View source for Ecuador

{{Short description|Country in South America}}
{{Hatnote group|
{{About-distinguish|the country in South America|Equator}}
{{Other uses}}}}
{{pp-pc}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Ecuador
| native_name            = {{native name|es|República del Ecuador}}
| common_name            = Ecuador, García
| image_flag             = Flag_of_Ecuador.svg
| flag_type_article      = Flag of Ecuador
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of Ecuador.svg
| symbol_type            = [[Coat of arms of Ecuador|Coat of arms]]
| image_map              = ECU orthographic.svg
| map_caption            = {{map caption|location_color=dark green}}
| image_map2             = 
| national_motto         = {{native phrase|la|Pro Deo, Patria et Libertate|nolink=on}}<br />{{native phrase|es|Dios, patria y libertad|nolink=on}}<br />"Lord, homeland and freedom"
| national_anthem        = {{native name|es|[[Salve, Oh Patria]]|nolink=on}}<br />{{Langx|en|"Hail, Oh Fatherland"}}<div style="padding-top:0.5em;">{{center|[[File:Anthem_of_Ecuador.ogg]]}}</div>
| official_languages     = [[Spanish language|Spanish]]<ref name=CIA/>
| recognized_regional_languages = [[Kichwa language|Kichwa]], [[Shuar language|Shuar]] and others "are in official use for indigenous peoples"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecuanex.net.ec/constitucion/titulo01.html|title=Constitución Política de la República del Ecuador|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017035841/http://www.ecuanex.net.ec/constitucion/titulo01.html|archive-date=17 October 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| demonym                = [[Ecuadorians|Ecuadorian]]
| ethnic_groups          = {{unbulleted list
  | 77.47% [[Mestizo]] (mixed [[White Ecuadorians|White]] & [[Indigenous peoples in Ecuador|Indigenous]])
  | 7.70% [[Montubio]] (coastal [[Mestizo]])
  | 7.69% [[Indigenous peoples of Ecuador|Indigenous]]
  | 4.81% [[Afro-Ecuadorians|Black]]
  | 2.21% [[White Ecuadorians|White]]
  | 0.12% Other
 }}
| ethnic_groups_year     = 2022<ref>{{cite web|date= 21 September 2023|title= Ecuador: Censo de Población y Vivienda 2022|url= https://www.censoecuador.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/InfoNacionalDatos.pdf|website= censoecuador.gob.ec|accessdate= 22 May 2024|archive-date= 12 November 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231112221832/https://www.censoecuador.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/InfoNacionalDatos.pdf|url-status= live}}</ref>
| religion               = {{ublist
|item_style=white-space;
|{{Tree list}}
* 89.3% [[Religion in Ecuador|Christianity]]
** 68.2% [[Catholic Church in Ecuador|Catholic]]
** 18% Evangelical
** 3.1% other
{{Tree list/end}}
  |8.9% [[Irreligion in Latin America|no religion]]
  |2% other}}
| religion_ref           = <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1067057/religious-affiliation-in-ecuador/ | title=Religion affiliation in Ecuador as of 2023, by type | access-date=30 March 2025 | archive-date=6 July 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706045435/https://www.statista.com/statistics/1067057/religious-affiliation-in-ecuador/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
| religion_year          = 2023
| capital                = [[Quito]]<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/proyecciones-poblacionales/|title=Proyecciones Poblacionales|access-date=25 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018060046/https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/proyecciones-poblacionales/|archive-date=18 October 2013|publisher=National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC)|url-status=live|version=(in Spanish)}}</ref>
| coordinates            = {{Coord|00|13|12|S|78|30|43|W|type:city}}
| largest_city           = [[Guayaquil]]
| government_type        = Unitary [[presidential republic]]
| leader_title1          = [[President of Ecuador|President]]
| leader_name1           = [[Daniel Noboa]]
| leader_title2          = [[Vice President of Ecuador|Vice President]]
| leader_name2           = [[María José Pinto]]
| leader_title3          = [[President of the National Assembly of Ecuador|President of the National Assembly]]
| leader_name3           = [[Niels Olsen Peet]]
| legislature            = [[National Assembly (Ecuador)|National Assembly]]
| area_rank              = 73rd <!-- Area rank should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]]-->
| area_km2               = 283,561
| area_footnote          = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ecuador/#geography|title=Ecuador|date=27 February 2023|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|via=CIA.gov|access-date=24 February 2023|archive-date=10 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110072816/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ecuador#geography|url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_label2            = Excluding the Galapagos Islands
| area_data2             = {{convert|276,841|km2|abbr=on}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19331501 |title=Ecuador country profile |work=BBC News |date=11 September 2012 |access-date=20 November 2023 |archive-date=20 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120212749/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19331501 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1 May 2015 |title=Welcome to Ecuador – Geography {{!}} Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility |url=https://www.cancilleria.gob.ec/bienvenidos-geografia-del-ecuador/ |access-date=14 November 2023 |language=es |archive-date=1 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501175754/https://www.cancilleria.gob.ec/bienvenidos-geografia-del-ecuador/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_estimate    = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 17,483,326<ref>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Ecuador|access-date=22 June 2023|year=2023}}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = 2023
| population_census_rank = 73rd
| population_census      = 16,938,986<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/estadisticas/|title=Inicio|website=ecuadorencifras.gob.ec|access-date=5 March 2021|archive-date=13 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191113152528/https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/estadisticas/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_census_year = 2022
| population_density_km2 = 69
| population_density_sq_mi = 180 <!--Do not remove per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers]]-->
| population_density_rank = 148th
| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $304.230 billion<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2025: Edition (Ecuador) |url=https://www.imf.org/en/publications/weo/issues/2025/10/14/world-economic-outlook-october-2025 |publisher=October, 14 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 66th
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2025
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{increase}} $16,180<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2025: Edition (Ecuador) |url=https://www.imf.org/en/publications/weo/issues/2025/10/14/world-economic-outlook-october-2025 |publisher=October, 14 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 109th
| GDP_nominal            = {{increase}} $130.530 billion<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2025: Edition (Ecuador) |url=https://www.imf.org/en/publications/weo/issues/2025/10/14/world-economic-outlook-october-2025 |publisher=October, 14 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 63rd
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2025
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $7,210<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2025: Edition (Ecuador) |url=https://www.imf.org/en/publications/weo/issues/2025/10/14/world-economic-outlook-october-2025 |publisher=October, 14 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 95th
| sovereignty_type       = [[Ecuadorian War of Independence|Independence]]
| established_event1     = Declared
| established_date1      = 10 August 1809
| established_event2     = from [[Spain]]
| established_date2      = 24 May 1822
| established_event3     = {{nowrap|from [[Gran Colombia]]}}
| established_date3      = 13 May 1830
| established_event4     = Recognized by Spain
| established_date4      = 16 February 1840<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2CzVyFvAq28C|title=Tratado de paz y amistad celebrado entre España y la República del Ecuador: en 16 de febrero de 1840|last=España|date=1 January 1841|publisher=en la Imprenta Nacional|via=Google Books|access-date=25 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116150032/https://books.google.com/books?id=2CzVyFvAq28C|archive-date=16 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
| established_event5     = [[Liberal Revolution of 1895|Liberal Revolution]]
| established_date5      = 5 June 1895
| established_event6     = [[2008 Constitution of Ecuador|Current constitution]]
| established_date6      = 28 September 2008
| Gini_year              = 2023
| Gini_change            = decrease <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini                   = 44.6 <!--number only-->
| Gini_ref               = <ref name="wb-gini">{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=EC |title=Gini Index |publisher=World Bank |access-date=31 December 2023 |archive-date=14 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614145545/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=EC |url-status=live }}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI_year               = 2023<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
| HDI_change             = increase<!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI                    = 0.777
| HDI_ref                = <ref name="UNHDR">{{Cite web |date=6 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506051232/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |archive-date=6 May 2025 |access-date=6 May 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |language=en}}</ref>
| HDI_rank               = 88th
| currency               = [[United States dollar]]<sup>a</sup>
| currency_code          = USD
| country_code           = 
| time_zone              = [[Time in Ecuador|ECT]]{{\}}[[Galápagos Time|GALT]]
| utc_offset             = [[UTC−05:00|−5]]{{\}}[[UTC−06:00|−6]]
| time_zone_DST          = 
| utc_offset_DST         = 
| date_format            = dd/mm/yyyy
| drives_on              = right
| calling_code           = [[Telephone numbers in Ecuador|+593]]
| iso3166code            = EC
| cctld                  = [[.ec]]
| footnote_a             = [[Ecuadorian sucre]] until 2000, replaced by the [[United States dollar|US dollar]] and [[Ecuadorian centavo coins]].
| today                  = 
}}

'''Ecuador''',{{efn| {{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Ecuador.ogg|ˈ|ɛ|k|w|ə|d|ɔːr}} {{respell|EK|wə-dor}}; {{IPA|es|ekwaˈðoɾ|-|ES-pe - Ecuador.ogg}}, {{lit|[[Equator]]}}; [[Kichwa language|Kichwa]]: ''Ikwayur''; [[Shuar language|Shuar]]: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/direccion.comunicacion/docs/constitucionshuar/13|title=Constitución de la República del Ecuador en Shuar|website=Issuu|date=27 June 2011 |access-date=21 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404044010/https://issuu.com/direccion.comunicacion/docs/constitucionshuar/13|archive-date=4 April 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inredh.org/archivos/pdf/manual_protectos_shuar.pdf|title=¡Iniuri seamkur!, ''Ayamrumamu nuyá Iniankasrik Ayamruma Papi''|website=INREDH|access-date=21 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221165553/https://www.inredh.org/archivos/pdf/manual_protectos_shuar.pdf|archive-date=21 February 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>}} officially the '''Republic of Ecuador''',{{efn|{{langx|es|República del Ecuador|lit=Republic of the [[Equator]]}}, {{IPA|es|reˈpuβlika ðel ekwaˈðoɾ}}; [[Quechuan languages|Quechua]]: ''Ikwayur Ripuwlika'' or ''Ikwathur Ripuwlika''; [[Shuar language|Shuar]]: ''Ekuatur Nunka''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.planificacion.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/12/ENIEP-Sutamak-Ch%C3%ADcham-%C3%89tserma-Shuar.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220195301/https://www.planificacion.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/12/ENIEP-Sutamak-Ch%C3%ADcham-%C3%89tserma-Shuar.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 December 2019|title=Chicham atiakur metek atin turakur, pénke takakainiachu tuke enentaimtusartiniaitji|publisher=Secretaría Nacional de Planificación y Desarrollo|date=2014|version=(in [[Shuar language|Shuar]])}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Pellizzaro|first1=Siro M.|first2=Fàusto Oswaldo|last2=Nàwech|title=Chicham: Dictionario Enciclopédico Shuar-Castellano|date=2003|publisher=Wea Nekaptai}}</ref>}} is a country in northwestern [[South America]], bordered by [[Colombia]] on the north, [[Peru]] on the east and south, and the [[Pacific Ocean]] on the west. It also includes the [[Galápagos Province]] which contains the [[Galápagos Islands]] in the Pacific, about {{convert|1000.|km|sp=us}} west of the mainland. The country's [[Capital city|capital]] is [[Quito]] and its largest city is [[Guayaquil]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Población y Demografía|url=https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/censo-de-poblacion-y-vivienda/|date=2024|access-date=20 June 2024|archive-date=7 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240407085934/https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/censo-de-poblacion-y-vivienda/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The land that comprises modern-day Ecuador was once home to several groups of [[Indigenous peoples in Ecuador|indigenous peoples]] that were gradually incorporated into the [[Inca Empire]] during the 15th century. The territory was [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|colonized by the Spanish Empire]] during the 16th century, achieving independence in 1820 as part of [[Gran Colombia]], from which it emerged as a [[sovereign state]] in 1830. The legacy of both empires is reflected in Ecuador's ethnically diverse population, with most of its {{#expr:{{replace|{{UN_Population|Ecuador}}|,||}}/1e6 round 1}} million people being [[mestizo]]s, followed by large minorities of [[Europeans]], [[Indigenous peoples in Ecuador|Native American]], [[Afro-Ecuadorians|African]], and [[Asian people|Asian]] descendants. Spanish is the official language spoken by a majority of the population, although 13 native languages are also recognized, including [[Quechuan languages|Quechua]] and [[Shuar language|Shuar]].

Ecuador is a [[Representative democracy|representative democratic]] [[Presidential system|presidential]] republic and a [[developing country]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/01/weodata/weoselco.aspx?g=2200&sg=All+countries+%2f+Emerging+market+and+developing+economies |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2019 |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |website=IMF.org |access-date=29 September 2019 |archive-date=10 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010203013/https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/01/weodata/weoselco.aspx?g=2200&sg=All+countries+%2F+Emerging+market+and+developing+economies |url-status=live }}</ref> whose economy is highly dependent on exports of commodities, primarily petroleum and agricultural products. The country is a founding member of the [[United Nations]], [[Organization of American States]], [[Mercosur]], [[Forum for the Progress and Development of South America|PROSUR]], and the [[Non-Aligned Movement]]. According to the [[Center for Economic and Policy Research]], between 2006 and 2016, poverty decreased from 36.7% to 22.5% and annual per capita GDP growth was 1.5 percent (as compared to 0.6 percent over the prior two decades). At the same time, the country's [[Gini coefficient|Gini index]] of economic inequality improved from 0.55 to 0.47.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cepr.net/images/stories/reports/ecuador-2017-02.pdf|title=Decade of Reform: Ecuador's Macroeconomic Policies, Institutional Changes, and Results|access-date=17 January 2020|archive-date=20 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220195259/http://cepr.net/images/stories/reports/ecuador-2017-02.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

One of 17 [[megadiverse countries]] in the world,<ref name="Conservation International Site">{{cite web|url=http://web.conservation.org/xp/news/press_releases/2003/091603_andean_eng.xml |title=South America Banks on Regional Strategy to Safeguard Quarter of Earth's Biodiversity |access-date=26 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011103200/http://web.conservation.org/xp/news/press_releases/2003/091603_andean_eng.xml |archive-date=11 October 2007 }}, Conservation.org (16 September 2003).</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eltiempo.com.ec/noticias-cuenca/133971-oficialmente-ecuador-es-el-paa-s-de-las-orqua-deas/|title=Oficialmente Ecuador es el país de las orquídeas- Noticias de Cuenca – Azuay – Ecuador – Eltiempo de Cuenca|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129015134/http://www.eltiempo.com.ec/noticias-cuenca/133971-oficialmente-ecuador-es-el-paa-s-de-las-orqua-deas/|archive-date=29 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ecuador hosts many [[Endemism|endemic]] plants and animals, such as those of the [[Galápagos Islands]]. In recognition of its unique ecological heritage, the new constitution of 2008 is the first in the world to recognize legally enforceable [[rights of nature]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.celdf.org/Default.aspx?tabid=548 |title=Ecuador Adopts New Constitution – With CELDF Rights of Nature Language |access-date=30 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003211008/http://www.celdf.org/Default.aspx?tabid=548 |archive-date=3 October 2008 }}, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund. Retrieved 7 September 2009.</ref>

In the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI), Ecuador ranks 58th out of 127 countries with a score of 11.6, which indicates a moderate level of hunger.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank |url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=Global Hunger Index (GHI) - peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels |language=en}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The country's name means literally "[[Equator]]" in the [[Spanish language]], truncated from the Spanish official name, ''República del Ecuador'' ({{abbr|lit.|literally}} "Republic of the Equator"), derived from the former [[Ecuador Department]] of [[Gran Colombia]] established in 1824 as a division of the former territory of the [[Royal Audience of Quito]]. Quito, which remained the capital of the department and republic, is located only about {{convert|25|mi|km|order=flip|sp=us}}, {{frac|1|4}} of a [[Latitude#Subdivisions|degree]], south of the equator.

==History==
{{Main|History of Ecuador|Indigenous peoples in Ecuador}}

===Pre-Inca era===
[[File:Valdivia (ecuador), figuretta di donna incinta, 2300-2000 ac ca.jpg|thumb|left|A Venus (2,300-2,000 BCE) of the [[Valdivia culture]] (from [[Santa Elena Province]]) displayed in the [[National Archaeological Museum, Florence|National Archaeological Museum of Florence]]]]
[[File:Jama-Coaque - Figure Seated on a Bench with Hands Held to Mouth - Walters 482862 - Right Side.jpg|thumb|Figure of the Jama Coaque culture (300 BCE-800 CE) (from [[Manabí Province]]). [[Walters Art Museum]].<ref>{{cite web|website=[[Walters Art Museum]] website|url=https://art.thewalters.org/detail/79440/figure-seated-on-a-bench-with-hands-held-to-mouth/|title=Figure Seated on a Bench with Hands Held to Mouth|access-date=22 November 2023|archive-date=23 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123100943/https://art.thewalters.org/detail/79440/figure-seated-on-a-bench-with-hands-held-to-mouth/|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
[[File:Ecuador ingapirca inca ruins.jpg|thumb|Ruins of [[Ingapirca]], was an outpost and supplier for the Incan troops, and also was a [[coricancha]], a place of worship to the Sun ([[Inti]]), the main god.]]
Various peoples had settled in the area of future Ecuador before the arrival of the [[Incas]]. The archeological evidence suggests that the [[Paleo-Indians]]' first dispersal into the Americas occurred near the end of the [[last glacial period]], around 16,500–13,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ward |first1=H. Trawick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0vVOdOSIv_cC&pg=PA2 |title=Time Before History: The Archaeology of North Carolina |last2=Davis |first2=R. P. Stephen |date=1999 |publisher=UNC Press Books |isbn=978-0-8078-4780-0 |language=en}}</ref> The first people who reached Ecuador may have journeyed by land from [[North America|North]] and [[Central America]] or by boat down the Pacific Ocean coastline.

Even though their languages were unrelated, these groups developed similar groups of cultures, each based in different environments. The people of the coast combined agriculture with fishing, hunting, and gathering; the people of the highland Andes developed a sedentary agricultural way of life; and peoples of the Amazon basin relied on hunting and gathering; in some cases, this is combined with agriculture and [[arboriculture]].

Many civilizations<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ferdon |first=Edwin N. |date=24 June 1966 |title=The Prehistoric Culture of Ecuador: Early Formative Period of Coastal Ecuador: The Valdivia and Machalilla Phases . Betty J. Meggers, Clifford Evans, and Emilio Estrada. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1965. 452 pp., $6.75. |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.152.3730.1731 |journal=Science |language=en |volume=152 |issue=3730 |pages=1731–1732 |doi=10.1126/science.152.3730.1731 |issn=0036-8075 |access-date=25 July 2022 |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725182653/https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.152.3730.1731 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> arose in Ecuador, such as the [[Valdivia Culture]] and [[Machalilla Culture]] on the coast,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/vald/hd_vald.htm|title=Valdivia Figurines|publisher=[[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]|date=October 2004|access-date=29 June 2022|archive-date=30 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630052041/https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/vald/hd_vald.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Meggers|first1=Betty J.|last2=Evans|first2=Clifford|last3=Estrada|first3=Emilio|date=1965|title=Early Formative Period of Coastal Ecuador: The Valdivia and Machalilla Phases|url=https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/19154|journal=Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology|issue=1 |pages=1–234|doi=10.5479/si.00810223.1.1|hdl=10088/19154|access-date=29 June 2022|archive-date=17 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617215335/https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/19154|url-status=live| issn = 0081-0223|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Valdivia Culture {{!}} EBSCO Research Starters |url=https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/anthropology/valdivia-culture |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=www.ebsco.com |language=en}}</ref> the [[Quitu culture|Quitus]] (near present-day Quito),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quito History - Culture, Religion and Lifestyle in Quito |url=https://www.quito.com/v/history/ |access-date=25 July 2022 |website=www.quito.com |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725182659/https://www.quito.com/v/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-22 |title=allecuadorandmore.com |url=https://www.allecuadorandmore.com |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=allecuadorandmore.com |language=en-US}}</ref> and the [[Cañari]] (near present-day [[Cuenca, Ecuador|Cuenca]]).<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sandoval|first1=José R.|last2=Lacerda|first2=Daniela R.|last3=Jota|first3=Marilza M. S.|last4=Robles-Ruiz|first4=Paulo|last5=Danos|first5=Pierina|last6=Paz-y-Miño|first6=César|last7=Wells|first7=Spencer|last8=Santos|first8=Fabrício R.|last9=Fujita|first9=Ricardo|date=10 September 2020|title=Tracing the genetic history of the 'Cañaris' from Ecuador and Peru using uniparental DNA markers|journal=[[BMC Genomics]]|volume=21|issue=Suppl 7 |page=413 |doi=10.1186/s12864-020-06834-1|pmid=32912150 |pmc=7488242 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |title=Rescuing Cerro Narrío, Cañar Province, Ecuador: Report on Investigations at Cerro Narrío, Ecuador, July 1 to August 15, 2008 |url=https://www.doaks.org/research/pre-columbian/project-grants/raymond-delgado-2008-2009 |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Dumbarton Oaks |language=en}}</ref>

By 250 B.C. these civilizations in Ecuador came in contact with [[Austronesian Expansion|Austronesian]] explorers from [[Southeast Asia]] who brought with them the Pacific Cococnut and there was Precolombian trade and exchanges with Austronesians.<ref>Baudouin, L., & Lebrun, P. (2009). Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) DNA studies support the hypothesis of an ancient Austronesian migration from Southeast Asia to America. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 56(2), 257–262.</ref>

In the highland Andes mountains, where life was more sedentary, groups of tribes cooperated and formed villages; thus the first nations based on agricultural resources and the domestication of animals formed. Eventually, through wars and marriage alliances of their [[leader]]s, groups of nations formed confederations.

