ECUADOR
- National name: República del Ecuador (EC)
- Land area: 106,888 sq mi (276,840 sq km); total area: 109, 483 sq mi (283,560 sq km)
- Population (2014 est.): 15,654,411 (growth rate: 1.37%); birth rate: 18.87/1000; infant mortality rate: 17.93/1000; life expectancy: 76.36
- Capital (2011 est.): Quito 1.622 million
- Largest cities: Guayaquil, 2.287 million (2011)
- Monetary unit: U.S. dollar
- Telephone code: 593
- Electricity: 120V, 60Hz; plugs/sockets Type A and B
- Languages: Spanish (Castillian) 93% (official), Quechua 4.1%, other indigenous 0.7%, foreign 2.2% note: (Quechua and Shuar are official languages of intercultural relations; other indigenous languages are in official use by indigenous peoples in the areas they inhabit) (2010 est.)
- Ethnicity/race: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 71.9%, Montubio 7.4%, Afroecuadorian 7.2%, Amerindian 7%, white 6.1%, other 0.4% (2010 census)
- National Holiday: Independence Day, August 10
- Religion: Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%
- Literacy rate: 91.6% (2011 est.)
- Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2011 est.): $157.6 billion; per capita $10,600. Real growth rate: 45%. Inflation: 2.6%. Unemployment: 4.2% Arable land:4.51%. Agriculture: bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp. Labor force: 6.953 million (2012 est.); agriculture 27.8%, industry 17.8%, services 54.4% (2012). Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals. Natural resources:petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower. Exports: $25.48 billion (2013 est.): petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp. Imports: $26.22 billion (2013 est.): vehicles, medicinal products, telecommunications equipment, electricity. Major trading partners: U.S., Peru, Japan, Russia, China, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Panama (2012).
- Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 2.31 million (2012); mobile cellular: 16.457 million (2012). Broadcast media:Ecuador has multiple TV networks and many local channels, as well as more than 300 radio stations; many TV and radio stations are privately owned; the government owns or controls 5 national TV stations and multiple radio stations; broadcast media required by law to give the government free air time to broadcast programs produced by the state (2007). Internet hosts: 170,538 (2012). Internet users: 3.352 million (2009).
- Transportation: Railways: total: 965 km (2008). Roadways: total: 43,670 km; paved: 6,472 km; unpaved: 37,198 km (2011). Waterways: 1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2012). Ports and harbors:Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar. Airports: 432 (2013).
- International disputes: organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border, which thousands of Colombians also cross to escape the violence in their home country.
- Geography: Ecuador, about equal in area to Nevada, is in the northwest part of South America fronting on the Pacific. To the north is Colombia and to the east and south is Peru. Two high and parallel ranges of the Andes, traversing the country from north to south, are topped by tall volcanic peaks. The highest is Chimborazo at 20,577 ft (6,272 m). The Galápagos Islands (or Colón Archipelago: 3,029 sq mi; 7,845 sq km), in the Pacific Ocean about 600 mi (966 km) west of the South American mainland, became part of Ecuador in 1832.