1993 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1993 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 283,560 km2 land area: 276,840 km2 comparative area: slightly smaller than Nevada note: includes Galapagos Islands
Climate
tropical along coast becoming cooler inland
Coastline
2,237 km
Environment
subject to frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; periodic droughts
International disputes
three sections of the boundary with Peru are in dispute
Irrigated land
5,500 km2 (1989 est.)
Land boundaries
total 2,010 km, Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
Land use
arable land: 6% permanent crops: 3% meadows and pastures: 17% forest and woodland: 51% other: 23%
Location
Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator between Colombia and Peru
Map references
South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Maritime claims
continental shelf: claims continental shelf between mainland and Galapagos Islands territorial sea: 200 nm
Natural resources
petroleum, fish, timber
Note
Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world
Terrain
coastal plain (Costa), inter-Andean central highlands (Sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (Oriente)
People and Society
Birth rate
26.54 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate
5.8 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Ethnic divisions
mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish) 55%, Indian 25%, Spanish 10%, black 10%
Infant mortality rate
40.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Labor force
2.8 million by occupation: agriculture 35%, manufacturing 21%, commerce 16%, services and other activities 28% (1982)
Languages
Spanish (official), Indian languages (especially Quechua)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 69.61 years male: 67.09 years female: 72.25 years (1993 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 86% male: 88% female: 84%
Nationality
noun: Ecuadorian(s) adjective: Ecuadorian
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Population
10,461,072 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate
2.07% (1993 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 95%
Total fertility rate
3.19 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Government
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
Capital
Quito
Center-Left parties
Democratic Left (ID), Andres VALLEJO Arcos, Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos, leaders; Popular Democracy (DP), Jamil MANUAD Witt, president; Ecuadorian Radical Liberal Party (PLRE), Carlos Luis PLAZA Aray, director; Radical Alfarista Front (FRA), Jaime ASPIAZU Seminario, director
Center-Right parties
Social Christian Party (PSC), Jaime NEBOT Saadi, president; Republican Unity Party (PUR), President Sixto DURAN-BALLEN, leader; Conservative Party (CE), Vice President Alberto DAHIK, president
Chief of State and Head of Government
President Sixto DURAN-BALLEN (since 10 August 1992); Vice President Alberto DAHIK (since 10 August 1992)
Communists
Communist Party of Ecuador (PCE, pro-North Korea), Rene Leon Mague MOSWUERRA, secretary general (5,00 members); Communist Party of Ecuador/Marxist-Leninist (PCMLE, Maoist), leader NA (3,000 members)
Constitution
10 August 1979
Digraph
EC
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission: Ambassador Edgar TERAN chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: (202) 234-7200 consulates general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco consulate: San Diego
Executive branch
president, vice president, Cabinet
Far-Left parties
Popular Democratic Movement (MPD), Jorge Fausto MORENO, director; Ecuadorian Socialist Party (PSE), Leon ROLDOS, leader; Broad Leftist Front (FADI), Jose Xavier GARAYCOA, president; Ecuadorian National Liberation (LN), Alfredo CASTILLO, director
FAX
[593] (2) 502-052 consulate 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
Independence
24 May 1822 (from Spain)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Legal system
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
Member of
AG, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, ONUSAL, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Names
conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador conventional short form: Ecuador local long form: Republica del Ecuador local short form: Ecuador
National Congress
last held 17 May 1992 (next to be held NA May 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (77 total) PSC 20, PRE 15, PUR 12, ID 7, PC 6, DP 5, PSE 3, MPD 3, PLRE 2, CFP 2, FRA 1, APRE 1
National holiday
Independence Day, 10 August (1809) (independence of Quito)
Populist parties
Roldista Party (PRE), Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director; Concentration of Popular Forces (CFP), Rafael SANTELICES, director; Popular Revolutionary Action (APRE), Frank VARGAS Passos, leader; Assad Bucaram Party (PAB), Avicena BUCARAM, leader; People, Change, and Democracy (PCD), Raul AULESTIA, director
President
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
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters
Type
republic
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires James F. MACK embassy: Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria, Quito mailing address: P. O. Box 538, Quito, or APO AA 34039-3420 telephone: [593] (2) 562-890
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 18% of GDP and 35% of labor force (including fishing and forestry); leading producer and exporter of bananas and balsawood; other exports - coffee, cocoa, fish, shrimp; crop production - rice, potatoes, manioc, plantains, sugarcane; livestock sector - cattle, sheep, hogs, beef, pork, dairy products; net importer of foodgrains, dairy products, and sugar
Budget
revenues $1.9 billion; expenditures $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)
Currency
1 sucre (S/) = 100 centavos
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $498 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.15 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $64 million
Electricity
2,921,000 kW capacity; 7,676 million kWh produced, 700 kWh per capita (1992)
Exchange rates
sucres (S/) per US$1 - 1,453.8 (August 1992), 1,046.25 (1991), 869.54 (December 1990), 767.75 (1990), 526.35 (1989), 301.61 (1988)
Exports
$3.0 billion (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: petroleum 42%, bananas, shrimp, cocoa, coffee partners: US 53.4%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC countries
External debt
$12.7 billion (1992)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Illicit drugs
minor illicit producer of coca following the successful eradication campaign of 1985-87; significant transit country, however, for derivatives of coca originating in Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; important money-laundering hub
Imports
$2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: transport equipment, vehicles, machinery, chemicals partners: US 32.7%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC countries, Japan
Industrial production
growth rate 3.9% (1991); accounts for almost 40% of GDP, including petroleum
Industries
petroleum, food processing, textiles, metal works, paper products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fishing, timber
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
70% (1992)
National product
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $11.8 billion (1992)
National product per capita
$1,100 (1992)
National product real growth rate
3% (1992)
Overview
Ecuador has substantial oil resources and rich agricultural areas. Growth has been uneven because of natural disasters, fluctuations in global oil prices, and government policies designed to curb inflation. Banana exports, second only to oil, have suffered as a result of EC import quotas and banana blight. The new President Sixto DURAN-BALLEN, has a much more favorable attitude toward foreign investment than did his predecessor. Ecuador has implemented trade agreements with Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Venezuela and has applied for GATT membership. At the end of 1991, Ecuador received a standby IMF loan of $105 million, which will permit the country to proceed with the rescheduling of Paris Club debt. In September 1992, the government launched a new, macroeconomic program that gives more play to market forces; as of March 1993, the program seemed to be paying off.
Unemployment rate
8% (1992)
Communications
Airports
total: 174 usable: 173 with permanent-surface runways: 52 with runway over 3,659 m: 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 21
Highways
28,000 km total; 3,600 km paved, 17,400 km gravel and improved earth, 7,000 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
1,500 km
Merchant marine
45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 333,380 GRT/483,862 DWT; includes 2 passenger, 4 cargo, 17 refrigerated cargo, 4 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off, 15 oil tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 bulk
Pipelines
crude oil 800 km; petroleum products 1,358 km
Ports
Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, Esmeraldas
Railroads
965 km total; all 1.067-meter-gauge single track
Telecommunications
domestic facilities generally adequate; 318,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 272 AM, no FM, 33 TV, 39 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Army (Ejercito Ecuatoriano), Navy (Armada Ecuatoriana), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana), National Police
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 2,655,520; fit for military service 1,798,122; reach military age (20) annually 109,413 (1993 est.)