When the [[Incas]] arrived, they found that these confederations were so developed that it took the Incas two generations of rulers—[[Topa Inca Yupanqui]] and [[Huayna Capac]]—to absorb them into the [[Inca Empire]].<ref>Hagen, Victor Wolfgang von, Coe, Michael Douglas, Soustelle, Jacques, Bushnell, Geoffrey H.S., Willey, Gordon R., Patterson, Thomas C., Murra, John V., Sanders, William T.. "pre-Columbian civilizations". Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 May. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/pre-Columbian-civilizations. Accessed 17 May 2025</ref> People belonging to the confederations that gave them the most problems were deported to distant areas of Peru, Bolivia, and north Argentina. Similarly, a number of loyal Inca subjects from Peru and Bolivia were brought to Ecuador to prevent rebellion. Thus, the region of highland Ecuador became part of the [[Inca Empire]] in 1463 sharing the same language.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rostworowski |first=María |title=Pachacútec Inca Yupanqui}}</ref>

In contrast, when the Incas made incursions into coastal Ecuador and the eastern Amazon jungles of Ecuador, they found both the environment and indigenous people more hostile. Moreover, when the Incas tried to subdue them, these indigenous people withdrew to the interior and resorted to [[guerrilla]] tactics. As a result, Inca expansion into the Amazon Basin and the Pacific coast of Ecuador was hampered. The indigenous people of the Amazon jungle and coastal Ecuador remained relatively autonomous until the Spanish soldiers and missionaries arrived in force. The Amazonian people and the [[Chachi people|Cayapas]] of Coastal Ecuador were the only groups to resist both Inca and Spanish domination, maintaining their languages and cultures well into the 21st century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rostworowski |first=María |title=History of the Inca Realm |publisher=Cambridge University Press |translator-last=B. Iceland |translator-first=Harry}}</ref>

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Inca Empire was involved in a [[Inca Civil War|civil war]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Prescott |first=William H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gVhRtAEACAAJ |title=The History of the Conquest of Peru |date=2011 |publisher=Digireads.com |isbn=978-1-4209-4114-2 |language=en}}</ref> The untimely death of both the heir [[Ninan Cuyochi]] and the Emperor Huayna Capac, from a European disease that spread into Ecuador, created a power vacuum between two factions and led to a civil war.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cabello de Balboa |first=Miguel |title=Miscelánea antártica}}</ref> The army stationed north<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cieza de León |first=Pedro |title=El Señorio de los Incas}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sarmiento de Gamboa |first=Pedro |title=Historia de los Incas}}</ref> headed by Atahualpa marched south to Cuzco and massacred the royal family associated with his brother. In 1532, a small band of Spaniards headed by [[Francisco Pizarro]] reached [[Cajamarca]] and lured Atahualpa into a trap ([[battle of Cajamarca]]). Pizarro promised to release Atahualpa if he made good his promise of filling a room full of gold. But, after a mock trial, the Spaniards executed Atahualpa by strangulation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Favre |first=Henri |title=Les Incas |publisher=Presses Universitaires de France}}</ref>

===Spanish colonization===
[[File:Roof deck (Palacio de Pizarro), Plaza de la Independencia (Quito), pic.aa4.jpg|thumb|The colonial [[Quito]], capital of the [[Real Audiencia of Quito]], today a UNESCO World Heritage Site]]
New infectious diseases such as [[smallpox]], endemic to the Europeans, caused high fatalities among the Amerindian population during the first decades of Spanish rule, as they had no [[immunity (medical)|immunity]]. At the same time, the natives were forced into the ''[[encomienda]]'' labor system for the Spanish. In 1563, [[Quito]] became the seat of a [[Royal Audience of Quito|real audiencia]] (administrative district) of Spain and part of the [[Viceroyalty of Peru]] and later the [[Viceroyalty of New Granada]].

The [[1797 Riobamba earthquake]], which caused up to 40,000 casualties, was studied by [[Alexander von Humboldt]], when he visited the area in 1801–1802.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lavilla|first=E.O.|year=2004|title=Under the Southern Cross: Stories around Humboldt and Bonpland's trip to the New Continent|journal=Latin American Applied Research|volume=34|pages=203–208|url=http://www.scielo.org.ar/pdf/laar/v34n4/v34n4a01.pdf|access-date=22 August 2010|archive-date=19 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719230708/http://www.scielo.org.ar/pdf/laar/v34n4/v34n4a01.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After nearly 300 years of Spanish rule, Quito still remained small with a population of 10,000 people. On 10 August 1809, the city's ''[[Criollo people|criollos]]'' called for independence from Spain (first among the peoples of Latin America). They were led by Juan Pío Montúfar, Quiroga, Salinas, and Bishop Cuero y Caicedo. Quito's nickname, "''[[Luz de América]]''" ("Light of America"), is based on its leading role in trying to secure an independent, local government. {{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} Although the new government lasted no more than two months, it had important repercussions and was an inspiration for the independence movement of the rest of Spanish America. Today, 10 August is celebrated as Independence Day, a [[Public holidays in Ecuador|national holiday]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/editoriales/19/ecuador-en-el-dia-de-la-independencia-nacional |title=Ecuador en el día de la Independencia nacional |date=10 August 2017 |work=El Telégrafo |access-date=8 August 2018 |language=es-es  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808202916/https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/editoriales/19/ecuador-en-el-dia-de-la-independencia-nacional |archive-date=8 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Independence===
{{Main|Ecuadorian War of Independence}}
[[File:Jose Antonio de Sucre.JPG|thumb|upright|Venezuelan independence hero [[Antonio José de Sucre]]]]
[[File:Entrevista de Guayaquil.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Guayaquil Conference]] between the two Hispanic South American heroes of independence, [[José de San Martín|San Martín]] and [[Simón Bolívar|Bolívar]]]]

On 9 October 1820, the Department of [[Guayaquil]] became the first territory in Ecuador to gain its independence from Spain, and it spawned most of the Ecuadorian coastal provinces, establishing itself as an independent state. Its inhabitants celebrated what is now Ecuador's official Independence Day on 24 May 1822. The rest of Ecuador gained its independence after [[Antonio José de Sucre]] defeated the Spanish Royalist forces at the [[Battle of Pichincha]], near [[Quito]]. Following the battle, Ecuador joined [[Simón Bolívar]]'s [[Republic of Gran Colombia]], also including modern-day [[Colombia]], [[Venezuela]], and [[Panama]]. In 1830, Ecuador separated from Gran Colombia and became an independent republic. Two years later, it annexed the [[Galapagos Islands]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidencia.gob.ec/galapagos-celebra-un-ano-mas-de-provincializacion/ |title=Galápagos celebra un año más de provincialización |publisher=Presidencia de la República del Ecuador |language=es |access-date=19 August 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221201905/http://www.presidencia.gob.ec/galapagos-celebra-un-ano-mas-de-provincializacion/ |archive-date=21 February 2016 }}</ref>

The 19th century was marked by instability for Ecuador with a rapid succession of rulers. The first president of Ecuador was the Venezuelan-born [[Juan José Flores]], who was ultimately deposed. Leaders who followed him included [[Vicente Rocafuerte]]; [[José Joaquín de Olmedo]]; [[José María Urbina]]; [[Diego Noboa]]; [[Pedro José de Arteta]]; [[Manuel de Ascásubi]]; and Flores's own son, [[Antonio Flores Jijón]], among others. The conservative [[Gabriel García Moreno]] unified the country in the 1860s with the support of the Roman Catholic Church. In the late 19th century, world demand for [[Cocoa bean|cocoa]] tied the economy to commodity exports and led to migrations from the highlands to the agricultural frontier on the coast.

Ecuador [[Abolition of slavery timeline|abolished]] [[Slavery in Latin America|slavery]] in 1851.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/mar/assessment.asp?groupId=13001 |title=Assessment for Blacks in Ecuador |publisher=CIDCM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622220302/http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/mar/assessment.asp?groupId=13001 |archive-date=22 June 2012 }}</ref> The descendants of enslaved Ecuadorians are among today's [[Afro-Ecuadorian]] population. Also abolished during this time was indigenous tribute in 1857. Upon this, the indigenous were now equal under the law compared to everyone else. They were now registered as contributors to the nation, and became roles such as property holders, taxpayers, and potential military recruits just as everyone else.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Larson |first1=Brooke |title=Trials of Nation Making: Liberalism, Race, and Ethnicity in the Andes, 1810-1910 |date=19 January 2004 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521567305 |page=107}}</ref>

===Liberal Revolution===
{{Main|Liberal Revolution of 1895}}
The Liberal Revolution of 1895 under [[Eloy Alfaro]] reduced the power of the clergy and the conservative land owners. This liberal wing retained power until the military "Julian Revolution" of 1925. The 1930s and 1940s were marked by instability and emergence of populist politicians, such as five-time President [[José María Velasco Ibarra]].

===Loss of claimed territories since 1830===
{{Main|Ecuadorian–Peruvian territorial dispute}}
{{Campaignbox Ecuadorian-Peruvian}}

After Ecuador's separation from Colombia on 13 May 1830, its first President, General [[Juan José Flores]], laid claim to the territory that had belonged to the [[Real Audiencia of Quito]], also referred to as the Presidencia of Quito. He supported his claims with Spanish Royal decrees, or ''real cedulas'', that delineated the borders of Spain's former overseas colonies. In the case of Ecuador, Flores based Ecuador's ''[[de jure]]'' claims on the Real Cedulas of 1563, 1739, and 1740; with modifications in the Amazon Basin and Andes Mountains that were introduced through the [[Treaty of Guayaquil]] (1829) which Peru reluctantly signed, after the overwhelmingly outnumbered Gran Colombian force led by [[Antonio José de Sucre]] defeated President and General La Mar's Peruvian invasion force in the [[Battle of Tarqui]]. In addition, Ecuador's eastern border with the Portuguese colony of Brazil in the Amazon Basin was modified before the Wars of Independence by the [[First Treaty of San Ildefonso]] (1777) between the [[Spanish Empire]] and the [[Portuguese Empire]]. Moreover, to add legitimacy to his claims, on 16 February 1840, Flores signed a treaty with Spain, whereby Flores convinced Spain to officially recognize Ecuadorian independence and its sole rights to colonial titles over Spain's former colonial territory known anciently to Spain as the Kingdom and Presidency of Quito.

Ecuador during its long and turbulent history has lost most of its contested territories to each of its more powerful neighbors, such as Colombia in 1832 and 1916, Brazil in 1904 through a series of peace treaties, and Peru after a short war in which the Protocol of Rio de Janeiro was signed in 1942.{{cn|date=June 2025}}

===Struggle for independence===

During the [[Spanish American wars of independence|struggle for independence]], before Peru or Ecuador became independent, areas of the former Vice Royalty of New Granada declared themselves independent from Spain. A few months later, a part of the Peruvian liberation army of San Martín decided to occupy the independent cities of Tumbez and Jaén, with the intention of using them as springboards to occupy the independent city of Guayaquil and then liberate the rest of the Audiencia de Quito (Ecuador). It was common knowledge among officers of the liberation army from the south that their leader [[José de San Martín|San Martín]] wished to liberate present-day Ecuador and add it to the future republic of Peru, since it had been part of the Inca Empire before the Spaniards conquered it. However, [[Simón Bolívar|Bolívar]]'s intention was to form a new republic known as the [[Gran Colombia]], out of the liberated Spanish territory of New Granada which consisted of Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. San Martín's plans were thwarted when Bolívar, descended from the Andes mountains and occupied Guayaquil; they also annexed the newly liberated Audiencia de Quito to the Republic of Gran Colombia.

In the south, Ecuador had claims to a small piece of land beside the Pacific Ocean known as [[Tumbes Region|Tumbes]]. In Ecuador's southern Andes Mountain region where the Marañon cuts across, Ecuador had claims to an area it called [[Jaén, Peru|Jaén de Bracamoros]]. These areas were included as part of the territory of Gran Colombia by Bolivar on 17 December 1819, during the [[Congress of Angostura]] when the Republic of Gran Colombia was created. Tumbes declared itself independent from Spain on 17 January 1821, and Jaén de Bracamoros on 17 June 1821, without any outside help from revolutionary armies. However, that same year, Peruvian forces participating in the Trujillo revolution occupied both Jaén and Tumbes. Peruvian generals, without any legal titles backing them up and with Ecuador still federated with the Gran Colombia, had the desire to annex Ecuador to the Republic of Peru at the expense of the Gran Colombia, feeling that Ecuador was once part of the Inca Empire.

On 28 July 1821, Peruvian independence was proclaimed in Lima by San Martín, and Tumbes and Jaén, which were included as part of the revolution of Trujillo by the Peruvian occupying force, had the whole region swear allegiance to the new Peruvian flag and incorporated itself into Peru. Gran Colombia had always protested Peru for the return of Jaén and Tumbes for almost a decade, then finally Bolivar after long and futile discussion over the return of Jaén, Tumbes, and part of Mainas, declared war. President and General [[José de La Mar]], who was born in Ecuador, believing his opportunity had come to annex the District of Ecuador to Peru, personally, with a Peruvian force, invaded and occupied Guayaquil and a few cities in the Loja region of southern Ecuador on 28 November 1828.

The war ended when an outnumbered southern Gran Colombian army at [[Battle of Tarqui]] on 27 February 1829, led by [[Antonio José de Sucre]], defeated the Peruvian invasion force led by President La Mar. This defeat led to the signing of the Treaty of Guayaquil in September 1829, whereby Peru and its Congress recognized Gran Colombian rights over Tumbes, Jaén, and Maynas. Through meetings between Peru and Gran Colombia, the border was set as Tumbes river in the west, and in the east, the Maranon and Amazon rivers were to be followed toward Brazil as the most natural borders between them. According to the peace negotiations Peru agreed to return Guayaquil, Tumbez, and Jaén; despite this, Peru returned Guayaquil, but failed to return Tumbes and Jaén, alleging that it was not obligated to follow the agreements, since the Gran Colombia ceased to exist when it divided itself into three different nations – Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela.

[[File:AGHRC (1890) - Carta XI - División política de Colombia, 1824.jpg|thumb|Map of the former [[Gran Colombia]] in 1824 (named in its time as Colombia), the Gran Colombia covered all the colored region]]

The Central District of the Gran Colombia, known as Cundinamarca or New Granada (modern Colombia) with its capital in Bogota, did not recognize the separation of the Southern District of the Gran Colombia, with its capital in Quito, from the Gran Colombian federation on 13 May 1830. After Ecuador's separation, the [[Department of Cauca]] voluntarily decided to unite itself with Ecuador due to instability in the central government of Bogota. The Venezuelan born President of Ecuador, the general [[Juan José Flores]], with the approval of the Ecuadorian congress annexed the Department of Cauca on 20 December 1830, since the government of Cauca had called for union with the District of the South as far back as April 1830. Moreover, the Cauca region, throughout its long history, had very strong economic and cultural ties with the people of Ecuador. Also, the Cauca region, which included such cities as [[Pasto, Colombia|Pasto]], [[Popayán]], and [[Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca|Buenaventura]], had always been dependent on the Presidencia or Audiencia of Quito.

Fruitless negotiations continued between the governments of Bogotá and Quito, where the government of Bogotá did not recognize the separation of Ecuador or that of Cauca from the Gran Colombia until war broke out in May 1832. In five months, New Granada defeated Ecuador due to the fact that the majority of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces were composed of rebellious angry unpaid veterans from Venezuela and Colombia that did not want to fight against their fellow countrymen. Seeing that his officers were rebelling, mutinying, and changing sides, President Flores had no option but to reluctantly make peace with New Granada. The Treaty of Pasto of 1832 was signed by which the Department of Cauca was turned over to New Granada (modern Colombia), the government of Bogotá recognized Ecuador as an independent country and the border was to follow the Ley de División Territorial de la República de Colombia (Law of the Division of Territory of the Gran Colombia) passed on 25 June 1824. This law set the border at the river Carchi and the eastern border that stretched to Brazil at the Caquetá river. Later, Ecuador contended that the Republic of Colombia, while reorganizing its government, unlawfully made its eastern border provisional and that Colombia extended its claims south to the Napo River because it said that the Government of Popayán extended its control all the way to the Napo River.

====Struggle for possession of the Amazon Basin====
[[File:South America 1879.png|thumb|left|South America (1879): All land claims by Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia in 1879.]]

When Ecuador seceded from the Gran Colombia, Peru contested Ecuador's claims with the newly discovered ''Real Cedula'' of 1802, by which Peru claims the King of Spain had transferred these lands from the Viceroyalty of New Granada to the Viceroyalty of Peru. During colonial times this was to halt the ever-expanding Portuguese settlements into Spanish domains, which were left vacant and in disorder after the expulsion of Jesuit missionaries from their bases along the Amazon Basin. Ecuador countered by labeling the Cedula of 1802 an ecclesiastical instrument, which had nothing to do with political borders. Peru began its de facto occupation of disputed Amazonian territories, after it signed a secret 1851 peace treaty in favor of Brazil. This treaty disregarded Spanish rights that were confirmed during colonial times by a Spanish-Portuguese treaty over the Amazon regarding territories held by illegal Portuguese settlers.

Peru began occupying the missionary villages in the Mainas or Maynas region, which it began calling Loreto, with its capital in [[Iquitos]]. During its negotiations with Brazil, Peru claimed Amazonian Basin territories up to Caqueta River in the north and toward the Andes Mountain range. Colombia protested stating that its claims extended south toward the Napo and Amazon Rivers. Ecuador protested that it claimed the Amazon Basin between the Caqueta river and the Marañon-Amazon river. Peru ignored these protests and created the Department of Loreto in 1853 with its capital in Iquitos. Peru briefly occupied Guayaquil again in 1860, since Peru thought that Ecuador was selling some of the disputed land for development to British bond holders, but returned Guayaquil after a few months. The border dispute was then submitted to Spain for arbitration from 1880 to 1910, but to no avail.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Zook |first1=David H. |title=Zarumilla-Marañón: the Ecuador-Peru dispute |date=1964 |publisher=New York, Bookman Associates |location=New York |pages=15–36 |edition=First}}</ref>

In the early part of the 20th century, Ecuador made an effort to peacefully define its eastern Amazonian borders with its neighbors through negotiation. On 6 May 1904, Ecuador signed the Tobar-Rio Branco Treaty recognizing Brazil's claims to the Amazon in recognition of Ecuador's claim to be an Amazonian country to counter Peru's earlier Treaty with Brazil back on 23 October 1851. Then after a few meetings with the Colombian government's representatives an agreement was reached and the Muñoz Vernaza-Suarez Treaty was signed 15 July 1916, in which Colombian rights to the Putumayo river were recognized as well as Ecuador's rights to the Napo river and the new border was a line that ran midpoint between those two rivers. In this way, Ecuador gave up the claims it had to the Amazonian territories between the Caquetá River and Napo River to Colombia, thus cutting itself off from Brazil. Later, a brief war erupted between Colombia and Peru, over Peru's claims to the Caquetá region, which ended with Peru reluctantly signing the Salomon-Lozano Treaty on 24 March 1922. Ecuador protested this secret treaty, since Colombia gave away Ecuadorian claimed land to Peru that Ecuador had given to Colombia in 1916.

On 21 July 1924, the Ponce-Castro Oyanguren Protocol was signed between Ecuador and Peru where both agreed to hold direct negotiations and to resolve the dispute in an equitable manner and to submit the differing points of the dispute to the United States for arbitration. Negotiations between the [[Ecuadorians|Ecuadorian]] and Peruvian representatives began in Washington on 30 September 1935. The negotiations turned into arguments during the next 7 months and finally on 29 September 1937, the Peruvian representatives decided to break off the negotiations.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

In 1941, amid fast-growing tensions within disputed territories around the Zarumilla River, war broke out with Peru. Peru claimed that Ecuador's military presence in Peruvian-claimed territory was an invasion; Ecuador, for its part, claimed that Peru had recently invaded Ecuador around the Zarumilla River and that Peru since Ecuador's independence from Spain has systematically occupied Tumbez, Jaén, and most of the disputed territories in the Amazonian Basin between the Putomayo and Marañon Rivers. In July 1941, troops were mobilized in both countries. Peru had an army of 11,681 troops who faced a poorly supplied and inadequately armed Ecuadorian force of 2,300, of which only 1,300 were deployed in the southern provinces. Hostilities erupted on 5 July 1941, when Peruvian forces crossed the Zarumilla river at several locations, testing the strength and resolve of the Ecuadorian border troops. Finally, on 23 July 1941, the Peruvians launched a major invasion, crossing the Zarumilla river in force and advancing into the Ecuadorian province of [[El Oro Province|El Oro]].

[[File:Ecuador-peru-land-claims-01.png|thumb|left|Map of Ecuadorian land claims after 1916]]

During the course of the [[Ecuadorian–Peruvian War]], Peru gained control over part of the disputed territory and some parts of the province of El Oro, and some parts of the [[Loja Province|province of Loja]], demanding that the Ecuadorian government give up its territorial claims. The Peruvian Navy blocked the port of [[Guayaquil]], almost cutting all supplies to the Ecuadorian troops. After a few weeks of war and under pressure by the United States and several Latin American nations, all fighting came to a stop. Ecuador and Peru came to an accord formalized in the [[Rio Protocol]], signed on 29 January 1942, in favor of hemispheric unity against the [[Axis powers]] in [[World War II]] favoring Peru with the territory they occupied at the time the war came to an end.

The 1944 Glorious May Revolution followed a military-civilian rebellion and a subsequent civic strike which successfully removed Carlos Arroyo del Río as a dictator from Ecuador's government. However, a post-Second World War recession and popular unrest led to a return to populist politics and domestic military interventions in the 1960s, while foreign companies developed oil resources in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In 1972, construction of the Andean pipeline was completed. The pipeline brought oil from the east side of the Andes to the coast, making Ecuador South America's second largest oil exporter.

