth rate:
25.08 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate:
5.55 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
37.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
70.35 years
male:
67.83 years
female:
72.99 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.97 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Ecuadorian(s)
adjective:
Ecuadorian
Ethnic divisions:
mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish) 55%, Indian 25%, Spanish 10%, black 10%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%
Languages:
Spanish (official), Indian languages (especially Quechua)
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
87%
male:
90%
female:
84%
Labor force:
2.8 million
by occupation:
agriculture 35%, manufacturing 21%, commerce 16%, services and other
activities 28% (1982)
Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form:
Ecuador
local long form:
Republica del Ecuador
local short form:
Ecuador
Digraph:
EC
Type:
republic
Capital:
Quito
Administrative divisions:
21 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar,
Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas,
Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Pastaza, Pichincha,
Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe
Independence:
24 May 1822 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 10 August (1809) (independence of Quito)
Constitution:
10 August 1979
Legal system:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65,
optional for other eligible voters
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
President Sixto DURAN-BALLEN Cordovez (since 10 August 1992); Vice President
Alberto DAHIK Garzoni (since 10 August 1992); election runoff election held
5 July 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results - Sixto DURAN-BALLEN elected
as president and Alberto DAHIK elected as vice president
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
unicameral
National Congress (Congreso Nacional):
elections last held 1 May 1994 (next to be held 1 May 1996); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (77 total) PSC 25, PRE 11, MPD 8, ID 7,
DP 7, PCE 7, PUR 2, CFP 2, APRE 2, PSE 1, FRA 1, PLRE 1, LN 1, independents
2
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Political parties and leaders:
Center-Right parties:
Social Christian Party (PSC), Jaime NEBOT Saadi, president; Republican Unity
Party (PUR), President Sixto DURAN-BALLEN, leader; Ecuadorian Conservative
Party (PCE), Vice President Alberto DAHIK, president
Center-Left parties:
Democratic Left (ID), Andres VALLEJO Arcos, Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos, leaders;
Popular Democracy (DP), Rodrigo PAZ, leader; Ecuadorian Radical Liberal
Party (PLRE), Medardo MORA, leader; Radical Alfarista Front (FRA), Jaime
ASPIAZU Seminario, director
Government
populist parties:
Roldista Party (PRE), Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director; Concentration of
Popular Forces (CFP), Rodolfo BAQUERIZO Nazur, leader; Popular Revolutionary
Action (APRE), Frank VARGAS Passos, leader
Far-Left parties:
Popular Democratic Movement (MPD), Juan Jose CASTELLO, leader; Ecuadorian
Socialist Party (PSE), Leon ROLDOS, leader; Broad Leftist Front (FADI), Rene
Mauge MOSQUERA, chairman; Ecuadorian National Liberation (LN), Alfredo
CASTILLO, director
Communists:
Communist Party of Ecuador (PCE, pro-North Korea), Rene Mauge MOSQUERA,
Secretary General; Communist Party of Ecuador/Marxist-Leninist (PCMLE,
Maoist)
Member of:
AG, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES,
LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Edgar TERAN Teran
chancery:
2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 234-7200
consulate(s) general:
Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San
Francisco
consulate(s):
Newark
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Peter F. ROMERO
embassy:
Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria, Quito
mailing address:
APO AA 34039-3420
telephone:
[593] (2) 562-890, 561-624, 561-749
FAX:
[593] (2) 502-052
consulate(s) general:
Guayaquil
Flag:
three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the
coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of
Colombia that is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms
Economy
Overview:
Ecuador has substantial oil resources and rich agricultural areas. Growth
has been uneven in recent years because of fluctuations in prices for
Ecuador's primary exports - oil and bananas - as well as because of
government policies designed to curb inflation. President Sixto DURAN-BALLEN
launched a series of macroeconomic reforms when he came into office in
August 1992 which included raising domestic fuel prices and utility rates,
eliminating most subsidies, and bringing the government budget into balance.
These measures helped to reduce inflation from 55% in 1992 to 25% in 1994.
DURAN-BALLEN has a much more favorable attitude toward foreign investment
than his predecessor and has supported several laws designed to encourage
foreign investment. Ecuador has implemented free or complementary trade
agreements with Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela, as well as
applied for World Trade Organization membership. Ecuador signed a standby
agreement with the IMF and rescheduled its $7.6 billion commercial debt in
1994 thereby regaining access to multilateral lending. Growth in 1994
speeded up to 3.9%, based on increased exports of bananas and
non-traditional products, while international reserves increased to a record
$1.6 billion.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power parity - $41.1 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate:
3.9% (1994 est.)
National product per capita:
$3,840 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
25% (1994)
Unemployment rate:
7.1% (1994)
Budget:
revenues:
$2.76 billion
expenditures:
$2.76 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994)
Exports:
$3.3 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities:
petroleum 39%, bananas 17%, shrimp 16%, cocoa 3%, coffee 6%
partners:
US 42%, Latin America 29%, Caribbean, EU countries 17%
Imports:
$3 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities:
transport equipment, consumer goods, vehicles, machinery, chemicals
partners:
US 28%, EU 17%, Latin America 31%, Caribbean, Japan
External debt:
$13.2 billion (yearend 1993 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 6.4% (1993); accounts for almost 35% of GDP, including petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
2,230,000 kW
production:
6.9 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
612 kWh (1993)
Economy
Industries:
petroleum, food processing, textiles, metal work, paper products, wood
products, chemicals, plastics, fishing, lumber
Agriculture:
accounts for 14% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); leading producer
and exporter of bananas and balsawood; other agricultural exports - coffee,
cocoa, fish, shrimp; other crops - rice, potatoes, manioc, plantains,
sugarcane; livestock products - cattle, sheep, hogs, beef, pork, dairy
products; net importer of foodgrains, dairy products, and sugar
Illicit drugs:
significant transit country for derivatives of coca originating in Colombia,
Bolivia, and Peru; minor illicit producer of coca; importer of precursor
chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; important
money-laundering hub
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $498 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-91), $2.39 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $64 million
Currency:
1 sucre (S/) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
sucres (S/) per US$1 - 1,198.1 (December 1994), 2,196.7 (1994), 1,919.1
(1993), 1,534.0 (1992), 1,046.25 (1991), 767.8 (1990), 767.78 (1990), 526.35
(1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Transportation
Railroads:
total:
965 km (single track)
narrow gauge:
965 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways:
total:
43,709 km
paved:
5,245 km
unpaved:
38,464 km
Inland waterways:
1,500 km
Pipelines:
crude oil 800 km; petroleum products 1,358 km
Ports:
Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, San Lorenzo
Merchant marine:
total:
33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 222,822 GRT/326,447 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 1, cargo 2, container 2, liquefied gas tanker 2, oil tanker 13,
passenger 3, refrigerated cargo 10
Airports:
total:
175
with paved runways over 3,047 m:
2
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m:
7
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:
8
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
15
with paved runways under 914 m:
107
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m:
5
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
31
Communications
Telephone system:
318,000 telephones; 30 telephones/1,000 persons; domestic facilities
generally inadequate and unreliable
local:
NA
intercity:
NA
international:
1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station
Radio:
broadcast stations:
AM 272, FM 0, shortwave 39
radios:
NA
Television:
broadcast stations:
33
televisions:
NA
Defense Forces
Branches:
Army (Ejercito Ecuatoriano), Navy (Armada Ecuatoriana, includes Marines),
Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana), National Police
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 2,814,867; males fit for military service 1,903,979; males
reach military age (20) annually 113,985 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures:
$NA, NA% of GDP
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The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995
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