[[File:Relevo-ecu.JPG|thumb|Ecuadorian troops during the [[Cenepa War]]]]
[[File:Mirage F.1JA.JPG|thumb|The [[Dassault Mirage F1|Mirage F.1JA]] (FAE-806) was one aircraft involved in the claimed shooting down of two Peruvian [[Sukhoi Su-22]] on 10 February 1995.]]
The [[Rio Protocol]] failed to precisely resolve the border along a little river in the remote ''Cordillera del Cóndor'' region in southern Ecuador. This caused a long-simmering dispute between Ecuador and Peru, which ultimately led to fighting between the two countries; first a border skirmish in January–February 1981 known as the [[Paquisha Incident]], and ultimately full-scale warfare in January 1995 where the Ecuadorian military shot down Peruvian aircraft and helicopters and Peruvian infantry marched into southern Ecuador. Each country blamed the other for the onset of hostilities, known as the [[Cenepa War]]. [[Sixto Durán Ballén]], the Ecuadorian president, famously declared that he would not give up a single centimeter of Ecuador. Popular sentiment in Ecuador became strongly [[nationalism|nationalistic]] against Peru: graffiti could be seen on the walls of Quito referring to Peru as the "''Cain de Latinoamérica''", a reference to the murder of [[Abel]] by his brother [[Cain]] in the [[Book of Genesis]].<ref>Roos, Wilma and van Renterghem, Omer ''Ecuador'', New York, 2000, p.5.</ref>

Ecuador and Peru signed the [[Brasilia Presidential Act]] peace agreement on 26 October 1998, which ended hostilities, and effectively put an end to the Western Hemisphere's longest running territorial dispute.<ref name="ucdp.uu.se">{{cite web|title=Uppsala Conflict Data Program – Conflict Encyclopedia, General Conflict Information, Conflict name: Ecuador – Peru, In depth, Background to the 1995 fighting and Ecuador and Peru engage in armed conflict|access-date=15 July 2013|url=http://www.ucdp.uu.se/gpdatabase/gpcountry.php?id=126&regionSelect=5-Southern_Americas#|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927150723/http://www.ucdp.uu.se/gpdatabase/gpcountry.php?id=126&regionSelect=5-Southern_Americas|archive-date=27 September 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Guarantors of the [[Rio Protocol]] (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and the United States of America) ruled that the border of the undelineated zone was to be set at the line of the ''Cordillera del Cóndor''. While Ecuador had to give up its decades-old territorial claims to the eastern slopes of the Cordillera, as well as to the entire western area of Cenepa headwaters, Peru was compelled to give to Ecuador, in perpetual lease but without sovereignty, {{convert|1|km2|abbr=on|sp=us}} of its territory, in the area where the Ecuadorian base of Tiwinza – focal point of the war – had been located within Peruvian soil and which the Ecuadorian Army held during the conflict. The final border demarcation came into effect on 13 May 1999, and the multi-national MOMEP (Military Observer Mission for Ecuador and Peru) troop deployment withdrew on 17 June 1999.<ref name="ucdp.uu.se"/>

===Military governments (1972–79)===
In 1972, a "revolutionary and nationalist" military [[military dictatorship|junta]] overthrew the government of Velasco Ibarra. The [[coup d'état]] was led by General [[Guillermo Rodríguez (politician)|Guillermo Rodríguez]] and executed by navy commander Jorge Queirolo G. The new president exiled José María Velasco to Argentina. He remained in power until 1976, when he was removed by another military government. That military junta was led by Admiral [[Alfredo Poveda]], who was declared chairman of the Supreme Council. The Supreme Council included two other members: General Guillermo Durán Arcentales and General Luis Pintado. The civil society more and more insistently called for democratic elections. Colonel [[Richelieu Levoyer]], Government Minister, proposed and implemented a Plan to return to the constitutional system through universal elections. This plan enabled the new democratically elected president to assume the duties of the executive office.

===Return to democracy (1979–present)===
{{See also|History of Ecuador (1990–present)}}

Elections were held on 29 April 1979, under a new constitution. [[Jaime Roldós Aguilera]] was elected president, garnering over one million votes, the most in Ecuadorian history. He took office on 10 August as the first constitutionally elected president, after nearly a decade of civilian and military dictatorships. In 1980, he founded the ''Partido Pueblo, Cambio y Democracia'' (People, Change, and Democracy Party) after withdrawing from the ''Concentración de Fuerzas Populares'' (Popular Forces Concentration). He governed until 24 May 1981, when he died, along with his wife and the minister of defense Marco Subia Martinez, when his Air Force plane crashed in heavy rain near the Peruvian border. Many people believe that he was assassinated by the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]],<ref>{{cite web|website=Films For Action|title=Apology Of An Economic Hitman (2010)|url=https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/apology-of-an-economic-hitman/|access-date=21 September 2021|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921085826/https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/apology-of-an-economic-hitman/|url-status=live}}</ref> given the multiple death threats against him because of his reformist agenda, the deaths in automobile crashes of two key witnesses before they could testify during the investigation, and the sometimes contradictory accounts of the incident. Roldos was immediately succeeded by Vice President Osvaldo Hurtado.

In 1984, [[León Febres Cordero]] from the Social Christian Party was elected president. [[Rodrigo Borja Cevallos]] of the Democratic Left (Izquierda Democrática, or ID) party won the presidency in 1988, winning the runoff election against [[Abdalá Bucaram]] (brother in law of [[Jaime Roldos]] and founder of the Ecuadorian Roldosist Party). His government was committed to improving human rights protection and carried out some reforms, notably an opening of Ecuador to foreign trade. The Borja government negotiated the disbanding of the small terrorist group, "[[¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo!]]" ("Alfaro Lives, Dammit!"), named after [[Eloy Alfaro]]. However, continuing economic problems undermined the popularity of the ID party, and opposition parties gained control of Congress in 1999.[[File:CAMBIO DE GUARDIA.jpg|thumb|President [[Lenín Moreno]], first lady [[Rocío González Navas]] and his predecessor [[Rafael Correa]], 3 April 2017]]

A notable event was the [[Cenepa War]] fought between Ecuador and Peru in 1995.

Ecuador won its first Olympic medal in the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] in [[Atlanta]] when [[Jefferson Pérez]] won gold in the [[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's 20 kilometres walk|20 km walk]].

Ecuador adopted the [[United States dollar|U.S. dollar]] on 13 April 2000 as its national currency and on 11 September, the country eliminated the [[Ecuadorian sucre]], in order to stabilize the [[Economy of Ecuador|country's economy]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Outsourcing the Money Supply |url=https://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/eric-schnurer/2014/05/02/why-ecuador-and-other-states-dont-use-their-own-money |date=2 May 2014 |first=Eric |last=Schnurer |website=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=18 May 2022 |archive-date=18 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518172304/https://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/eric-schnurer/2014/05/02/why-ecuador-and-other-states-dont-use-their-own-money |url-status=live }}</ref> The U.S. Dollar has been the only official currency of Ecuador since then.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ecuador's one and only official currency is the US Dollar |url=https://peopleplacesandthoughts.com/home/2019/5/24/ecuadors-one-and-only-official-currency-is-the-us-dollar |website=People Places and Thoughts |date=24 May 2019 |first=Patrick James |last=Kapche |access-date=5 October 2022 |archive-date=5 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005184217/https://peopleplacesandthoughts.com/home/2019/5/24/ecuadors-one-and-only-official-currency-is-the-us-dollar |url-status=live }}</ref>

The emergence of the Amerindian population as an active constituency has added to the democratic volatility of the country in recent years. The population has been motivated by government failures to deliver on promises of land reform, lower unemployment and provision of social services, and the historical exploitation by the land-holding elite. Their movement, along with the continuing destabilizing efforts by both the elite and leftist movements, has led to a deterioration of the executive office. The populace and the other branches of government give the president very little political capital, as illustrated by the most recent removal of President [[Lucio Gutiérrez]] from office by Congress in April 2005.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ecuador Congress ousts president |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2005/4/21/ecuador-congress-ousts-president |work=Al Jazeera |language=en |access-date=15 August 2022 |archive-date=15 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815073212/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2005/4/21/ecuador-congress-ousts-president |url-status=live }}</ref> Vice President [[Alfredo Palacio]] took his place<ref>{{cite news |last1=Forero |first1=Juan |title=Ecuador's New Chief Picks Cabinet; Leftist in Economic Post |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/22/world/americas/ecuadors-new-chief-picks-cabinet-leftist-in-economic-post.html |work=The New York Times |date=22 April 2005 |access-date=15 August 2022 |archive-date=15 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815075038/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/22/world/americas/ecuadors-new-chief-picks-cabinet-leftist-in-economic-post.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the [[Ecuadorian general election, 2006|election of 2006]], [[Rafael Correa]] gained the presidency.<ref>{{cite news |title=Leftist rolling to victory in Ecuador's presidential race |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-nov-27-fg-ecuador27-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=27 November 2006 |access-date=15 August 2022 |archive-date=15 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815075038/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-nov-27-fg-ecuador27-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2007, several left-wing political leaders of Latin America, his future allies, attended his swearing-in ceremony.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ecuador's new president sworn in |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2007/1/16/ecuadors-new-president-sworn-in |work=Al Jazeera |language=en |access-date=15 August 2022 |archive-date=15 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815064714/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2007/1/16/ecuadors-new-president-sworn-in |url-status=live }}</ref> Endorsed in a [[2008 Ecuadorian constitutional referendum|2008 referendum]], a [[2008 Constitution of Ecuador|new constitution]] implemented leftist reforms.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ecuador referendum endorses new constitution |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global/2008/sep/29/ecuador |work=The Guardian |date=29 September 2008 |language=en |access-date=15 August 2022 |archive-date=15 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815065412/https://www.theguardian.com/global/2008/sep/29/ecuador |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2008, Correa declared Ecuador's [[national debt]] illegitimate, based on the argument that it was [[odious debt]] contracted by prior corrupt and despotic regimes. He announced that the country would default on over $3 billion worth of bonds, and he succeeded in reducing the price of outstanding bonds by more than 60% by fighting creditors in [[international court]]s.<ref name="TRN2009Win">''[https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171010140108/http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=3622 "Avenger against oligarchy" wins in Ecuador]'' [[The Real News]], 27 April 2009.</ref> He brought Ecuador into the [[Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas]] in June 2009. Correa's administration reduced the high levels of poverty and unemployment in Ecuador.<ref name="Romero">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/world/americas/27ecuador.html | work=[[The New York Times]] | first=Simon | last=Romero | title=Ecuador Re-elects President, Preliminary Results Show | date=27 April 2009 | access-date=24 February 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627001457/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/world/americas/27ecuador.html | archive-date=27 June 2017 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="Most Popular E-mail Newsletter">{{cite news | url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-05-07-ecuador-referendum_n.htm | work=USA Today | title=Most Popular E-mail Newsletter | date=7 May 2011 | access-date=26 August 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922000423/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-05-07-ecuador-referendum_n.htm | archive-date=22 September 2012 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://voxxi.com/public-spending-fuels-ecuador-leaders-popularity-americas/ |title=Public spending fuels Ecuador leader's popularity |publisher=Voxxi.com |date=25 January 2012 |access-date=4 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512090555/http://www.voxxi.com/public-spending-fuels-ecuador-leaders-popularity-americas/ |archive-date=12 May 2013 }}</ref><ref>[http://neweconomicperspectives.org/2013/02/correas-and-ecuadors-success-drive-the-economist-nuts.html "Correa's and Ecuador's Success drive The Economist Nuts"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416163627/http://neweconomicperspectives.org/2013/02/correas-and-ecuadors-success-drive-the-economist-nuts.html |date=16 April 2015 }}. ''New Economic Perspectives''.</ref><ref>
[http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=9717 Correa wins re-election and says banks and mass media don't rule anymore] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318001316/http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=9717 |date=18 March 2015 }}. ''[[The Real News]]''. 19 February 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2014. 
* "Unemployment hit a record low of 4.1 percent at the end of last year. Poverty's down about 27 percent since he took office". – [[Mark Weisbrot]], co-director of [[Center for Economic and Policy Research]]
</ref>

Correa's three consecutive terms (from 2007 to 2017) were followed by his former Vice President [[Lenín Moreno]]'s four years as president (2017–21). After being elected in 2017, President Moreno's government adopted [[economic liberalism|economically liberal]] policies, such as reduction of [[public spending]], [[trade liberalization]], and flexibility of the labor code. Ecuador also left the left-wing [[Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas]] (Alba) in August 2018.<ref>In August 2018, Ecuador withdrew from Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (Alba), a regional bloc of leftwing governments led by Venezuela.</ref> The Productive Development Act introduced an austerity policy, and reduced the previous development and redistribution policies. Regarding taxes, the authorities aimed to "encourage the return of investors" by granting amnesty to fraudsters and proposing measures to reduce [[Corporate tax|tax rates for large companies]]. In addition, the government waived the right to tax increases in raw material prices and foreign exchange repatriations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article46999|title=Équateur : Lenín Moreno et le néolibéralisme par surprise – Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières|website=www.europe-solidaire.org|access-date=11 July 2019|archive-date=6 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006044917/http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article46999|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2018, Moreno cut diplomatic relations with the [[Nicolás Maduro|Maduro]] administration of Venezuela, a close ally of Correa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.mercopress.com/2018/10/19/ecuador-venezuela-sever-diplomatic-ties-due-to-improper-accusations|title=Ecuador, Venezuela sever diplomatic ties due to improper accusations|access-date=25 March 2021|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413195701/https://en.mercopress.com/2018/10/19/ecuador-venezuela-sever-diplomatic-ties-due-to-improper-accusations|url-status=live}}</ref> The relations with the United States improved significantly under Moreno. In June 2019, Ecuador agreed to allow U.S. military planes to operate from an airport on the Galapagos Islands.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 June 2019 |title=Outcry as Ecuador allows US military to use Galapagos airstrip |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ecuador-galapagos-us-military-scli-intl/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413195725/https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ecuador-galapagos-us-military-scli-intl/index.html |archive-date=13 April 2021 |access-date=25 March 2021}}</ref> In February 2020, his visit to Washington was the first meeting between an Ecuadorian and U.S. president in 17 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latinousa.org/2020/02/13/trumpleninmoreno/|title=Trump Receives Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno|date=13 February 2020|access-date=25 March 2021|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413195854/https://www.latinousa.org/2020/02/13/trumpleninmoreno/|url-status=live}}</ref>

A [[2019 Ecuadorian protests|series of protests]] began on 3 October 2019 against the end of fuel [[Subsidy|subsidies]] and [[Austerity|austerity measures]] adopted by Moreno. On 10 October, protesters overran Quito, the capital, causing the Government of Ecuador to relocate temporarily to [[Guayaquil]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ecuadors-leader-moves-government-seat-clashes-escalate-66134866|title=Protesters move into Ecuador's capital; president moves out|website=ABC News|access-date=10 October 2019|archive-date=10 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010133827/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ecuadors-leader-moves-government-seat-clashes-escalate-66134866|url-status=live}}</ref> The government eventually returned to Quito in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-09/ecuador-government-returns-to-capital-amid-national-strike?srnd=markets-vp|title=Ecuador Government Returns to Capital Amid National Strike|last=Kueffner|first=tephan|date=10 October 2019|work=Bloomberg|access-date=10 October 2019}}</ref> On 14 October 2019, the government restored fuel subsidies and withdrew an austerity package, which ended nearly two weeks of protests.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ecuador repeals law ending fuel subsidies in deal to stop protests |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50038126 |work=BBC News |date=14 October 2019 |access-date=3 March 2022 |archive-date=3 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303200509/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50038126 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:TRANSMISIÓN DE MANDO PRESIDENCIAL (23-11-2023) 05.jpg|thumb|Outgoing President [[Guillermo Lasso]] (center) with President-elect [[Daniel Noboa]] (right) at the latter's inauguration in November 2023]]

In the 11 April 2021 [[2021 Ecuadorian general election|election]], conservative former banker [[Guillermo Lasso]] took 52.4% of the vote, compared to 47.6% for left-wing economist Andrés Aráuz, who was supported by exiled former president Correa. Lasso had finished second in the 2013 and 2017 presidential elections.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56713570|title = Guillermo Lasso: Conservative ex-banker elected Ecuador president|work = BBC News|date = 12 April 2021|access-date = 14 April 2021|archive-date = 14 April 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210414140155/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56713570|url-status = live}}</ref> On 24 May 2021, Lasso was sworn in, becoming the country's first right-wing leader in 14 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210524-lasso-inaugurated-as-first-right-wing-ecuador-president-in-14-years |title=Lasso inaugurated as first right-wing Ecuador president in 14 years |work=France24 |agency=Agence France Presse |date=24 May 2021 |access-date=19 August 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524195101/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210524-lasso-inaugurated-as-first-right-wing-ecuador-president-in-14-years |archive-date=24 May 2021 }}</ref> Lasso's party [[Creating Opportunities|Creating Opportunities (CREO Movement)]], and its ally the Social Christian Party (PSC) won only 31 parliamentary seats out of 137, while Aráuz's Union for Hope (UNES) won 49 seats, which meant Lasso needed support from the Izquierda Democrática and the indigenist [[Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement – New Country|Pachakutik]] parties to push through his legislative agenda.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://atalayar.com/en/content/len%C3%ADn-morenos-legacy-guillermo-lasso-ecuador |title=Lenín Moreno's legacy to Guillermo Lasso in Ecuador |work=Atalayar.com |last=García |first=Alberto |date=16 April 2021 |access-date=19 August 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121120130/https://atalayar.com/en/content/len%C3%ADn-morenos-legacy-guillermo-lasso-ecuador |archive-date=21 November 2021 }}</ref>

In October 2021, Lasso declared a 60-day state of emergency to combat crime and drug-related violence,<ref>{{cite news |title=Ecuador president declares state of emergency over drug violence |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/19/ecuador-president-declares-state-of-emergency-over-drug-violence |work=Al Jazeera |language=en |access-date=3 March 2022 |archive-date=5 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305020720/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/19/ecuador-president-declares-state-of-emergency-over-drug-violence |url-status=live }}</ref> including the numerous bloody clashes between rival groups in the state prisons.<ref>{{cite news |title=Drug capo among 16 dead in bloody Ecuador prison riot |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/drug-capo-among-16-dead-in-bloody-ecuador-prison-riot/2022/10/04/fc28fee6-443a-11ed-be17-89cbe6b8c0a5_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> Lasso proposed a series of constitutional changes to enhance his government's ability to respond to crime. In a [[2023 Ecuadorian constitutional referendum|referendum]] in February 2023, voters overwhelmingly rejected his proposed changes, which weakened Lasso's political standing.<ref>{{cite web |title="El partido del presidente Lasso ha tenido un desempeño muy deficiente", dice analista |date=6 February 2023 |url=https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/video/referendo-ecuador-elecciones-guillermo-lasso-correismo-sot-cafe/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207011124/https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/video/referendo-ecuador-elecciones-guillermo-lasso-correismo-sot-cafe/ |archive-date=7 February 2023 |accessdate=3 March 2023 |publisher=CNN Español}}</ref>

On 15 October 2023, centrist candidate [[Daniel Noboa]] won the premature [[2023 Ecuadorian general election|presidential election]] with 52.3% of the vote against leftist candidate [[Luisa González]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=John |first1=Tara |last2=Alvarado |first2=Abel |title=Noboa, 35, to become Ecuador's next president following election dominated by spiraling crime |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/15/americas/ecuador-election-gonzalez-noboa-intl-latam/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=15 October 2023 |language=en |access-date=29 October 2023 |archive-date=30 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030144254/https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/15/americas/ecuador-election-gonzalez-noboa-intl-latam/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On 23 November 2023, Noboa was sworn in.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Business heir Daniel Noboa sworn in as Ecuador president |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/23/millionaire-daniel-noboa-sworn-in-as-ecuador-president |access-date=24 November 2023 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en |archive-date=24 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124105427/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/23/millionaire-daniel-noboa-sworn-in-as-ecuador-president |url-status=live }}</ref>

In January 2024, Noboa declared an "[[Ecuadorian conflict (2024–present)|internal armed conflict]]" against organized crime in response to the escape of the imprisoned leader of the [[Los Choneros]] cartel and terrorist group, [[José Adolfo Macías Villamar]] (also known as "Fito"), and an armed attack at a public television channel.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ecuador declares war on armed gangs after TV station attacked on air |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-67930452 |date=9 January 2024 |access-date=12 January 2024 |archive-date=9 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109235540/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-67930452 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=John |first=Tara |date=9 January 2024 |title=Ecuador declares 'internal armed conflict' as gunmen take over live TV broadcast |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/09/americas/armed-men-interrupt-live-tv-ecuador-intl/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109233303/https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/09/americas/armed-men-interrupt-live-tv-ecuador-intl/index.html |archive-date=9 January 2024 |access-date=10 January 2024 |publisher=CNN |language=en}}</ref> In April 2025,  President Daniel Noboa won the run-off round of Ecuador's [[2025 Ecuadorian general election|presidential election]], meaning he will now serve a full four-year term.<ref>{{cite news |title=Daniel Noboa: Centre-right leader wins re-election in Ecuador |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gr8dw20evo |work=www.bbc.com |date=14 April 2025}}</ref> In June 2025, Fito was recaptured and extradited to the United States to face charges of international cocaine distribution conspiracy, use of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking and straw purchasing of firearms conspiracy. Fito pled not guilty to all charges and is currently awaiting conviction.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-21 |title=Ecuadorian drug lord 'Fito' pleads not guilty after being extradited to New York |url=https://apnews.com/article/ecuador-drug-gang-leader-fito-macias-arrest-3c3b212c1f2da82cfea8e26169ee7de9 |access-date=2025-08-20 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref> In October 2025, five people were arrested following an alleged assassination attempt on President Daniel Noboa.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cardona |first1=Isa |title=Five arrested after alleged ‘assassination attempt’ on Ecuador President Noboa |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/07/americas/ecuador-president-noboa-assassination-attempt-latam-intl |work=CNN |date=7 October 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Ecuador}}
{{See also|Rivers of Ecuador}}
[[File:Ecuador Topography.png|thumb|Ecuadorian topography]]
[[File:Vólcan Cotopaxi.jpg|thumb|Historically famous [[Cotopaxi]] volcano]]
[[File:Napo Wildlife Center Ecolodge.JPG|thumb|Napo Wildlife Center in the [[Yasuní National Park]]]]

According to the ''[[CIA World Factbook]]'', Ecuador has a total area of {{convert|283571|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, including the [[Galápagos Islands]]. Of this, {{convert|276841|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} is land and {{convert|6720|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} water.<ref name="CIA" /> The total area, according to the Ecuadorian government's foreign ministry, is {{convert|256370|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 January 2020 |title=Bienvenidos al Ecuador – Geografía – Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana |url=https://www.cancilleria.gob.ec/bienvenidos-geografia-del-ecuador/ |access-date=14 November 2023 |language=es |archive-date=26 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126122240/https://www.cancilleria.gob.ec/bienvenidos-geografia-del-ecuador/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Galápagos Islands are sometimes considered part of [[Oceania]],<ref name="realm">{{cite book |last1=Todd |first1=Ian |title=Island Realm: A Pacific Panorama |date=1974 |publisher=Angus & Robertson |page=190 |isbn=9780207127618 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gcEJAQAAIAAJ&q=%22French+language+cultures%22+1974+pacific |access-date=2 February 2022 |quote=[we] can further define the word ''culture'' to mean ''language''. Thus we have the French language part of Oceania, the Spanish part and the Japanese part. The Japanese culture groups of Oceania are the Bonin Islands, the Marcus Islands and the Volcano Islands. These three clusters, lying south and south-east of Japan, are inhabited either by Japanese or by people who have now completely fused with the Japanese race. Therefore they will not be taken into account in the proposed comparison of the policies of non – Oceanic cultures towards Oceanic peoples. On the eastern side of the Pacific are a number of Spanish language culture groups of islands. Two of them, the Galapagos and Easter Island, have been dealt with as separate chapters in this volume. Only one of the dozen or so Spanish culture island groups of Oceania has an Oceanic population — the Polynesians of Easter Island. The rest are either uninhabited or have a Spanish – Latin – American population consisting of people who migrated from the mainland. Therefore, the comparisons which follow refer almost exclusively to the English and French language cultures. |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404112846/https://books.google.com/books?id=gcEJAQAAIAAJ&q=%22French+language+cultures%22+1974+pacific |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Review of the Protected Areas System in Oceania |date=1986 |publisher=International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources |url=https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/30152/RevOceania.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |access-date=17 January 2022 |quote=Easter Island on the east has been included on the basis of its Polynesian and biogeographic affinities even though it is politically apart. The other islands of the eastern Pacific (Galapagos, Juan Fernandez, etc.) have sometimes been included in Oceania. |archive-date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120062626/https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/30152/RevOceania.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hull |first1=Frank M. |title=A Check List of the Syrphidae of Oceania |date=1937 |publisher=Department of Biology, University of Missouri |url=http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/pubs-online/pdf/op13-10.pdf |access-date=17 January 2022 |quote=Oceania is primarily considered as the restricted region treated in this paper, but for comparative purposes, in the table only, it is also considered in a broad sense as including New Guinea, Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, the Antipodes, and Galapagos. |archive-date=26 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126074835/http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/pubs-online/pdf/op13-10.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Eckert |first1=Scott A. |last2=Alvarado |first2=Javier |last3=Balazs |first3=George H. |last4=Byles |first4=Richard |last5=C. Craig |first5=Peter |last6=Dutton |first6=Peter Howard |last7=L. Eckert |first7=Karen |last8=Engbring |first8=John |last9=Maragos |first9=James E. |last10=Pultz |first10=Susan |last11=Richardson |first11=James Ingram |title=Recovery Plan for U.S. Pacific Populations of the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys Imbricata) |date=1998 |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service |pages=7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=si33pkypsggC&dq=%22oceania%22+%22galapagos%22+%22indonesia%22&pg=PA7 |quote=Foraging hawksbills have been reported from virtually all of the island groups of Oceania, from the Galapagos Islands in the eastern Pacific to the Republic of Palau in the western Pacific. |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004050651/https://books.google.com/books?id=si33pkypsggC&dq=%22oceania%22+%22galapagos%22+%22indonesia%22&pg=PA7 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="harv">{{cite book |last1=Bequaert |first1=Joseph C. |title=The Hippoboscidae of Oceania |date=1941 |publisher=Harvard Medical School |url=http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/pubs-online/pdf/op16-11.pdf |access-date=24 January 2022 |quote=In the present taxonomic study of the Hippoboscidae, Oceania covers, rather arbitrarily, the many archipelagos and isolated islands scattered throughout the Pacific Ocean, from the Marianas and Caroline Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia to the Hawaiian islands and the Galapagos. |archive-date=24 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124010141/http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/pubs-online/pdf/op16-11.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=King |first1=Frank P. |title=Oceania and Beyond: Essays on the Pacific Since 1945 |date=1976 |publisher=Greenwood Press |pages=20–21 |isbn=9780837189048 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tzMhAAAAMAAJ&q=%22one+might+add+Chile+and+Ecuador%22 |access-date=7 February 2022 |quote=It is clear that since World War II, Britain, in contrast to France and the United States (and one might say Chile and Ecuador, which hold, respectively, Easter Island and the Galapagos Islands), conceived of Oceania as a region of sovereign nations living in a spirit of commonwealth. |archive-date=17 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230517051214/https://books.google.com/books?id=tzMhAAAAMAAJ&q=%22one+might+add+Chile+and+Ecuador%22 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Aldrich |first1=Robert |title=France and the South Pacific Since 1940 |date=1993 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |page=347 |isbn=9780824815585 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tLTDYaHhrZgC&dq=%22oceania%22+%22galapagos%22+%22south+pacific%22&pg=PA347 |access-date=18 February 2022 |quote=Britain's high commissioner in New Zealand continues to administer Pitcairn, and the other former British colonies remain members of the Commonwealth of Nations, recognizing the British Queen as their titular head of state and vesting certain residual powers  in the British government or the Queen's representative in the islands. Australia did not cede control of the Torres Strait Islands, inhabited by a Melanesian population, or Lord Howe and Norfolk Island, whose residents are of European ancestry. New Zealand retains indirect rule over Niue and Tokelau and has kept close relations with another former possession, the Cook Islands, through a compact of free association. Chile rules Easter Island (Rapa Nui) and Ecuador rules the Galapagos Islands. The Aboriginals of Australia, the Maoris of New Zealand and the native Polynesians of Hawaii, despite movements demanding more cultural recognition, greater economic and political considerations or even outright sovereignty, have remained minorities in countries where massive waves of migration have completely changed society. In short, Oceania has remained one of the least completely decolonized regions on the globe. |archive-date=17 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230517051213/https://books.google.com/books?id=tLTDYaHhrZgC&dq=%22oceania%22+%22galapagos%22+%22south+pacific%22&pg=PA347 |url-status=live }}</ref> which would thus make Ecuador a [[List of transcontinental countries|transcontinental country]] under certain definitions. Ecuador is bigger than the South America countries Uruguay, Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana.

Ecuador lies between latitudes [[2nd parallel north|2°N]] and [[5th parallel south|5°S]],
bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, and has {{convert|2337|km|mi|abbr=on}} of [[coastline]]. It has {{convert|2010|km|mi|abbr=on}} of land boundaries, with [[Colombia]] in the north (with a {{convert|590|km|0|abbr=on}} border) and Peru in the east and south (with a {{convert|1420.|km|0|abbr=on}} border). It is the westernmost country that lies on the equator.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Dowl|first1=Aimee|title=Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands|date=2010|page=53}}</ref>

The country has four main geographic regions:

* '''La Costa''', or "the coast": The coastal region consists of the provinces to the west of the Andean range&nbsp;– [[Esmeraldas Province|Esmeraldas]], [[Guayas Province|Guayas]], [[Los Ríos Province|Los Ríos]], [[Manabí Province|Manabí]], [[El Oro Province|El Oro]], Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas and [[Santa Elena Province|Santa Elena]]. It is the country's most fertile and productive land, and is the seat of the large [[banana]] exportation plantations of the companies [[Dole Food Company|Dole]] and [[Chiquita]]. This region is also where most of Ecuador's [[rice]] crop is grown. The truly coastal provinces have active fisheries. The largest coastal city is [[Guayaquil]].
* '''La Sierra''', or "the highlands": The sierra consists of the Andean and Interandean highland provinces&nbsp;– [[Azuay Province|Azuay]], [[Cañar Province|Cañar]], [[Carchi Province|Carchi]], [[Chimborazo Province|Chimborazo]], [[Imbabura Province|Imbabura]], [[Loja Province|Loja]], [[Pichincha Province|Pichincha]], Bolívar, Cotopaxi and [[Tungurahua Province|Tungurahua]]. This land contains most of Ecuador's volcanoes and all of its snow-capped peaks. Agriculture is focused on the traditional crops of [[potato]], [[maize]], and [[Quinoa|quinua]] and the population is predominantly Amerindian [[Quechua people|Kichua]]. The largest Sierran city is [[Quito]].
* '''La Amazonía''', also known as ''la selva'', or "the jungle": The oriente consists of the [[Amazon rainforest|Amazon jungle]] provinces&nbsp;– [[Morona Santiago Province|Morona Santiago]], [[Napo Province|Napo]], [[Orellana Province|Orellana]], [[Pastaza Province|Pastaza]], [[Sucumbíos Province|Sucumbíos]], and [[Zamora-Chinchipe Province|Zamora-Chinchipe]]. This region is primarily made up of the huge Amazon national parks and Amerindian untouchable zones, which are vast stretches of land set aside for the Amazon Amerindian tribes to continue living traditionally. It is also the area with the largest reserves of [[petroleum]] in Ecuador, and parts of the upper Amazon here have been extensively exploited by petroleum companies. The population is primarily mixed Amerindian [[Shuar]], [[Huaorani|Waorani]] and [[Quechua people|Kichua]], although there are numerous tribes in the deep jungle which are little-contacted. The largest city in the Oriente [[Nueva Loja|Lago Agrio]] in Sucumbíos.
* '''La Región Insular''' is the region comprising the [[Galápagos Islands]], some {{convert|1000|km|mi|sp=us}} west of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.

Ecuador's capital and second largest city{{contradict-inline|date=June 2024}} is Quito,<ref>Carvajal, Ana María (10 de enero de 2019). «Quito se convirtió en la ciudad más poblada del Ecuador con más de 3 millones de habitantes en el 2018». El Comercio. Consultado el 11 de enero de 2019.</ref> which is in the province of [[Pichincha Province, Ecuador|Pichincha]] in the Sierra region. It is the second-highest capital city with an elevation of 2,850 meters. Ecuador's largest city{{contradict-inline|date=June 2024}} is Guayaquil,<ref>«Quito es ahora la ciudad más poblada de Ecuador». El Telégrafo. 12 de enero de 2019. Archivado desde el original el 27 de marzo de 2019. Consultado el 12 de enero de 2019.</ref> in the [[Guayas Province]]. [[Cotopaxi]], just south of Quito, is one of the world's highest active volcanoes. The top of [[Chimborazo (volcano)|Mount Chimborazo]] (6,268&nbsp;m, or 20,560&nbsp;ft, above sea level), Ecuador's tallest mountain, is the most distant point from the center of the Earth on the Earth's surface because of the [[ellipsoid]] shape of the planet.<ref name=CIA>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ecuador/ |title=Ecuador |work=The World Factbook |access-date=18 August 2011 |archive-date=10 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110072816/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ecuador |url-status=live }}</ref>
The Andes is the watershed divisor between the [[Amazon Basin|Amazon]] watershed, which runs to the east, and the Pacific, including the north–south rivers Mataje, Santiago, [[Esmeraldas River|Esmeraldas]], [[Chone River|Chone]], [[Guayas River|Guayas]], Jubones, and Puyango-Tumbes.

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Ecuador}}

There is great variety in the climate, largely determined by altitude. It is mild year-round in the mountain valleys, with a [[humid subtropical climate]] in coastal areas and [[rainforest]] in lowlands. The Pacific coastal area has a [[tropical climate]] with a severe rainy season. The climate in the Andean highlands is [[Temperateness|temperate]] and relatively dry, and the Amazon basin on the eastern side of the mountains shares the climate of other rainforest zones.

Because of its location at the equator, Ecuador experiences little variation in daylight hours during the course of a year. Both sunrise and sunset occur each day at the two six o'clock hours.<ref name=CIA/>

The country has seen its seven glaciers lose 54.4% of their surface in forty years. Research predicts their disappearance by 2100. The cause is climate change, which threatens both the fauna and flora and the population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.liberation.fr/planete/2019/06/17/en-equateur-s-habituer-a-vivre-sans-glacier_1734406/|title=En Equateur, "s'habituer à vivre sans glacier"|access-date=20 November 2021|archive-date=20 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120010041/https://www.liberation.fr/planete/2019/06/17/en-equateur-s-habituer-a-vivre-sans-glacier_1734406/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Biodiversity===
[[File:20180818-Pale-mandibled aracari at Bosque Protector Mindo – Nambillo.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Ecuador is one of the most [[megadiverse countries]] in the world, it has the most biodiversity per square kilometer of any nation, and is one of the highest in [[endemism]]. In the image, a [[pale-mandibled aracari]] in the [[Mindo, Ecuador|Mindo]]-Nambillo Ecological Reserve.]]
Ecuador is one of seventeen [[megadiverse countries]] in the world according to [[Conservation International]],<ref name="Conservation International Site"/> and it has the most biodiversity per square kilometer of any nation.<ref name="Plan Nacional del Buen Vivir">[https://ecuadornoticias.com/plan-nacional-del-buen-vivir/ Plan Nacional del Buen Vivir] {{dead link|date=January 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, Objective 4, Diagnostic, Section "La Biodiversidad y Patrimonio Natural", 2008 (Spanish)</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usaid.gov/policy/budget/cbj2005/lac/pdf/518-001.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060323233748/http://www.usaid.gov/policy/budget/cbj2005/lac/pdf/518-001.pdf |archive-date=23 March 2006 |title=Ecuador&nbsp;– Biodiversity Conservation |publisher = USAID}}</ref>

Ecuador has 1,600 bird species (15% of the world's known bird species) in the continental area and 38 more [[Endemism|endemic]] in the Galápagos. In addition to more than 16,000 species of plants, the country has 106 endemic reptiles, 138 endemic amphibians, and 6,000 species of butterfly. The Galápagos Islands are well known as a region of distinct fauna, as the famous place of birth to Darwin's [[theory of evolution]], and as a [[UNESCO]] World Heritage Site.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=1 |title=Unesco World Heritage |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=26 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100901025658/https://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=1 |archive-date=1 September 2010 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

Ecuador was the first country to recognize the [[rights of nature]] in its constitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Ecuador/ecuador.html |title=Ecuador's Constitution |publisher=Pdba.georgetown.edu |access-date=24 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217041712/http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Ecuador/ecuador.html |archive-date=17 February 2012 |url-status=live  }}</ref> The protection of the nation's biodiversity is an explicit national priority as stated in the National Plan of "Buen Vivir", or good living, Objective 4, "Guarantee the rights of nature", Policy 1: "Sustainably conserve and manage the natural heritage, including its land and marine biodiversity, which is considered a strategic sector".<ref name="Plan Nacional del Buen Vivir" />

[[File:Giant tortoise of the galapagos islands.jpg|thumb|[[Western Santa Cruz tortoise]] in the [[Galápagos Islands]]]]
As of the writing of the plan in 2008, 19% of Ecuador's land area was protected; however, the plan also states that 32% of the land must be protected in order to truly preserve the nation's biodiversity.<ref name="Plan Nacional del Buen Vivir"/> Current [[List of national parks in Ecuador|protected areas]] include 11 national parks, 10 wildlife refuges, 9 ecological reserves, and other areas.<ref>Ministry of the environment of Ecuador, [http://www.ambiente.gov.ec/?q=node/59, Protected Areas]   {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325164618/http://www.ambiente.gov.ec/?q=node%2F59 |date=25 March 2012 }}</ref> A program begun in 2008, Sociobosque, is preserving another 2.3% of total land area (6,295&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, or 629,500&nbsp;ha) by paying private landowners or community landowners (such as Amerindian tribes) incentives to maintain their land as native ecosystems such as native forests or grasslands. Eligibility and subsidy rates for this program are determined based on the poverty in the region, the number of hectares that will be protected, and the type of ecosystem of the land to be protected, among other factors.<ref>Ministry of the environment, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110903214344/http://www.ambiente.gov.ec/?q=node%2F1064%2C Sociobosque Program]</ref> Ecuador had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 7.66/10, ranking it 35th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Despite being on the UNESCO list, the Galápagos are endangered by a range of negative environmental effects, threatening the existence of this exotic [[ecosystem]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Lemonick |first=Michael D. |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,983635,00.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204091815/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,983635,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 February 2013 |title=Can the Galapagos Survive? |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=30 October 1995 |access-date=26 June 2010 }}</ref> Additionally, [[Petroecuador|oil exploitation of the Amazon rainforest]] has led to the release of billions of gallons of untreated wastes, gas, and crude oil into the environment,<ref>{{cite news |title=European banks urged to stop funding oil trade in Amazon |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/12/european-banks-urged-to-stop-funding-oil-trade-in-amazon |work=The Guardian |date=12 August 2020 |access-date=14 September 2020 |archive-date=14 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914103303/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/12/european-banks-urged-to-stop-funding-oil-trade-in-amazon |url-status=live }}</ref> contaminating ecosystems and causing detrimental health effects to Amerindian peoples.<ref>{{cite news |title=Exclusive: European banks face indigenous calls to end Amazon oil trade |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-climate-change-banks-exclusive/exclusive-european-banks-face-indigenous-calls-to-end-amazon-oil-trade-idUKKCN25809Z |work=Reuters |date=12 August 2020 |access-date=14 September 2020 |archive-date=8 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008185259/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-climate-change-banks-exclusive/exclusive-european-banks-face-indigenous-calls-to-end-amazon-oil-trade-idUKKCN25809Z |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=San Sebastian |first1=M. |last2=Hurtig |first2=A. K. |title=Oil Exploitation in the Amazon Basin of Ecuador: A Public Health Emergency |journal=Pan American Journal of Public Health |volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=205–11 |year=2004 |doi=10.1590/S1020-49892004000300014 |pmid=15096294 |doi-access=free }}</ref> One of the best known examples is the [[Chevron Corporation|Texaco-Chevron]] case.<ref>{{cite news |title=How the Environmental Lawyer Who Won a Massive Judgment Against Chevron Lost Everything |url=https://theintercept.com/2020/01/29/chevron-ecuador-lawsuit-steven-donziger/ |work=The Intercept |date=29 January 2020 |access-date=14 September 2020 |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125222623/https://theintercept.com/2020/01/29/chevron-ecuador-lawsuit-steven-donziger/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This American [[Petroleum in the United States|oil company]] operated in the Ecuadorian Amazon region between 1964 and 1992. During this period, Texaco drilled 339 wells in 15 petroleum fields and abandoned 627 toxic wastewater pits. It is now known that these highly polluting and now obsolete technologies were used as a way to reduce expenses.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.raco.cat/index.php/rcda/article/view/280972/368631|title=Revista Catalana de Dret Ambiental|last=Pigrau|first=Antoni|date=27 July 2014|work=The Texaco-Chevron Case in Ecuador: Law and Justice in the Age of Globalization|access-date=14 September 2020|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414212915/https://www.raco.cat/index.php/rcda/article/view/280972/368631|url-status=live}}</ref> The case has also been documented in [[Crude (2009 film)|Crude]], a documentary.

In 2022, the supreme court of Ecuador decided that "under no circumstances can a project be carried out that generates excessive sacrifices to the collective rights of communities and nature." It also required the government to respect the opinion of Indigenous peoples about industrial projects on their land.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Einhorn |first1=Catrin |title=Ecuador Court Gives Indigenous Groups a Boost in Mining and Drilling Disputes |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/climate/ecuador-indigenous-constitutional-court.html |access-date=6 February 2022 |agency=The New York Times |date=4 February 2022 |archive-date=6 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206102216/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/climate/ecuador-indigenous-constitutional-court.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of Ecuador}}
{{Multiple image
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| align             = right
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| total_width       = 300
| image1            = President Daniel Noboa May 2025.jpg
| caption1          = [[Daniel Noboa]]<br /><small>[[President of Ecuador|President]] </small>
| image2            = María José Pinto comparece ante la Comisión de la Niñez (cropped).jpg
| caption2          = [[María José Pinto]]<br /><small>[[Vice President of Ecuador|Vice President]] </small>
}}

The Ecuadorian State consists of five branches of government: the ''Executive Branch'', the ''Legislative Branch'', the ''Judicial Branch'', the ''Electoral Branch'', and ''Transparency and Social Control''.

Ecuador is governed by a democratically elected president for a four-year term. The president of Ecuador exercises power from the presidential [[Palacio de Carondelet]] in [[Quito]]. The [[2008 Constitution of Ecuador|current constitution]] was written by the [[Ecuadorian Constituent Assembly]] elected in 2007, and was approved by referendum in 2008. Since 1936, voting is compulsory for all literate persons aged 18–65, optional for all other citizens over the age of 16.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.idea.int/vt/compulsory_voting.cfm |title=Compulsory Voting |url-status=dead |access-date=18 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612191446/http://www.idea.int/vt/compulsory_voting.cfm |archive-date=12 June 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://academic.oup.com/pa/article/74/3/507/6321304 |title=Lowering the Voting Age to 16 in Practice: Processes and Outcomes Compared |last1=Eichhorn |first1=Jan |last2=Bergh |first2=Johannes |date=14 July 2021 |journal=Parliamentary Affairs |volume=74 |issue=3 |pages=507–521 |publisher=Oxford Academic |doi=10.1093/pa/gsab019 |access-date=30 March 2024 |archive-date=30 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330184152/https://academic.oup.com/pa/article/74/3/507/6321304 |url-status=live |hdl=11250/2767873 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

The executive branch includes 23 ministries. Provincial governors and councilors (mayors, aldermen, and parish boards) are directly elected. The [[National Assembly of Ecuador]] meets throughout the year except for recesses in July and December. There are thirteen permanent committees. Members of the National Court of Justice are appointed by the National Judicial Council for nine-year terms.

According to [[International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance|International IDEA]]’s Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices and Democracy Tracker, Ecuador performs in the mid-range on overall democratic measures, with particular strengths in freedom of religion, inclusive suffrage, and electoral participation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ecuador {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/country/ecuador |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.idea.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global State of Democracy Indices {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/gsod-indices |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.idea.int}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/ |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.idea.int}}</ref>

===Executive branch===
{{Main|List of heads of state of Ecuador}}

[[File:Carondelet - Quito.JPG|thumb|[[Palacio de Carondelet]], seat of the President of Ecuador]]
The [[Executive (government)|executive branch]] is led by the president. The president is accompanied by the vice-president, elected for four years (with the ability to be re-elected only once). As head of state and chief government official, the president is responsible for public administration including the appointing of national coordinators, ministers, ministers of State and public servants. The executive branch defines foreign policy, appoints the Chancellor of the Republic, as well as ambassadors and consuls, being the ultimate authority over the [[:Military of Ecuador|Armed Forces of Ecuador]], [[National Police of Ecuador]], and appointing authorities. The acting president's wife receives the title of [[First Lady of Ecuador]].

===Legislative branch===
{{Main|National Assembly (Ecuador)}}

The legislative branch is embodied by the [[National Assembly of Ecuador|National Assembly]], which is headquartered in the city of [[Quito]] in the Legislative Palace, and consists of 137 assemblymen, divided into ten committees and elected for a four-year term. Fifteen national constituency elected assembly, two Assembly members elected from each province and one for every 100,000 inhabitants or fraction exceeding 150,000, according to the latest national population census. In addition, statute determines the election of assembly of regions and metropolitan districts.

===Judicial branch===
Ecuador's judiciary has as its main body the Judicial Council, and also includes the National Court of Justice, provincial courts, and lower courts. Legal representation is made by the Judicial Council.
The National Court of Justice is composed of 21 judges elected for a term of nine years. Judges are renewed by thirds every three years pursuant to the Judicial Code. These are elected by the Judicial Council on the basis of opposition proceedings and merits.
The justice system is buttressed by the independent offices of public prosecutor and the public defender. Auxiliary organs are as follows: [[Civil law notary|notaries]], court auctioneers, and court receivers. Also there is a special legal regime for Amerindians.

===Electoral branch===
The electoral system functions by authorities which enter only every four years or when [[Elections in Ecuador|elections or referendums]] occur. Its main functions are to organize, control elections, and punish the infringement of electoral rules. Its main body is the [[National Electoral Council (Ecuador)|National Electoral Council]], which is based in the city of Quito, and consists of seven members of the [[Political parties in Ecuador|political parties]] most voted, enjoying complete financial and administrative autonomy. This body, along with the electoral court, forms the ''Electoral Branch'' which is one of Ecuador's five [[Separation of powers|branches of government]].

===Transparency and social control branch===
The Transparency and Social Control consists of the [[Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control]], an [[ombudsman]], the Comptroller General of the State, and the superintendents. Branch members hold office for five years. This branch is responsible for promoting transparency and control plans publicly, as well as plans to design mechanisms to combat corruption, as also designate certain authorities, and be the regulatory mechanism of accountability in the country.

===Administrative divisions===
{{Main|Provinces of Ecuador|Cantons of Ecuador}}

Ecuador is divided into 24 [[Provinces of Ecuador|provinces]] ({{langx|es|provincias|links=no}}), each with its own administrative capital:
[[File:Ecuador, administrative divisions - es - colored.svg|center|upright=1.5|thumb|Provinces of Ecuador]]

===Regions and planning areas===
[[File:Cascada Cabellera de la Virgen, Baños.jpg|upright|thumb|Cabellera de la Virgen waterfall in [[Baños de Agua Santa]], Tungurahua Province]]
Regionalization, or zoning, is the union of two or more adjoining provinces in order to decentralize the administrative functions of the capital, Quito.
In Ecuador, there are seven regions, or zones, each shaped by the following provinces:
* Region 1 (42,126&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, or 16,265&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup>): [[Esmeraldas (province)|Esmeraldas]], [[Carchi]], [[Imbabura Province|Imbabura]], and [[Sucumbios]]. Administrative city: [[Ibarra, Ecuador|Ibarra]]
* Region 2 (43,498&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, or 16,795&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup>): [[Pichincha (province)|Pichincha]], [[Napo (province)|Napo]], and [[Orellana Province|Orellana]]. Administrative city: [[Tena, Ecuador|Tena]]
* Region 3 (44,710&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, or 17,263&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup>): [[Chimborazo (province)|Chimborazo]], [[Tungurahua (province)|Tungurahua]], [[Pastaza (province)|Pastaza]], and [[Cotopaxi (province)|Cotopaxi]]. Administrative city: [[Riobamba, Ecuador|Riobamba]]
* Region 4 (22,257&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, or 8,594&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup>): [[Manabí Province|Manabí]] and [[Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas]]. Administrative city: Ciudad Alfaro
* Region 5 (38,420&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, or 14,834&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup>): [[Santa Elena Province|Santa Elena]], [[Guayas (province)|Guayas]], [[Los Ríos Province|Los Ríos]], [[Galápagos Province|Galápagos]], and [[Bolívar Province (Ecuador)|Bolívar]]. Administrative city: [[Milagro, Ecuador|Milagro]]
* Region 6 (38,237&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, or 14,763&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup>): [[Cañar Province, Ecuador|Cañar]], [[Azuay]], and [[Morona Santiago]]. Administrative city: [[Cuenca (Ecuador)|Cuenca]]
* Region 7 (27,571&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, or 10,645&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup>): [[El Oro Province|El Oro]], [[Loja Province|Loja]], and [[Zamora Chinchipe]]. Administrative city: [[Loja, Ecuador|Loja]]

[[Quito]] and [[Guayaquil]] are Metropolitan Districts. [[Galápagos]], despite being included within Region 5,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.planificacion.gob.ec/3-niveles-administrativos-de-planificacion |title=Niveles administrativos de planificación |publisher=Secretaría Nacional de Planificación y Desarrollo |access-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924073955/http://www.planificacion.gob.ec/3-niveles-administrativos-de-planificacion/ |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> is also under a special unit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcpec.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1047&Itemid=108 |title=Región 4 – Santo Domingo, Manabí y Galápagos |publisher=Ministry of Production, Employment and Competitiveness Coordination |access-date=20 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127225748/http://www.mcpec.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1047&Itemid=108 |archive-date=27 November 2011 }}</ref>

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Ecuador}}

[[File:Secretary Pompeo Holds Joint Press Conference with President Moreno (48336351591).jpg|thumb|Ecuadorian President [[Lenín Moreno]] with U.S. Secretary of State [[Mike Pompeo]], 20 July 2019]]
Ecuador joined the [[Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries|OPEC]] in 1973 and suspended its membership in 1992. Under President [[Rafael Correa]], the country returned to OPEC before leaving again in 2020 under the instruction of President Moreno, citing its desire to increase crude oil exportation to gain more revenue.<ref>Stephan Kueffner & Peter Millard, [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-01/ecuador-to-leave-opec-in-january-amid-efforts-to-boost-income OPEC Suffers Another Departure With Ecuador Seeking More Cash] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411012200/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-01/ecuador-to-leave-opec-in-january-amid-efforts-to-boost-income |date=11 April 2020 }}, Bloomberg News (2 October 2019).</ref><ref>Alexandra Valencia, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ecuador-opec/ecuador-to-quit-opec-in-2020-in-search-of-bigger-export-revenue-idUSKBN1WG4KB Ecuador to quit OPEC in 2020 in search of bigger export revenue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411012157/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ecuador-opec/ecuador-to-quit-opec-in-2020-in-search-of-bigger-export-revenue-idUSKBN1WG4KB |date=11 April 2020 }}, Reuters (1 October 2019).</ref>

Ecuador has maintained a research station in Antarctica for peaceful scientific study as a member nation of the [[Antarctica Treaty]]. Ecuador has often placed great emphasis on multilateral approaches to international issues. Ecuador is a member of the United Nations (and most of its specialized agencies) and a member of many regional groups, including the [[Rio Group]], the [[Latin American Economic System]], the Latin American Energy Organization, the Latin American Integration Association, the [[Andean Community of Nations]], and the Bank of the South (Spanish: ''Banco del Sur'' or ''BancoSur'').

In 2017, the Ecuadorian parliament adopted a ''law on human mobility''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cancilleria.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ley_de_movilidad_humana_oficial.pdf |title=Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana |access-date=28 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329000143/http://www.cancilleria.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ley_de_movilidad_humana_oficial.pdf |archive-date=29 March 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[International Organization for Migration]] lauded Ecuador as the first state to have established the promotion of the concept of universal citizenship in its [[2008 Constitution of Ecuador|constitution]], aiming to promote the universal recognition and protection of the human rights of migrants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iom.int/news/ecuador-launches-new-human-mobility-national-plan|title=Ecuador Launches New Human Mobility National Plan|date=8 June 2018|access-date=28 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828134502/https://www.iom.int/news/ecuador-launches-new-human-mobility-national-plan|archive-date=28 August 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> In March 2019, Ecuador withdrew from the [[Union of South American Nations]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://peoplesdispatch.org/2020/03/11/uruguayan-government-withdraws-from-unasur-and-returns-to-tiar/|title=Uruguayan government withdraws from UNASUR and returns to TIAR|work=Peoples Dispatch |date=11 March 2020|access-date=25 March 2021|archive-date=19 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819175958/http://peoplesdispatch.org/2020/03/11/uruguayan-government-withdraws-from-unasur-and-returns-to-tiar/|url-status=live |last1=Wadhwa |first1=Tanya }}</ref>

===Military===
{{Main|Armed Forces of Ecuador}}

[[File:Kfir CE front.JPG|right|thumb|[[Ecuadorian Air Force]] (FAE)]]

The [[Armed Forces of Ecuador|Ecuadorian Armed Forces]] (Fuerzas Armadas de la Republica de Ecuador), consists of the [[Ecuadorian Army|Army]], [[Ecuadorian Air Force|Air Force]], and [[Ecuadorian Navy|Navy]] and have the stated responsibility for the preservation of the integrity and national sovereignty of the national territory.

Due to the continuous border disputes with Peru, finally settled in the early 2000s, and due to the ongoing problem with the Colombian guerrilla insurgency infiltrating Amazonian provinces, the Ecuadorian Armed Forces has gone through a series of changes. In 2009, the new administration at the Defense Ministry launched a deep restructuring within the forces, increasing spending budget to $1,691,776,803, an increase of 25%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccmr.org/public/library_file_proxy.cfm/lid/5603 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506111602/http://www.ccmr.org/public/library_file_proxy.cfm/lid/5603 |archive-date=6 May 2009 |title=Ecuador: A Comparative Atlas of Defence in Latin America / 2008 Edition|publisher=ccmr.org |url-status=usurped |access-date=26 June 2010}}</ref>

The Military Academy General Eloy Alfaro (c. 1838) located in Quito is in charge of graduating army officers.<ref>[http://www.esmil.mil.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65&Itemid=81 History of the "Escuela Superior Militar Eloy Alfaro"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719133956/http://www.esmil.mil.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65&Itemid=81 |date=19 July 2011 }}</ref> The Ecuadorian Navy Academy (c. 1837), located in Salinas graduates navy officers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.armada.mil.ec/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=47|title=Armada del Ecuador|website=Armada del Ecuador|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171010140108/http://www.armada.mil.ec/?option=com_content&task=view&id=47|archive-date=10 October 2017}}</ref> The Air Academy [[Cosimo Rennella|Cosme Rennella]] (c. 1920), also located in Salinas, graduates air force officers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.esmafae.mil.ec/nuestra-historia/historia-de-la-esma.html |title=History of the 'Escuela Superior Militar de Aviacion Cosme Rennella' |publisher=Esmafae.mil.ec |access-date=24 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111220150024/http://www.esmafae.mil.ec/nuestra-historia/historia-de-la-esma.html |archive-date=20 December 2011 }}</ref>

===Human rights===
{{see also|LGBT rights in Ecuador}}
[[File:Slums of Ecuador Guayaquil.jpg|thumb|Poor class neighborhoods in [[Guayaquil]]]]
A 2003 [[Amnesty International]] report was critical that there were scarce few prosecutions for human rights violations committed by security forces, and those only in police courts, which are not considered impartial or independent. There are allegations that the security forces routinely torture prisoners. There are reports of prisoners having died while in police custody. Sometimes the legal process can be delayed until the suspect can be released after the time limit for detention without trial is exceeded. Prisons are overcrowded and conditions in detention centers are "abominable".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Horvitz |first1=Leslie Ann |last2=Catherwood |first2=Christopher |title=Encyclopedia of War Crimes and Genocide |date=2006 |publisher=Infobase |page=137}}</ref>

[[United Nations Human Rights Council|UN's Human Rights Council]]'s Universal Periodic Review has treated the restrictions on [[freedom of expression]] and efforts to control [[NGO]]s and recommended that Ecuador should stop the criminal sanctions for the expression of opinions, and delay in implementing judicial reforms. Ecuador rejected the recommendation on decriminalization of libel.<ref name=hrw>{{cite book|url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/ecuador|title=Ecuador|chapter=World Report 2013: Ecuador |date=10 January 2013|publisher=WORLD REPORT 2013, Human Rights Watch|pages=1–3|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006120738/http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/ecuador|archive-date=6 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to [[Human Rights Watch]] (HRW) former president Correa intimidated journalists and subjected them to "public denunciation and retaliatory litigation". The sentences to journalists were years of imprisonment and millions of dollars of compensation, even though defendants had been pardoned.<ref name=hrw/> Correa stated he was only seeking a retraction for slanderous statements.<ref>{{cite news|title=Democracy in Ecuador|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/opinion/democracy-in-ecuador.html?_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|date=5 February 2012|access-date=24 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627001406/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/opinion/democracy-in-ecuador.html?_r=0|archive-date=27 June 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to HRW, Correa's government weakened the [[freedom of press]] and [[Judicial independence|independence of the judicial system]]. In Ecuador's current judicial system, judges are selected in a contest of merits, rather than government appointments. However, the process of selection has been criticized as biased and subjective. In particular, the final interview is said to be given "excessive weighing". Judges and prosecutors that made decisions in favor of Correa in his lawsuits had received permanent posts, while others with better assessment grades had been rejected.<ref name=hrw/><ref name=Reformahasta2015>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131102052404/http://diariodigitalcentro.com/index.php/455-reforma-judicial-en-ecuador-debe-hacerse-hasta-el-2015 Reforma judicial en Ecuador debe hacerse hasta el 2015], diariodigitalcentro.com</ref>

The laws also forbid articles and media messages that could favor or disfavor some political message or candidate. In the first half of 2012, twenty private TV or radio stations were closed down.<ref name=hrw/> People engaging in public protests against environmental and other issues are prosecuted for "terrorism and sabotage", which may lead to an eight-year prison sentence.<ref name=hrw/>

According to [[Freedom House]], restrictions on the media and civil society have decreased since 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/ecuador |title=Ecuador |publisher=Freedom House |access-date=19 August 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123142937/http://www.freedomhouse.org/country/ecuador |archive-date=23 January 2012 }}</ref> In October 2022, the [[United Nations]] expressed concerns about the dire situation in various detention centers and prisons, and the human rights of those deprived of liberty in Ecuador.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/ecuador-un-torture-prevention-body-remains-seriously-concerned-prison-crisis|title=Ecuador: UN torture prevention body remains seriously concerned by prison crisis after second visit|accessdate=6 October 2022|website=OHCHR|archive-date=6 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006181004/https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/ecuador-un-torture-prevention-body-remains-seriously-concerned-prison-crisis|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Ecuador}}

[[File:GDP per capita development of Ecuador.svg|thumb|GDP per capita development of Ecuador]]
Ecuador has a [[developing economy]] that is highly dependent on commodities, namely petroleum and agricultural products. The country is classified as an upper-middle-income country. Ecuador's economy is the eighth largest in Latin America and experienced an average growth of 4.6% between 2000 and 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://es.noticias.yahoo.com/|title=Yahoo! Noticias España – Los titulares de hoy|work=Yahoo Noticias España|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908010451/https://es.noticias.yahoo.com/|archive-date=8 September 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2019}} From 2007 to 2012, Ecuador's GDP grew at an annual average of 4.3 percent, above the average for Latin America and the Caribbean, which was 3.5%, according to the United Nations' Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean (ECLAC).<ref>[http://www.namnewsnetwork.org/v3/read.php?id=MjIxMjc3 Ecuador GDP Grew 4.3 Percent Average Per Year From 2007 to 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129031542/http://www.namnewsnetwork.org/v3/read.php?id=MjIxMjc3 |date=29 November 2014 }}. NAM News Network (NNN) (14 February 2013). Retrieved 24 April 2013.</ref> Ecuador was able to maintain relatively superior growth during the [[2008 financial crisis]]. In January 2009, the Central Bank of Ecuador (BCE) put the 2010 growth forecast at 6.88%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soitu.es/soitu/2009/01/16/info/1232133437_646823.html|title=El Banco Central de Ecuador sitúa el crecimiento del 2008 en más del 6%|publisher=soitu.es|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215013020/http://www.soitu.es/soitu/2009/01/16/info/1232133437_646823.html|archive-date=15 December 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011, its GDP grew at 8% and ranked third highest in Latin America, behind Argentina (2nd) and Panama (1st).<ref>[http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?v=66&c=ec&l=es Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) – Tasa de Crecimiento Real (%)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124082617/http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=ec&v=66&l=es |date=24 January 2013 }}. Indexmundi.com. Retrieved 28 January 2013.</ref> Between 1999 and 2007, GDP doubled, reaching $65,490 million according to BCE.<ref>[http://www.bce.fin.ec/indicador.php?tbl=pib Banco Central del Ecuador – Resumen de pib] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029010858/http://www.bce.fin.ec/indicador.php?tbl=pib |date=29 October 2012 }}. Bce.fin.ec (11 July 2012). Retrieved 26 July 2012.</ref>
The inflation rate until January 2008, was about 1.14%, the highest in the past year, according to the government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indexmundi.com/ecuador/inflation_rate_%28consumer_prices%29.html|title=Ecuador Inflation rate (consumer prices) – Economy|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129053132/http://www.indexmundi.com/ecuador/inflation_rate_%28consumer_prices%29.html|archive-date=29 November 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Gill, Nathan. (6 January 2012) [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-06/ecuadorian-inflation-accelerated-to-three-year-high-in-2011-1-.html Ecuadorian Inflation Accelerated to Three-Year High in 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202174247/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-06/ecuadorian-inflation-accelerated-to-three-year-high-in-2011-1-.html |date=2 February 2014 }}. Bloomberg. Retrieved 21 August 2012.</ref> The monthly unemployment rate remained at about 6 and 8 percent from December 2007 until September 2008; however, it went up to about 9 percent in October and dropped again in November 2008 to 8 percent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecuadorencifras.com/cifras-inec/desempleo2.html|title=Ecuador en Cifras|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616030050/http://www.ecuadorencifras.com/cifras-inec/desempleo2.html|archive-date=16 June 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Unemployment mean annual rate for 2009 in Ecuador was 8.5% because the global economic crisis continued to affect the Latin American economies. From this point, unemployment rates started a downward trend: 7.6% in 2010, 6.0% in 2011, and 4.8% in 2012.<ref>[http://interwp.cepal.org/cepalstat/WEB_cepalstat/Perfil_nacional_economico.asp?Pais=ECU&idioma=e. Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe, CEPAL, Bases de Datos y Publicaciones Estadísticas "Tasa de desempleo"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318012100/http://interwp.cepal.org/cepalstat/WEB_cepalstat/Perfil_nacional_economico.asp?Pais=ECU&idioma=e. |date=18 March 2015 }} Retrieved on 28 January 2013.</ref>

The extreme poverty rate declined significantly between 1999 and 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cepr.net/index.php/press-releases/press-releases/new-paper-examines-ecuadors-success-in-emerging-from-economic-recession-reducing-poverty-and-unemployment|title=New Paper Examines Ecuador's Success in Emerging from Economic Recession; Reducing Poverty and Unemployment – Press Releases|date=2 May 2012 |access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111195649/http://www.cepr.net/index.php/press-releases/press-releases/new-paper-examines-ecuadors-success-in-emerging-from-economic-recession-reducing-poverty-and-unemployment|archive-date=11 November 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2001, it was estimated at 40% of the population, while by 2011 the figure dropped to 17.4% of the total population.<ref name=economy>Rebeca, Ray and Sara, Kozameh. (May 2012) [https://www.scribd.com/doc/92086279/Ecuador%E2%80%99s-Economy-Since-2007 Ecuador's Economy Since 2007] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202093316/http://www.scribd.com/doc/92086279/Ecuador%E2%80%99s-Economy-Since-2007 |date=2 February 2014 }}. p. 15.</ref> This is explained to an extent by emigration and the economic stability achieved after adopting the U.S. dollar as official means of transaction (before 2000, the Ecuadorian ''[[Ecuadorian sucre|sucre]]'' was prone to rampant inflation). However, starting in 2008, with the bad economic performance of the nations where most Ecuadorian emigrants work, the reduction of poverty has been realized through social spending, mainly in education and health.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/BANCOMUNDIAL/EXTSPPAISES/LACINSPANISHEXT/ECUADORINSPANISHEXT/0,,contentMDK:20830521~menuPK:500565~pagePK:1497618~piPK:217854~theSitePK:500558,00.html|title=Ecuador|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605151407/http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/BANCOMUNDIAL/EXTSPPAISES/LACINSPANISHEXT/ECUADORINSPANISHEXT/0,,contentMDK:20830521~menuPK:500565~pagePK:1497618~piPK:217854~theSitePK:500558,00.html|archive-date=5 June 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Obverse of the series 2009 $100 Federal Reserve Note.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|The [[United States dollar]] is the common [[Currency of Ecuador|currency circulating in Ecuador]].]]
Oil accounts for 40% of exports and contributes to maintaining a positive trade balance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL2E8JDF2K20120813|title=Ecuador first-half trade surplus rises to $390 mln – Energy & Oil-Reuters|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140928210120/http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL2E8JDF2K20120813|archive-date=28 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since the late 1960s, the exploitation of oil increased production, and proven reserves are estimated at 6.51 billion barrels {{As of|2011|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indexmundi.com/ecuador/oil_proved_reserves.html|title=Oil Reserves|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002093302/http://www.indexmundi.com/ecuador/oil_proved_reserves.html|archive-date=2 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> In late 2021, Ecuador had to declare a [[force majeure]] for oil exports due to erosion near key pipelines (privately owned OCP pipeline and state-owned SOTE pipeline) in the Amazon.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Valencia |first=Alexandra |date=13 December 2021 |title=Ecuador declares force majeure for oil exports, output due to erosion |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/ecuador-declares-force-majeure-oil-exports-output-due-erosion-2021-12-13/ |access-date=24 June 2022 |archive-date=24 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624101112/https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/ecuador-declares-force-majeure-oil-exports-output-due-erosion-2021-12-13/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It lasted about three weeks, totalling just over $500 million economic losses, before their production returned to its normal level of {{Convert|435000|oilbbl/d}} in early 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 January 2022 |title=Ecuador Resumes Oil Exports From Amazon as Fields Resume Pumping |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-06/ecuador-lifts-force-majeure-on-oil-as-fields-resume-production |access-date=24 June 2022 |archive-date=7 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107233736/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-06/ecuador-lifts-force-majeure-on-oil-as-fields-resume-production |url-status=live }}</ref>

The overall trade balance for August 2012 was a surplus of almost $390 million for the first six months of 2012, a huge figure compared with that of 2007, which reached only $5.7 million; the surplus had risen by about $425 million compared to 2006.<ref name=economy/> The oil trade balance positive had revenues of $3.295 million in 2008, while non-oil was negative, amounting to $2.842 million. The trade balance with the United States, Chile, the European Union, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, and Mexico is positive. The trade balance with Argentina, Colombia, and Asia is negative.<ref>[http://www.bce.fin.ec/documentos/Estadisticas/SectorExterno/BalanzaPagos/balanzaComercial/ebc200802.pdf Ecuador: Evolucion de la Balanza Comercial] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617053839/http://www.bce.fin.ec/documentos/Estadisticas/SectorExterno/BalanzaPagos/balanzaComercial/ebc200802.pdf |date=17 June 2012 }}. Banco Central del Ecuador (January–February 2008).</ref>

In the agricultural sector, Ecuador is a major exporter of bananas (first place worldwide in export<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bananas Exports by Country 2021 |url=https://www.worldstopexports.com/bananas-exports-country/ |access-date=24 June 2022 |website=www.worldstopexports.com |archive-date=20 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520031049/https://www.worldstopexports.com/bananas-exports-country/ |url-status=live }}</ref>), flowers, and the seventh largest producer of cocoa.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icco.org/about-us/international-cocoa-agreements/cat_view/30-related-documents/46-statistics-production.html|title=Downloads – Statistics – Production-Related Documents|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920213254/http://www.icco.org/about-us/international-cocoa-agreements/cat_view/30-related-documents/46-statistics-production.html|archive-date=20 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ecuador also produces coffee, rice, potatoes, cassava (manioc, tapioca), plantains and sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork and dairy products; fish, and shrimp; and balsa wood.<ref>{{cite web|title=The World Fact Book|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2052.html|website=Central Intelligence Agency [U.S.]|access-date=30 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324191532/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2052.html|archive-date=24 March 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The country's vast resources include large amounts of timber across the country, like eucalyptus and mangroves.<ref name="Resources Maps World Banks">{{cite web|url=http://maps.worldbank.org/lac/ecuador|title=Mapping for Results – Ecuador, Latin America & Caribbean|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209020754/http://maps.worldbank.org/lac/ecuador|archive-date=9 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Pines and cedars are planted in the region of La Sierra and walnuts, rosemary, and balsa wood in the Guayas River Basin.<ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Ecuador.aspx Ecuador Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Ecuador] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120824105212/http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Ecuador.aspx |date=24 August 2012 }}. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 14 September 2012.</ref>
The industry is concentrated mainly in Guayaquil, the largest industrial center, and in Quito, where in recent years the industry has grown considerably. This city is also the largest business center of the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rankings.americaeconomia.com/2010/mejoresciudades/ranking.php|title=Ranking 2010 – Ranking completo|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117023526/http://rankings.americaeconomia.com/2010/mejoresciudades/ranking.php|archive-date=17 November 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Industrial production is directed primarily to the domestic market.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} Despite this, there is limited export of products produced or processed industrially.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} These include canned foods, liquor, jewelry, furniture, and more.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} A minor industrial activity is also concentrated in Cuenca.<ref name="Industrias en Cuenca">{{cite web|url=http://www.invec.ec/invec.aspx?men_id=4.5|title=Industrias en CUENCA|author=DUAL dmw|access-date=13 September 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017064309/http://www.invec.ec/invec.aspx?men_id=4.5|archive-date=17 October 2014}}</ref> Incomes from tourism has been increasing during the last few years due to promotion programs from Government, highlighting the variety of climates and the biodiversity of Ecuador.

Ecuador has negotiated bilateral treaties with other countries, besides belonging to the [[Andean Community of Nations]],<ref>[http://www.comunidadandina.org/ingles/sudamerican.htm South American Community Nations – Andean Community -CAN] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630173459/http://www.comunidadandina.org/ingles/sudamerican.htm |date=30 June 2012 }}. Comunidadandina.org. Retrieved 21 August 2012.</ref> and an associate member of [[Mercosur]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5195834.stm|title=Profile: Mercosur – Common Market of the South|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010143651/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5195834.stm|archive-date=10 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> It also serves on the [[World Trade Organization]] (WTO), in addition to the [[Inter-American Development Bank]] (IDB), [[World Bank]], [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF), [[CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean]] and other multilateral agencies.<ref>[http://www.aladi.org/nsfaladi/preguntasfrecuentes.nsf/5094e65262960d6d03256ebe00601b70/5d03f704298b453e03256edf006df804?OpenDocument Which are its member countries?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717042956/http://www.aladi.org/nsfaladi/preguntasfrecuentes.nsf/5094e65262960d6d03256ebe00601b70/5d03f704298b453e03256edf006df804?OpenDocument |date=17 July 2012 }} aladi.org</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1496583/UNASUR|title=UNASUR (South American organization) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009045603/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1496583/UNASUR|archive-date=9 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.internationaldemocracywatch.org/index.php/union-of-south-american-nations|title=Union of South American Nations|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150125080109/http://www.internationaldemocracywatch.org/index.php/union-of-south-american-nations|archive-date=25 January 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2007, Ecuador paid off its debt to the IMF.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ecuador-referendum-imf-idUSN1522681220070416|title=Ecuador says pays off last debt with IMF|date=16 April 2007|work=Reuters|access-date=3 February 2020|language=en|archive-date=3 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203223211/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ecuador-referendum-imf-idUSN1522681220070416|url-status=live}}</ref>
The public finance of Ecuador consists of the Central Bank of Ecuador (BCE), the National Development Bank (BNF), the State Bank.

===Sciences and research===
[[File:NEE-01-PEGASO.jpg|left|thumb|[[Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency|EXA]]'s first satellite, [[NEE-01 Pegasus]]]]
Ecuador was placed in 96th position of innovation in technology in a 2013 [[World Economic Forum]] study.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131104000235/http://elcomercio.com/sociedad/Tecnologia-innovacion-emprendimiento-emprendedores-Ecuador-desarrollo-nuevasTecnologias_0_995900422.html Ecuador ocupa el puesto 96 en innovación tecnológica]. elcomercio.com. 19 September 2013</ref> Ecuador was ranked 113rd in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GII Innovation Ecosystems & Data Explorer 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/ecuador |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=WIPO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dutta |first1=Soumitra |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads |last2=Lanvin |first2=Bruno |publisher=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]] |year=2025 |isbn=978-92-805-3797-0 |page=19 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.58864 |access-date=2025-10-17}}</ref> The most notable icons in Ecuadorian sciences are the mathematician and cartographer [[Pedro Vicente Maldonado]], born in Riobamba in 1707, and the printer, independence precursor, and medical pioneer [[Eugenio Espejo]], born in 1747 in Quito. Among other notable Ecuadorian scientists and engineers are Lieutenant [[:es:José_Rodríguez_Labandera|Jose Rodriguez Labandera]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lavandera |first1=J.R. |date=27 December 2009 |url=http://m.expreso.ec/ediciones/2009/12/27/guayaquil/guayaquil/jose-rodriguez-lavandera--el-inventor/ |title=José rodríguez lavandera, el inventor |access-date=26 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510005403/http://m.expreso.ec/ediciones/2009/12/27/guayaquil/guayaquil/jose-rodriguez-lavandera--el-inventor/ |archive-date=10 May 2011 |website=expreso.ec }}</ref> a pioneer who built the first [[submarine]] in Latin America in 1837; [[:es:Reinaldo Espinosa Aguilar|Reinaldo Espinosa Aguilar]], a botanist and biologist of Andean flora; and [[:es:José Aurelio Dueñas|José Aurelio Dueñas]], a chemist and inventor of a method of textile serigraphy.

The major areas of scientific research in Ecuador have been in the medical fields, tropical and infectious diseases treatments, agricultural engineering, pharmaceutical research, and bioengineering. Being a small country and a consumer of foreign technology, Ecuador has favored research supported by entrepreneurship in information technology. The antivirus program ''Checkprogram'', banking protection system ''MdLock'', and Core Banking Software ''Cobis'' are products of Ecuadorian development.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eluniverso.com/2009/02/01/0217/220/3A2B9B57BD244019AC0760C8CBF7C0EB.html |title=Checkprogram press release |publisher=Eluniverso.com |access-date=24 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119052834/http://www.eluniverso.com/2009/02/01/0217/220/3A2B9B57BD244019AC0760C8CBF7C0EB.html |archive-date=19 January 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Tourism===
{{Main|Tourism in Ecuador}}

[[File:CUENCA (32126182143).jpg|thumb|[[Cuenca, Ecuador|Cuenca]], a UNESCO World Heritage city]]
[[File:Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Agua Santa, Baños, Ecuador (9469036870).jpg|thumb|Santuario Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Agua Santa in [[Baños de Agua Santa|Baños]]]]

Ecuador is a country with vast natural wealth. The diversity of its four regions has given rise to thousands of species of flora and fauna. It has approximately 1,640 kinds of birds. The species of butterflies border 4,500, the reptiles 345, the amphibians 358, and the mammals 258, among others. Ecuador is considered one of the 17 countries where the planet's highest biodiversity is concentrated, being also the largest country with diversity per km<sup>2</sup> in the world. Most of its fauna and flora live in 26 protected areas by the state.

The country has two cities with UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Quito and Cuenca, as well as two natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Galapagos Islands and Sangay National Park, in addition to one [[World Network of Biosphere Reserves|World Biosphere Reserve]], such as the Cajas Massif. Culturally, the [[toquilla]] [[straw hat]] and the culture of the [[Sápara|Zapara]] indigenous people are recognized. The most popular sites for national and foreign tourists have different nuances due to the various tourist activities offered by the country.

Among the main tourist destinations are:

*Nature attractions: [[Galápagos Islands]], [[Yasuni National Park]], [[El Cajas National Park]], [[Sangay National Park]], [[Podocarpus National Park]], [[Vilcabamba, Ecuador|Vilcabamba]], [[Baños de Agua Santa]].
*Cultural attractions: [[Quito|Historic center of Quito]], [[Ciudad Mitad del Mundo]], [[Ingapirca]], [[Cuenca, Ecuador|Historic center of Cuenca]], [[Latacunga]] and its [[Mama Negra]] festival.
*Snowy mountains: [[Antisana]] volcano, [[Cayambe (volcano)|Cayambe]] volcano, [[Chimborazo]] volcano, [[Cotopaxi]] volcano, [[Illiniza]]s volcanoes.
*Beaches: [[Atacames]], [[Bahía de Caráquez]], Crucita, [[Esmeraldas, Ecuador|Esmeraldas]], [[Manta, Ecuador|Manta]], [[Montañita]], [[Playas, Ecuador|Playas]], [[Salinas, Ecuador|Salinas]]

===Transport===
[[File:Quito Trole 06 2011 1933.jpg|thumb|The [[Trolleybuses in Quito|Trolebús]] bus rapid transit system that runs through [[Quito]]. It is the principal BRT in Ecuador.]]
[[File:Railways in Ecuador.svg|thumb|Railways in Ecuador]]
{{Main|Transport in Ecuador}}

The rehabilitation and reopening of the Ecuadorian railroad and use of it as a tourist attraction is one of the recent developments in transportation matters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ferrocarrilesdelecuador.gob.ec/ferrocarriles_en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=202:noticias-novedades-y-actualidad|title=News And Updates|author=David Grijalva|access-date=13 September 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201224446/http://www.ferrocarrilesdelecuador.gob.ec/ferrocarriles_en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=202%3Anoticias-novedades-y-actualidad|archive-date=1 February 2014}}</ref>

The roads of Ecuador in recent years have undergone important improvement. The major routes are Pan American (under enhancement from four to six lanes from Rumichaca to Ambato, the conclusion of four lanes on the entire stretch of Ambato and Riobamba and running via Riobamba to Loja). In the absence of the section between Loja and the border with Peru, there are the Route Espondilus or Ruta del Sol (oriented to travel along the Ecuadorian coastline) and the Amazon backbone (which crosses from north to south along the Ecuadorian Amazon, linking most and more major cities of it).

Another major project is developing the road Manta – Tena, the highway Guayaquil – Salinas Highway Aloag Santo Domingo, Riobamba – Macas (which crosses Sangay National Park). Other new developments include the National Unity bridge complex in Guayaquil, the bridge over the Napo river in Francisco de Orellana, the Esmeraldas River Bridge in the city of the same name, and, perhaps the most remarkable of all, the Bahia – San Vincente Bridge, being the largest on the Latin American Pacific coast.

[[Cuenca, Ecuador|Cuenca]]'s tramway is the largest public transport system in the city and the first modern tramway in Ecuador. It was inaugurated on 8 March 2019. It has {{convert|20.4|km|sp=us}} and 27 stations. It will transport 120,000 passengers daily. Its route starts in the south of Cuenca and ends in the north at the Parque Industrial neighborhood.

The [[Mariscal Sucre International Airport]] in Quito and the [[José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport]] in [[Guayaquil]] have experienced a high increase in demand and have required modernization. In the case of Guayaquil it involved a new air terminal, once considered the best in South America and the best in Latin America<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airportservicequalityawards.com/best-airport-size-2-5-million-passengers|title=Best airport in the world – 2–5 million passengers – ASQ Awards|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903133203/http://www.airportservicequalityawards.com/best-airport-size-2-5-million-passengers|archive-date=3 September 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> and in Quito where an entire new airport has been built in Tababela and was inaugurated in February 2013, with Canadian assistance. However, the main road leading from Quito city center to the new airport will only be finished in late 2014, making current travelling from the airport to downtown Quito as long as two hours during rush hour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://adventurecruisenews.com/2012/03/13/quito-ecuadors-new-airport-to-open-october-2012/|title=Quito, Ecuador's New Airport – Gateway to the Galápagos|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617035421/http://www.adventurecruisenews.com/2012/03/13/quito-ecuadors-new-airport-to-open-october-2012/|archive-date=17 June 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Quito's old city-center airport is being turned into parkland, with some light industrial use.

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Ecuador}}

{{see also|Ecuadorian people}}
{{Pie chart|thumb=right|caption=Racial groups in Ecuador (2022 census)<ref name="censoecuador">{{cite web|date=21 September 2023|title=Ecuador: Censo de Población y Vivienda 2022|url= https://www.censoecuador.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/InfoNacionalDatos.pdf|website= censoecuador.gob.ec|accessdate= 22 May 2024}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Mestizos]]
|value1 = 85.17
|color1 = #CBA481
|label2 = [[Indigenous peoples in Ecuador|Indigenous]]
|value2 = 7.69
|color2 = #BE7343
|label3 = [[Black Ecuadorians|Blacks]]
|value3 = 4.81
|color3 = #62402F
|label4 = [[White Latin Americans|Whites]]
|value4 = 2.21
|color4 = #FBC5A7
|label5 = Others
|value5 = 0.12
|color5 = Lightgray
}}

Ecuador's population is ethnically diverse and the {{UN_Population|Year}} estimates put Ecuador's population at {{UN_Population|Ecuador}}.{{UN_Population|ref}} The largest ethnic group ({{As of|2010|lc=y}}) is the ''[[Mestizo]]s'', who are mixed race people of Amerindian and European descent, typically from Spanish colonists, and constitute about 71% of the population (although including the [[Montubio]], a term used for coastal Mestizo population, brings this up to about 79%).

The White Ecuadorians are a minority, accounting for 6.1% of the population of Ecuador, and can be found throughout all of Ecuador, primarily around the urban areas. Even though Ecuador's white population during its colonial era were mainly descendants from Spain, today Ecuador's white population is a result of a mixture of European immigrants, predominantly from Spain with people from Italy, Germany, France, and Switzerland who have settled in the early 20th century. In addition, there is a small European Jewish ([[Ecuadorian Jews]]) population, who live mainly in Quito and to a lesser extent in Guayaquil.<ref name=ethn>{{cite web|url=http://www.eluniverso.com/2011/09/02/1/1356/poblacion-pais-joven-mestiza-dice-censo-inec.html|title=Población del país es joven y mestiza, dice censo del INEC – Data from the national census 2010 (2011-09-02)|author=EL UNIVERSO|work=El Universo|date=2 September 2011|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924055500/http://www.eluniverso.com/2011/09/02/1/1356/poblacion-pais-joven-mestiza-dice-censo-inec.html|archive-date=24 September 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> 5,000 [[Romani people]] live in Ecuador.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latinolife.co.uk/node/289|title=The Roma Gypsies of Colombia &#124; Latino Life|access-date=3 April 2021|archive-date=9 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409070112/https://www.latinolife.co.uk/node/289|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Ecuador also has a small population of Asian origins, mainly those from West Asia, like the economically well off descendants of Lebanese and Palestinian immigrants, who are either Christian or Muslim (see [[Islam in Ecuador]]), and an East Asian community mainly consisting of those of Japanese and Chinese descent, whose ancestors arrived as miners, farmhands and fishermen in the late 19th century.<ref name=CIA/>

[[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Amerindians]] account for 7% of the current population. The mostly rural Montubio population of the coastal provinces of Ecuador, who might be classified as [[Pardo]] account for 7.4% of the population.

The [[Afro-Ecuadorian people|Afro-Ecuadorians]] are a minority population (7%) in Ecuador, that includes the [[Mulatto]]s and ''[[zambo]]s'', and are largely based in the Esmeraldas province and to a lesser degree in the predominantly Mestizo provinces of Coastal Ecuador – Guayas and Manabi. In the Highland Andes where a predominantly Mestizo, white and Amerindian population exist, the African presence is almost non-existent except for a small community in the province of Imbabura called Chota Valley.

=== Largest cities ===
{{See also|List of cities in Ecuador}}

The five largest cities in the country are [[Quito]] (2.78 million inhabitants), [[Guayaquil]] (2.72 million inhabitants), [[Cuenca, Ecuador|Cuenca]] (636,996 inhabitants), [[Santo Domingo (Ecuador)|Santo Domingo]] (458,580 inhabitants), and [[Ambato, Ecuador|Ambato]] (387,309 inhabitants). The most populated metropolitan areas of the country are those of Guayaquil, Quito, Cuenca, Manabí Centro ([[Portoviejo]]-[[Manta, Ecuador|Manta]]) and Ambato.<ref name="Proyecciones Poblacionales">{{cite web|url=https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/proyecciones-poblacionales/|title=Proyecciones Poblacionales|access-date=25 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018060046/https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/proyecciones-poblacionales/|archive-date=18 October 2013|publisher=National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC)|url-status=dead|version=(in Spanish)}}</ref>
{{Largest cities
| country = Ecuador
| stat_ref = According to the 2020 population projections<ref name="auto"/>
| div_name = Province
| city_1 = Quito | div_1 = Pichincha Province{{!}}Pichincha | pop_1 = 2,781,641
| city_2 = Guayaquil | div_2 = Guayas Province{{!}}Guayas | pop_2 = 2,723,665
| city_3 = Cuenca, Ecuador{{!}}Cuenca | div_3 = Azuay Province{{!}}Azuay | pop_3 = 636,996
| city_4 = Santo Domingo, Ecuador{{!}}Santo Domingo | div_4 = Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province{{!}}Santo Domingo | pop_4 = 458,580
| city_5 = Ambato, Ecuador{{!}}Ambato | div_5 = Tungurahua Province{{!}}Tungurahua | pop_5 = 387,309
| city_6 = Portoviejo | div_6 = Manabí Province{{!}}Manabí | pop_6 = 321,800
| city_7 = Durán, Ecuador{{!}}Durán | div_7 = Guayas Province{{!}}Guayas | pop_7 = 315,724
| city_8 = Machala{{!}}Machala | div_8 = El Oro Province{{!}}El Oro | pop_8 = 289,141
| city_9 = Loja, Ecuador{{!}}Loja | div_9 = Loja Province{{!}}Loja | pop_9 = 274,112
| city_10 = Manta, Ecuador{{!}}Manta | div_10 = Manabí Province{{!}}Manabí | pop_10 = 264,281
| city_11 = Riobamba | div_11 = Chimborazo Province{{!}}Chimborazo | pop_11 = 264,048
| city_12 = Ibarra, Ecuador{{!}}Ibarra | div_12 = Imbabura Province{{!}}Imbabura | pop_12 = 221,149
| city_13 = Esmeraldas, Ecuador{{!}}Esmeraldas | div_13 = Esmeraldas Province{{!}}Esmeraldas | pop_13 = 218,727
| city_14 = Quevedo, Ecuador{{!}}Quevedo | div_14 = Los Ríos Province{{!}}Los Ríos | pop_14 = 213,842
| city_15 = Latacunga | div_15 = Cotopaxi Province{{!}}Cotopaxi | pop_15 = 205,624
| city_16 = Milagro, Ecuador{{!}}Milagro | div_16 = Guayas Province{{!}}Guayas | pop_16 = 199,835
| city_17 = Santa Elena, Ecuador{{!}}Santa Elena | div_17 = Santa Elena Province{{!}}Santa Elena | pop_17 = 188,821
| city_18 = Babahoyo | div_18 = Los Ríos Province{{!}}Los Ríos | pop_18 = 175,281
| city_19 = Daule, Guayas{{!}}Daule | div_19 = Guayas Province{{!}}Guayas | pop_19 = 173,684
| city_20 = Quinindé | div_20 = Esmeraldas Province{{!}}Esmeraldas | pop_20 = 145,879
}}

===Immigration and emigration===
{{See also|Emigration from Ecuador}}

Ecuador houses a small East Asian community mainly consisting of those of [[Japanese people|Japanese]] and [[Chinese people|Chinese]] descent, whose ancestors arrived as miners, farmhands and fishermen in the late 19th century.<ref name=CIA/>

In the early years of World War II, Ecuador still admitted a certain number of immigrants, and in 1939, when several South American countries refused to accept 165 [[Jewish]] refugees from Germany aboard the ship ''Koenigstein'', Ecuador granted them entry permits.<ref>
{{cite web
| url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Ecuador.html
| title=Ecuador: Virtual Jewish History Tour
| year=2004
| publisher=American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise
| access-date=23 June 2013
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928181112/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Ecuador.html
| archive-date=28 September 2013
| url-status=live
| df=mdy-all
}}
</ref>

Migration from [[Lebanon]] to Ecuador started as early as 1875.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eluniverso.com/2006/07/30/0001/14/A8D3581669B84C3188E1877EE5560D5E.html |website=La libanesa, una colonia con historia desde 1875 |publisher=El Universo |title=La libanesa, una colonia con historia desde 1875 |date=30 July 2006 |access-date=25 October 2022 |archive-date=25 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025170356/https://www.eluniverso.com/2006/07/30/0001/14/A8D3581669B84C3188E1877EE5560D5E.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Early impoverished migrants tended to work as independent sidewalk vendors, rather than as wage workers in agriculture or others' businesses.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Los Sirio-Libaneses En El Espacio Social Ecuatoriano |url=http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/jsa_0037-9174_1997_num_83_1_1677 |journal=Journal de la Société des Américanistes |year=1997 |volume=83 |issue=1 |pages=201–227 |doi=10.3406/jsa.1997.1677 |last1=Almeida |first1=Mónica |access-date=25 October 2022 |archive-date=30 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630032842/http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/jsa_0037-9174_1997_num_83_1_1677 |url-status=live }}</ref> Though they emigrated to escape Ottoman Turkish religious oppression, they were called "Turks" by Ecuadorians because they carried Ottoman passports.<ref>{{cite web |title=El Guayaquil que acogió a los migrantes extranjeros |date=16 October 2020 |url=https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/guayaquil-bicentenario/1/guayaquil-migrantes-extranjeros |publisher=El Telegrafo |access-date=26 October 2022 |archive-date=6 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306025858/https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/guayaquil-bicentenario/1/guayaquil-migrantes-extranjeros |url-status=live }}</ref> There were further waves of immigration in the first half of the 20th century; by 1930, there were 577 Lebanese immigrants and 489 of their descendants residing in the country. A 1986 estimate from Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated 100,000 Lebanese descendants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theidentitychef.com/2009/09/06/lebanese-diaspora-worldwide-geographical-distribution/|title=Archived copy|access-date=26 October 2022|archive-date=24 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024042758/http://theidentitychef.com/2009/09/06/lebanese-diaspora-worldwide-geographical-distribution|url-status=dead}}</ref> They reside mostly in Quito and Guayaquil. They are predominantly [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]].

In the early 1900s, there was immigration from [[Italians]], [[Germans]], [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], [[French people|French]], [[Britons]], [[Irish people|Irish]] and [[Greeks]]. The town of [[Ancón, Ecuador|Ancón]] experienced of wave of immigration from the UK starting in 1911, when the Government of Ecuador conceded 98 mines, occupying an area of 38,842 hectares, to the British oil company Anglo Ecuadorian Oilfields. Today, the Anglo American Oilfields or [[Anglo American plc]] is the world's largest producer of platinum, with around 40% of world output, as well as being a major producer of diamonds, copper, nickel, iron ore and steelmaking coal. [[Alberto Spencer]] is one famed Briton that hailed from Ancon. The town has now become an attraction due to the austere British homes in "El Barrio Ingles" situated in a contrasting tropical setting.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ventimilla |first1=Marcello |title=Ancón, la pequeña Inglaterra olvidada |url=https://anconlapequenainglaterraolvidada.home.blog/2019/08/07/ancon-la-pequena-inglaterra-olvidada/ |website=anconlapequenainglaterraolvidada |date=7 August 2019 |access-date=12 October 2022 |archive-date=12 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012072157/https://anconlapequenainglaterraolvidada.home.blog/2019/08/07/ancon-la-pequena-inglaterra-olvidada/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/B034x9IAEF4/?igshid=1eljg5ds5kiuh|title=Marcelo Veintimilla Macas on Instagram: "A 2 horas de Guayaquil se encuentra #Ancón, la tierra de Alberto Spencer. Entre 1911 y 1976 una compañía Inglesa se instaló en el lugar, dejando un legado de su cultura. Plasmado sobre todo en las casas del barrio ingles, que se ubica cerca de un acantilado."|access-date=12 October 2022|archive-date=12 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012073120/https://www.instagram.com/p/B034x9IAEF4/?igshid=1eljg5ds5kiuh|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the 1950s, the [[Italians]] were the third largest national group in terms of numbers of immigrants. It can be noted that, after World War I, people from [[Liguria]], still constituted the majority of the flow, even though they then represented only one third of the total number of immigrants in Ecuador. This situation came from the improvement of the economic situation in Liguria. The classic paradigm of the Italian immigrant today was not that of the small trader from Liguria as it had been before; those who emigrated to Ecuador were professionals and technicians, employees and religious people from South-Central Italy. It must be remembered that many immigrants, a remarkable number of Italians among them, moved to the Ecuadorian port from Peru to escape from the Peruvian war with Chile. The Italian government came to be more interested in the emigration phenomenon in Ecuador because of the necessity of finding an outlet for the large number of immigrants who traditionally went to the [[United States]] but who could no longer enter this country because of the [[Emergency Quota Act]] of 1921 that restricted immigration of Southern and Eastern Europeans as well as other "undesirables".

Most of these communities and their descendants are located in the [[Guayas Province|Guayas]] region of the country.<ref>{{cite journal
| url=https://journals.openedition.org/diasporas/1818
| title=Italians in the Americas
| journal=Diasporas. Circulations, Migrations, Histoire
| year=2011
| issue=19
| pages=72–81
| publisher=openjournal.com
| doi=10.4000/diasporas.1818
| access-date=7 September 2020
| df=mdy-all
| last1=Pagnotta
| first1=Chiara
| doi-access=free
| archive-date=28 November 2020
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128132952/https://journals.openedition.org/diasporas/1818
| url-status=live
}}</ref>

Throughout the 20th century, immigration also came from other [[Latin American]] countries due to civil wars, economic crises, and dictatorships.<ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |title=Ecuador Was a Retirement Paradise for Americans. Then the Drug Gangs Arrived. |url=https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/ecuador-retirement-paradise-drug-violence-e3beb062 |access-date=2024-05-20 |work=WSJ |language=en-US |archive-date=20 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520175447/https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/ecuador-retirement-paradise-drug-violence-e3beb062 |url-status=live }}</ref> The most notable are those coming from [[Argentina]], [[Chile]], and [[Uruguay]]. Starting from 2002, there has been an exponential and significant growth in [[Colombians|Colombian]] and [[Venezuelan]] refugees. Colombians have historically found refuge in its neighboring country during times of civil unrest. Recently, Venezuelans have become a notable presence in Ecuadorian cities as many flee the economic and political [[Venezuelan crisis]]. Authorities argue that an estimated 350,000 to 400,000 Colombians live in Ecuador, porous borders and lack of formal registration disallow concrete numbers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Colombianos en Ecuador vuelven a casa tras terremoto "para empezar de nuevo |url=https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2016/04/24/nota/5544354/colombianos-ecuador-vuelven-casa-tras-terremoto-empezar-nuevo/ |website=El Universo |date=25 April 2016 |access-date=11 November 2022 |archive-date=11 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111005659/https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2016/04/24/nota/5544354/colombianos-ecuador-vuelven-casa-tras-terremoto-empezar-nuevo/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

From 2007, the Ecuador government created multiple initiatives to attract Ecuadorians abroad mostly from the [[United States]], [[Italy]], and [[Spain]] to return after many left during the 90s economic crisis or [[La Decada Perdida]]. These policies resulted in the rapid and significant rise in the flow of returning nationals, most notably during the 2008 economic crisis that affected Europe and North America.<ref>{{cite news |title=Más del 70% de los ecuatorianos que viven en España quieren volver a su país |url=https://elpais.com/politica/2012/10/24/actualidad/1351079750_081442.html |website=El Pais |date=24 October 2012 |last1=Guede |first1=Araceli |access-date=11 November 2022 |archive-date=11 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111005648/https://elpais.com/politica/2012/10/24/actualidad/1351079750_081442.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Entre lágrimas, 14 ecuatorianos dejan España por la crisis y vuelven a su país |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/hoy/ct-hoy-8112614-entre-lagrimas-14-ecuatorianos-dejan-espana-por-la-crisis-y-vuelven-a-su-pais-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |date=4 July 2012 |access-date=11 November 2022 |archive-date=11 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111005644/https://www.chicagotribune.com/hoy/ct-hoy-8112614-entre-lagrimas-14-ecuatorianos-dejan-espana-por-la-crisis-y-vuelven-a-su-pais-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In recent years,{{when|date=July 2023}} Ecuador has grown in popularity among North American expatriates.<ref>
{{cite web
| url=https://vivatropical.com/ecuador/cuenca
| title=Cuenca Ecuador – How The American Dream Moved South
| year=2013
| publisher=vivatropical.com
| access-date=13 January 2015
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210110956/http://vivatropical.com/ecuador/cuenca/
| archive-date=10 February 2015
| url-status=live
| df=mdy-all
}}
</ref>

===Language===
{{main|Languages of Ecuador}}

{{bar box
|title=Languages in Ecuador<ref name="CIAPAPUANEWGUINEA">{{cite web|url= https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/papua-new-guinea/|title= Central America and Caribbean :: PAPUA NEW GUINEA|publisher= CIA The World Factbook|access-date= 9 August 2016|df= mdy-all|archive-date= 12 April 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210412232302/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/papua-new-guinea|url-status= live}}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Language
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Spanish language|Spanish]]|Blue| 93}}
{{bar percent|[[Quechuan languages|Kichwa]] |Orange|4.1}}
{{bar percent|Foreign  |Green| 2.2}}
{{bar percent|Other Indigenous |Red|0.7}}
}}
 
Spanish is the official language in Ecuador. It is spoken as a first (93%) or second language (6%) by the vast majority of its population. In 1991 Northern [[Kichwa]] (Quechua) and other pre-colonial American languages were spoken by 2,500,000. Ethnologues estimate that the country has about 24 living indigenous languages. Among the 24 are [[Awa Pit language|Awapit]] (spoken by the Awá), [[A'ingae]] (spoken by the Cofan), [[Shuar language|Shuar Chicham]] (spoken by the Shuar), [[Achuar-Shiwiar]] (spoken by the Achuar and the Shiwiar), [[Cha'palaachi]] (spoken by the Chachi), [[Tsafiki language|Tsa'fiki]] (spoken by the Tsáchila), [[Pai Coca language|Paicoca]] (spoken by the Siona and Secoya), and [[Waorani language|Wao Tededeo]] (spoken by the Waorani). Use of these Amerindian languages is gradually diminishing and being replaced by Spanish.

Most Ecuadorians speak Spanish as their first language, with its ubiquity permeating and dominating most of the country. Despite its small size, the country has a marked diversity in Spanish accents that vary widely among regions. [[Ecuadorian Spanish]] idiosyncrasies reflect the ethnic and racial populations that originated and settled the distinct areas of the country.

The three main regional variants are:
* [[Equatorial Pacific Spanish or Equatorial Coastal Spanish]]
* [[Andean Spanish]]
* [[Amazonic Spanish]]

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in Ecuador}}

{{bar box
|title=Religion in Ecuador (2014)<ref name="PewResearch">{{cite web|title=Religion in Latin America: Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/11/Religion-in-Latin-America-11-12-PM-full-PDF.pdf|access-date=17 December 2019|language=en|date=November 2014|archive-date=21 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021065936/http://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/11/Religion-in-Latin-America-11-12-PM-full-PDF.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Religion
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Catholic Church|Catholic]]|purple|79}}
{{bar percent|[[Protestant]]|blue|13}}
{{bar percent|[[Irreligion|Irreligious]]|Red|5}}
{{bar percent|Other|Green|3}}
}}

According to the Ecuadorian National Institute of Statistics and Census, 91.95% of the country's population have a religion, 7.94% are [[Atheism|atheists]] and 0.11% are [[Agnosticism|agnostics]]. Among the people who have a religion, 80.44% are [[Catholic Church in Ecuador|Catholic]], 11.30% are [[Evangelical]] [[Protestantism|Protestants]], 1.29% are [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] and 6.97% other (mainly Jewish, Buddhists and Latter-day Saints).<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.lahora.com.ec/index.php/noticias/show/1101377532/-1/El_80%25_de_ecuatorianos_es_cat%C3%B3lico.html El 80% de ecuatorianos es católico] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811033609/http://www.lahora.com.ec/index.php/noticias/show/1101377532/-1/El_80%25_De_ecuatorianos_es_cat%C3%B3lico.html |date=11 August 2013 }}. lahora.com.ec. 15 August 2012</ref><ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.eluniverso.com/2012/08/15/1/1382/80-ecuatorianos-afirma-ser-catolico-segun-inec.html El 80% de los ecuatorianos afirma ser católico, según el INEC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819020308/http://www.eluniverso.com/2012/08/15/1/1382/80-ecuatorianos-afirma-ser-catolico-segun-inec.html |date=19 August 2012 }}. eluniverso.com. 15 August 2012</ref>

In the rural parts of Ecuador, Amerindian beliefs and Catholicism are sometimes [[syncretism|syncretized]] into a local form of [[folk Catholicism]]. Most festivals and annual parades are based on religious celebrations, many incorporating a mixture of rites and icons.<ref>{{cite web |title=Religious Beliefs |date=25 April 2017 |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/religious-beliefs-in-ecuador.html |publisher=World Atlas |access-date=5 June 2024 |archive-date=5 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605215603/https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/religious-beliefs-in-ecuador.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:La Compañía, Quito - 6.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Church of La Compañía, Quito|Colonial Jesuit Convent of Quito]]]]
There is a small number of [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Christians]], Amerindian religions, Muslims (see [[Islam in Ecuador]]), [[Buddhist]]s and [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]]. According to their estimates, [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] accounts for about 1.4% of the population, or 211,165 members at the end of 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/ecuador|title=LDS Newsroom, Facts and Statistics, Ecuador|publisher=mormonnewsroom.org|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-date=28 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628002604/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/ecuador|url-status=live}}</ref> According to their sources there were 92,752 [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] in the country in 2017.<ref>2017 Service Year Report of Jehovah's Witnesses</ref>

The [[History of the Jews in Ecuador]] goes back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Until the 20th century, the majority were [[Sephardic]] with many [[Anusim]] ([[Crypto-Jews]]) among them. Ashkenazi Jews arrived mostly as refugees after the ascendance of [[Nazism|National Socialism]] in Germany in 1933, with 3,000 Jews in Ecuador in 1940. At its peak, in 1950, the Jewish population of Ecuador was estimated at 4,000, but then diminished to some 290 around 2020,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jewishmiami.org/communitypost/happening/37842/from_oy_to_joy_at_miami_jewish_film_festival|title=The Lost Sephardic Tribes of Latin America|work=Greater Miami Jewish Federation Community Post|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630161407/http://jewishmiami.org/communitypost/happening/37842/from_oy_to_joy_at_miami_jewish_film_festival|archive-date=30 June 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Ecuador.html |title=Jews in Ecuador |publisher=[[Jewish Virtual Library]] |access-date=22 January 2014 |archive-date=17 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717013541/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Ecuador.html |url-status=live }}</ref> forming one of the smallest Jewish communities in [[South America]]. Nevertheless, this number is declining because young people leave the country for the United States or Israel. Today, the Jewish Community of Ecuador (Comunidad Judía del Ecuador) has its seat in [[Quito]]. There are very small communities in [[Cuenca (Ecuador)|Cuenca]]. The "Comunidad de Culto Israelita" is the organization that represents the Jews of [[Guayaquil]]. This community works independently from the "Jewish Community of Ecuador" and is composed of only 30 people.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071103105731/http://www.congresojudio.org.ar/comunidades.asp?id=ecuador Población total 11,700,000 ~ Población judía 1000]. Congreso Judío</ref>

===Health===
{{Main|Health in Ecuador}}

[[File:HOSPITAL DE CALDERÓN 4 MAV (32808969935).jpg|thumb|Hospital Docente de Calderón, in Quito]]
The current structure of the Ecuadorian public health care system dates back to 1967.<ref>Larrea, Julio. "25 Años de Vida Institucional", Imprenta del Ministerio de Salud Publica, Quito 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.msp.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99:historia-del-ministerio-de-salud-publica&catid=68:historia&Itemid=61 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317184901/http://www.msp.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99:historia-del-ministerio-de-salud-publica&catid=68:historia&Itemid=61 |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 March 2012 |title=History of the Ministry of Public Health |publisher=Msp.gob.ec |access-date=24 February 2012 }}</ref> The Ministry of the Public Health (Ministerio de Salud Pública del Ecuador) is the responsible entity of the regulation and creation of the public health policies and health care plans. The Minister of Public Health is appointed directly by the President of the Republic.

The philosophy of the Ministry of Public Health is the social support and service to the most vulnerable population,<ref name=health>{{cite web |url=http://www.msp.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=97&Itemid=55 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005042709/http://www.msp.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=97&Itemid=55 |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 October 2010 |title=Program of the Ministry of Public Health – Ecuador |publisher=Msp.gob.ec |access-date=24 February 2012 }}</ref> and its main plan of action lies around communitarian health and preventive medicine.<ref name=health/> Many American medical groups often conduct [[medical mission]]s away from the big cities to provide medical health to poor communities.

The public healthcare system allows patients to be treated without an appointment in public general hospitals by general practitioners and specialists in the outpatient clinic (''Consulta Externa'') at no cost. This is done in the four basic specialties of pediatric, gynecology, clinic medicine, and surgery.<ref name=healths>{{cite web |url=http://www.msp.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63:mi-hospital-modelo&catid=41 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206032316/http://www.msp.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63:mi-hospital-modelo&catid=41 |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 December 2010 |title=Public health care network – Ministry of Public Health – Ecuador |publisher=Msp.gob.ec |access-date=24 February 2012 }}</ref> There are also public hospitals specialized to treat chronic diseases, target a particular group of the population, or provide better treatment in some medical specialties.

Although well-equipped general hospitals are found in the major cities or capitals of provinces, there are basic hospitals in the smaller towns and [[canton (country subdivision)|canton]] cities for family care consultation and treatments in pediatrics, gynecology, clinical medicine, and surgery.<ref name=healths/>

Community health care centers (Centros de Salud) are found inside metropolitan areas of cities and in rural areas. These are day hospitals that provide treatment to patients whose hospitalization is under 24 hours.<ref name=healths/>
The doctors assigned to rural communities, where the Amerindian population can be substantial, have small clinics under their responsibility for the treatment of patients in the same fashion as the day hospitals in the major cities. The treatment in this case respects the culture of the community.<ref name=healths/>

The public healthcare system should not be confused with the Ecuadorian Social Security healthcare service, which is dedicated to individuals with formal employment and who are affiliated obligatorily through their employers. Citizens with no formal employment may still contribute to the social security system voluntarily and have access to the medical services rendered by the social security system. The Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security (IESS) has several major hospitals and medical sub-centers under its administration across the nation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iess.gob.ec/site.php?content=1669-servicios |title=Medical Services – Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social |publisher=Iess.gob.ec |date=19 February 2010 |access-date=24 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221154355/http://www.iess.gob.ec/site.php?content=1669-servicios |archive-date=21 February 2012 }}</ref>

Ecuador currently ranks 20, in most [[World Health Organization ranking of health systems|efficient health care countries]], compared to 111 back in the year 2000.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/visual-data/best-and-worst/most-efficient-health-care-countries | work=Bloomberg | title=Most Efficient Health Care: Countries – Bloomberg Best (and Worst) | access-date=6 March 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906224923/http://www.bloomberg.com/visual-data/best-and-worst/most-efficient-health-care-countries | archive-date=6 September 2014 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref> Ecuadorians have a life expectancy of 77.1 years.<ref>{{cite web|publisher = CIA|work = The World Factbook|title = Country Comparison: Life Expectancy at Birth|url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/fields/355rank.html|access-date = 18 July 2019|archive-date = 16 June 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190616191031/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/fields/355rank.html|url-status = dead}}</ref> The infant mortality rate is 13 per 1,000 live births,<ref name=free/> a major improvement from approximately 76 in the early 1980s and 140 in 1950.<ref name=cs>{{csref
|country=ecuador
|section=Labor
|author=Rex A. Hudson
}}</ref> Almost a quarter, or 23%, of children under five are chronically malnourished.<ref name=free/> Population in some rural areas have no access to potable water, and its supply is provided by mean of water tankers. There are 686 malaria cases per 100,000 people.<ref name="fightingdiseases.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.fightingdiseases.org/main/country.php?country_id=53 |title=Ecuador |website=Campaign for Fighting Diseases |access-date=4 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026002741/http://www.fightingdiseases.org/main/country.php?country_id=53 |archive-date=26 October 2007 }}</ref> Basic health care, including doctor's visits, basic surgeries, and basic medications, has been provided free since 2008.<ref name=free>{{cite web|author=Olsont, David|url=http://www.pe.com/reports/2009/ecuador/stories/PE_News_Local_S_ecuador_system20.15cd6e8.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225065825/http://www.pe.com/reports/2009/ecuador/stories/PE_News_Local_S_ecuador_system20.15cd6e8.html |archive-date=25 December 2010 |title=Still in its infancy, Ecuador's free health care has growing pains &#124; Special Reports |publisher=PE.com |date=19 September 2009 |access-date=26 June 2010}}</ref> However, some public hospitals are in poor condition and often lack necessary supplies to attend the high demand of patients. Private hospitals and clinics are well equipped but still expensive for the majority of the population.

Between 2008 and 2016, new public hospitals have been built. In 2008, the government introduced universal and compulsory social security coverage. In 2015, corruption remains a problem. Overbilling is recorded in 20% of public establishments and in 80% of private establishments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.medelu.org/La-dificil-construccion-de-la |date=2018 |title=La difícil construcción de la sanidad pública en Ecuador|last=Ramirez|first=Loïc|website=Mémoire des luttes|language=fr|access-date=28 June 2019|archive-date=15 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515225613/http://www.medelu.org/La-dificil-construccion-de-la|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Education===
{{main|Education in Ecuador}}

[[File:2022-05-20 Universidad de las Artes Guayaquil 01.jpg|thumb|University of the Arts in [[Guayaquil]]]]

The Ecuadorian Constitution requires that all children attend school until they achieve a "basic level of education", which is estimated at nine school years.<ref name=ilab>{{cite web|title=Ecuador|url=http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/ecuador.htm|work=The Department of Labor's 2001 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor|publisher=[[Bureau of International Labor Affairs]], U.S. Department of Labor |year=2002|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503214040/http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/ecuador.htm|archive-date=3 May 2010}}</ref> In 1996, the net primary enrollment rate was 96.9%, and 71.8% of children stayed in school until the fifth grade/age 10.<ref name=ilab/> The cost of primary and secondary education is borne by the government, but families often face significant additional expenses such as fees and transportation costs.<ref name=ilab/>

Provision of public schools falls far below the levels needed, and class sizes are often very large, and families of limited means often find it necessary to pay for education.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The debate over private and public provisions of education {{!}} Capacity4dev|url=https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/articles/debate-over-private-and-public-provisions-education|access-date=23 September 2020|website=europa.eu|archive-date=15 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215141622/https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/articles/debate-over-private-and-public-provisions-education|url-status=live}}</ref> In rural areas, only 10% of the children go on to high school.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ricardo|first=Gomez|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJkjMBI7BKYC&q=ecuador+In+rural+areas%2C+only+10%25+of+the+children+go+on+to+high+school.%5B&pg=PA202|title=Libraries, Telecentres, Cybercafes and Public Access to ICT: International Comparisons: International Comparisons|date=31 July 2011|publisher=IGI Global|isbn=978-1-60960-772-2|language=en|access-date=31 October 2020|archive-date=29 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129021941/https://books.google.com/books?id=bJkjMBI7BKYC&q=ecuador+In+rural+areas%2C+only+10%25+of+the+children+go+on+to+high+school.%5B&pg=PA202#v=snippet&q=ecuador%20In%20rural%20areas%2C%20only%2010%25%20of%20the%20children%20go%20on%20to%20high%20school.%5B&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> In a 2015 report, The Ministry of Education states that in 2014 the mean number of school years completed in rural areas is 7.39 as compared to 10.86 in urban areas.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ministerio de Educación del Ecuador |title=Estadística Educativa, Reporte de indicadores |date=March 2015 |volume=1 |issue=1 |url=https://educacion.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2017/06/PUB_EstadisticaEducativaVol1_mar2015.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720135411/https://educacion.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2017/06/PUB_EstadisticaEducativaVol1_mar2015.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 July 2020 |access-date=23 October 2021 }}</ref>
{{Clear}}

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Ecuador}}

[[File:Cañari people 01.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Cañari]] children with the typical Andean indigenous clothes]]
[[File:Alicia Cahuiya, Caso Tagaeri y Taromenani.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Huaorani people|Waorani]] man with the typical Amazonian indigenous clothes]]

Ecuador's dominant culture is defined by its ''[[mestizo]]'' majority and, like its ancestry, is traditionally of Spanish heritage, influenced in different degrees by Amerindian traditions and in some cases by Spanish elements non-Europeans and Africans. The first and most substantial wave of modern immigration to Ecuador consisted of Spanish colonist, following the arrival of Europeans in 1499. A lower number of other Europeans and North Americans migrated to the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and in smaller numbers, Poles, Lithuanians, English, Irish, Croatians and some cases from Asia during and after the Second World War.

Ecuador's Amerindian communities are integrated into the mainstream culture to varying degrees,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.south-images.com/photos-andes-ecuador.htm|title=Photos Indigenous people of Ecuador|author=Elisabeth Hurtel|publisher=South-images.com|access-date=13 September 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911181907/http://www.south-images.com/photos-andes-ecuador.htm|archive-date=11 September 2012}}</ref> but some may also practice their own native cultures, particularly the more remote Amerindian communities of the [[Amazon basin]]. Spanish is spoken as the first language by more than 90% of the population and as a first or second language by more than 98%. Part of Ecuador's population can speak [[Amerindian]] languages; in some cases, they are used as a second language. Two percent of the population speak only Amerindian languages.

===Art===
[[File:Yapanga de Quito con traje que usa esta clase de mujeres que tratan de agradar 01.jpg|thumb|left|Ecuador has a wide repertoire of colonial art in the country and other museums, like this [[Criollo people|criolla]] Yapanga from colonial Quito, in 1783, by [[Vicente Albán]]. [[Museo de América|Museo de América, Madrid]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.culturaydeporte.gob.es/museodeamerica/coleccion/america-virreinal/colonial/vicente-alb-n.html|title=Yapanga de Quito|author=Vicente Albán|year=1783|website=[[Museo de América]] website|location=Spain|access-date=19 October 2022|archive-date=19 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019170730/https://www.culturaydeporte.gob.es/museodeamerica/coleccion/america-virreinal/colonial/vicente-alb-n.html|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

The best known art styles from Ecuador belonged to the ''[[Escuela Quiteña]]'' (Quito School), which developed from the 16th to 18th centuries, examples of which are on display in various old churches in Quito. [[Ecuadorian painters]] include [[Eduardo Kingman]], [[Oswaldo Guayasamín]], and [[Camilo Egas]] from the Indiginist Movement; [[Manuel Rendón]], Jaime Zapata, [[Enrique Tábara]], [[Aníbal Villacís]], [[Theo Constanté]], [[Luis Molinari]], [[Araceli Gilbert]], [[Judith Gutiérrez]], [[Félix Aráuz]], and [[Estuardo Maldonado]] from the Informalist Movement; [[Teddy Cobeña]] from expressionism and figurative style<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.europapress.es/comunicados/empresas-00908/noticia-comunicadolas-esculturas-teddy-cobena-favoritas-publico-20161219153436.html|title=Las esculturas de Teddy Cobeña las favoritas del público|work=Europa Press|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202083751/http://www.europapress.es/comunicados/empresas-00908/noticia-comunicadolas-esculturas-teddy-cobena-favoritas-publico-20161219153436.html|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pressreader.com/ecuador/diario-expreso/20150505/282346858369317|title=Teddy Cobeña expondrá en Europa y Asia|work=Diario Expreso|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202040506/http://www.pressreader.com/ecuador/diario-expreso/20150505/282346858369317|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.eldiario.ec/noticias-manabi-ecuador/382480-madrid-guarda-arte-manabita/|title=Madrid guarda arte manabita|work=El Diario de Ecuador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202034803/http://www.eldiario.ec/noticias-manabi-ecuador/382480-madrid-guarda-arte-manabita/|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> and Luis Burgos Flor with his abstract, futuristic style. The Amerindian people of Tigua, Ecuador, are also world-renowned for their [[Culture of Ecuador#Indigenous art of Tigua|traditional paintings]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Colloredo-Mansfeld |first1=Rudi |title=Space, line and story in the invention of an Andean aesthetic |journal=Journal of Material Culture |date=21 March 2011 |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=3–23 |doi=10.1177/1359183510394945|s2cid=143580656 }}</ref>
{{Clear}}

===Literature===
{{Main|Ecuadorian literature}}

[[File:Jmontalvo.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Juan Montalvo]]]]

Early literature in colonial Ecuador, as in the rest of Spanish America, was influenced by the [[Spanish Golden Age]]. One of the earliest examples is [[Jacinto Collahuazo]],<ref name =Boceto>Borja, Piedad (1972). [http://revistas.ucm.es/fll/02104547/articulos/ALHI7272110053A.PDF "Boceto de Poesía Ecuatoriana"]. ''Journal de la Academia de Literatura Hispanoamericana''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503184150/http://revistas.ucm.es/fll/02104547/articulos/ALHI7272110053A.PDF |date=3 May 2011 }}</ref> an Amerindian chief of a northern village in today's Ibarra, born in the late 1600s. Despite the early repression and discrimination of the native people by the Spanish, Collahuazo learned to read and write in [[Spanish language|Castilian]], but his work was written in [[Quechua languages|Quechua]]. The use of [[Quipu]] was banned by the Spanish,<ref>Robertson, W.S., ''History of the Latin-American Nations'', 1952</ref> and in order to preserve their work, many Inca poets had to resort to the use of the Latin alphabet to write in their native Quechua language. The history behind the Inca drama "Ollantay", the oldest literary piece in existence for any Amerindian language in America,<ref>Karnis, ''Surviving Pre-Columbian Drama'', The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1952</ref> shares some similarities with the work of Collahuazo. Collahuazo was imprisoned and all of his work burned. The existence of his literary work came to light many centuries later, when a crew of masons was restoring the walls of a colonial church in Quito and found a hidden manuscript. The salvaged fragment is a Spanish translation from Quechua of the "Elegy to the Dead of Atahualpa",<ref name =Boceto/> a poem written by Collahuazo, which describes the sadness and impotence of the Inca people of having lost their king Atahualpa.

Other early Ecuadorian writers include the Jesuits [[Juan Bautista Aguirre]], born in [[Daule Canton|Daule]] in 1725, and Father [[Juan de Velasco]], born in Riobamba in 1727. Famous authors from the late colonial and early republic period include [[Eugenio Espejo]], a printer and main author of the first newspaper in Ecuadorian colonial times; [[Jose Joaquin de Olmedo]] (born in Guayaquil), famous for his ode to [[Simón Bolívar]] titled ''Victoria de Junin''; [[Juan Montalvo]], a prominent essayist and novelist; [[Juan Leon Mera]], famous for his work "Cumanda" or "Tragedy among Savages" and the Ecuadorian National Anthem; Juan A. Martinez with ''A la Costa''; Dolores Veintimilla;<ref>Dolores Veintimilla [http://teachers.cmsfq.edu.ec/high/Assignments/D%C3%A9cimo%20Primer%20Grado/AP%20Spanish%20Language%20-%20D%20-%20Diego%20Chauvin/Dolores_Veintimilla_de_Ga%5B1%5D.doc Brief biography] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425092612/http://teachers.cmsfq.edu.ec/high/Assignments/D%C3%A9cimo%20Primer%20Grado/AP%20Spanish%20Language%20-%20D%20-%20Diego%20Chauvin/Dolores_Veintimilla_de_Ga%5B1%5D.doc |date=25 April 2012 }}</ref> and others.

Contemporary Ecuadorian writers include the novelist [[Jorge Enrique Adoum]]; the poet [[Jorge Carrera Andrade]]; the essayist [[Benjamín Carrión]]; the poets Medardo Angel Silva, Jorge Carrera Andrade, [[Emanuel Xavier]] and [[Luis Costales|Luis Alberto Costales]]; the novelist Enrique Gil Gilbert; the novelist [[Jorge Icaza]] (author of the novel ''Huasipungo'', translated to many languages); the short story author Pablo Palacio; and the novelist Alicia Yanez Cossio.

===Music===
{{Main|Music of Ecuador}}

The music of Ecuador has a long history. [[Pasillo]] is a genre of indigenous Latin music. In Ecuador it is the "national genre of music". Through the years, many cultures have brought their influences together to create new types of music. There are also different kinds of traditional music like albazo, pasacalle, fox incaico, tonada, capishca, [[Bomba (Ecuador)|Bomba]] (highly established in Afro-Ecuadorian societies), and so on. [[Tecnocumbia]] and Rockola are clear examples of the influence of foreign cultures. One of the most traditional forms of dancing in Ecuador is [[Sanjuanito]]. It is originally from northern Ecuador ([[Otavalo (city)|Otavalo]]-Imbabura). Sanjuanito is a type of dance music played during festivities by the mestizo and Amerindian communities. According to the Ecuadorian musicologist Segundo Luis Moreno, Sanjuanito was danced by Amerindian people during San Juan Bautista's birthday. This important date was established by the Spaniards on 24 June, coincidentally the same date when Amerindian people celebrated their rituals of [[Inti Raymi]].

===Media===
{{main|Television in Ecuador|List of newspapers in Ecuador}}

===Cuisine===
{{main|Ecuadorian cuisine}}

{{see also|List of Ecuadorian dishes and foods}}
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| image1            = Ceviche_de_camarón_(gastronomía_Ecuatoriana).jpg
| width1            = 150
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = 
| image2            = Cuy Guinea Pig Dish SG.jpg
| width2            = 154
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = 
| footer            = ''Ceviche ecuatoriano'' (Ecuadorian-style [[ceviche]]) and ''Cuy asado'' (grilled [[guinea pig]]) are some of the typical dishes.
}}

[[Ecuadorian cuisine]] is diverse, varying with the altitude, associated agricultural conditions, and ethnic/racial communities. Most regions in Ecuador follow the traditional three-course meal of soup, a course that includes rice and a protein, and then dessert and coffee to finish.

In the coastal region, seafood is very popular, with fish, shrimp, and ''[[ceviche]]'' being an integral part of the diet. Beef is also notably consumed in the coastal region, traditional dishes are [[churrasco]] and arroz con menestra y carne asada (rice with beans and grilled beef) served with [[Tostones|fried plantain]]. The latter is an emblematic dish of the city of [[Guayaquil]]. Meat based dishes have their origins in the cattle ranching culture of the [[Montubio]] people.

[[Ceviche]] is an indispensable coastal dish with pre-incan origins. It is often served with fried plantain ([[chifle]]s or patacones), popcorn, or [[tostada (tortilla)|tostado]]. [[Plantain (cooking)|Plantain]]- and peanut-based dishes are quite frequent in the coastal region reflecting the West African roots of many of its citizens. Encocados (dishes that contain a coconut sauce) are also very popular in the northern coast centering around the city of [[Esmeraldas, Ecuador|Esmeraldas]]. The coast is also a leading producer of [[banana]]s, [[cocoa bean]]s (to make chocolate), shrimp, [[tilapia]], [[mango]], and [[Passiflora edulis|passion fruit]], among other products.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

[[Pan de yuca]], analogous with the Brazilian [[pão de queijo]], is served with "yogur persa" and is often eaten as a snack in many coastal cities. Its origin comes from the Persian and Middle Eastern populations that settled the coast.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://emprendimientoshoy.com/comida-y-bebida/yogurt-persa-de-ecuador-a-argentina-y-latinoamerica/ | title=Yogurt Persa: De Ecuador a Argentina y Latinoamérica | date=August 2021 | access-date=19 March 2023 | archive-date=25 March 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325202523/https://emprendimientoshoy.com/comida-y-bebida/yogurt-persa-de-ecuador-a-argentina-y-latinoamerica/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

In the highland region, various dishes of pork, chicken, and ''cuy'' (guinea pig)<ref>(Perez, M. (2019) Eat Like a Local – Ecuador, CZYK Publishing, p. 24, {{ISBN|9798607903664}})</ref> are popular and are served with a variety of grains (especially rice and [[Mote (food)|mote]]) or potatoes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Duarte-Casar |first1=Rodrigo |last2=Robalino-Vallejo |first2=Jessica |last3=Buzetta-Ricaurte |first3=María Fernanda |last4=Rojas-Le-Fort |first4=Marlene |date=12 May 2022 |title=Toward a characterization of Ecuadorian ceviche: much more than shrimp |journal=Journal of Ethnic Foods |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=16 |doi=10.1186/s42779-022-00131-w |s2cid=248725703 |issn=2352-6181|doi-access=free }}</ref> The consumption of "Cuy" or [[Guinea Pig]], de rigueur in mostly indigenous communities, reflects the predominantly native character of the highlands. Considered a delicacy it is often characterized as having a mild pork flavor.

In the Amazon region, a dietary staple is the ''yuca'', elsewhere called [[cassava]]. Many fruits are available in this region, including [[banana]]s, [[Cyphostemma juttae|tree grapes]], and [[Bactris gasipaes|peach palm]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ecuador's Exports – Fruit Galore|url=https://www.ecuador.com/blog/ecuadors-exports-fruit-galore/|access-date=22 April 2021|website=Ecuador.com|language=en-US|archive-date=22 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422235059/https://www.ecuador.com/blog/ecuadors-exports-fruit-galore/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Sports===
{{Main|Sport in Ecuador}}

The most popular [[sport in Ecuador]], as in most South American countries, is football. Its best known professional teams include; [[Club Sport Emelec|Emelec]] from Guayaquil, [[LDU Quito|Liga De Quito]] from Quito; [[Barcelona S.C.]] from Guayaquil, [[Independiente del Valle]] from Sangolqui, the most popular team in Ecuador, also the team with most local championships; [[Sociedad Deportivo Quito|Deportivo Quito]], and [[Club Deportivo El Nacional|El Nacional]] from Quito; [[Centro Deportivo Olmedo|Olmedo]] from Riobamba; and [[Club Deportivo Cuenca|Deportivo Cuenca]] from Cuenca. Currently the most successful football team in Ecuador is LDU Quito, and it is the only Ecuadorian team that has won the ''[[Copa Libertadores]]''; they were also runners-up in the [[2008 FIFA Club World Cup]]. The [[Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo]] is the tenth largest football stadium in South America. The [[Ecuador national football team]] has appeared at four [[FIFA World Cup]]s.

[[File:Estadio Monumental 6.JPG|thumb|center|[[Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo]] of Guayaquil|alt=]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Ecuador|Latin America}}
* <!-- {{wikipedia books link|Ecuador}} -->
* [[Outline of Ecuador]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* Ades, H. and Graham, M. (2010) ''The Rough Guide to Ecuador'', Rough Guides
* Becker, M. (2008) ''Indians and Leftists in the Making of Ecuador's Modern Indigenous Movements'', Duke University Press Books
* Becker, M. and Clark, A. K. (2007) ''Highland Indians and the State in Modern Ecuador'', University of Pittsburgh Press
* Blakenship, J. (2005) ''Cañar: A Year in the Highlands of Ecuador'', University of Texas Press
* Brown, J. and Smith, J. (2009) ''Moon Guidebook: Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands'', Avalon Travel Publishing
* Crowder, N. (2009) ''Culture Shock! Ecuador: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette'', Marshall Cavendish Corporation
* Gerlach, A. (2003) ''Indians, Oil, and Politics: A Recent History of Ecuador'', SR Books
* Handelsman, M. H. (2008) ''Culture and Customs of Ecuador'', Greenwood
* Hurtado, O. (2010) ''Portrait of a Nation: Culture and Progress in Ecuador'', Madison Books
* O'Connor, E. (2007) ''Gender, Indian, Nation: The Contradictions of Making Ecuador, 1830–1925'', University of Arizona Press
* Pineo, R. (2007) ''Ecuador and the United States: Useful Strangers'', University of Georgia Press
* Roos, W. and Van Renterghem, O. (2000) ''Ecuador in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture'', Latin America Bureau
* Sawyer, S. (2004) ''Crude Chronicles: Indigenous Politics, Multinational Oil, and Neoliberalism in Ecuador'', Duke University Press Books
* Striffler, S. (2001) ''In the Shadows of State and Capital: The United Fruit Company, Popular Struggle, and Agrarian Restructuring in Ecuador – 1900–1995'', Duke University Press Books
* Torre, C. de la and Striffler, S. (2008) ''The Ecuador Reader: History, Culture, Politics'', Duke University Press Books
* Various (2010) ''Insight Guidebook: Ecuador & Galápagos'', Insight Guides
* Various (2009) ''Lonely Planet Guide: Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands'', Lonely Planet
* Whitten, N. E. (2011) ''Histories of the Present: People and Power in Ecuador'', University of Illinois Press
* Whitten, N. E. (2003) ''Millennial Ecuador: Critical Essays on Cultural Transformations and Social Dynamics'', University Of Iowa Press
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Ecuador|n=Category:Ecuador}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120816030007/http://www.presidencia.gob.ec/ President of Ecuador] {{in lang|es}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081210074056/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-e/ecuador.html CIA Library Site: Chief of State and Cabinet Members]
* [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ecuador/ Ecuador]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080607084748/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/ecuador.htm Ecuador] at UCB Libraries GovPubs
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1212882.stm Ecuador profile] from the [[BBC News]]
* {{wikiatlas|Ecuador}}
* {{osmrelation-inline|108089|bullet=no}}

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