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The
smallest country in the rugged Andean highlands, Ecuador is
among the most rewarding travel destinations in South America.
With its array of vibrant indigenous cultures, well preserved
colonial architecture, otherworldly volcanic landscapes and
dense rainforest, it packs its perimeters with more points
of interest than many countries twice its size. Touch down
in its picture-perfect capital, Quito, and you are no more
than a day's drive from a slog through all-swallowing Amazonian
jungle, a snow swept ascent of an active volcano, a sociable
haggle with indigenous artesanos or a welcome wallow on a
tropical beach. And all that in a nation no bigger than the
US state of Nevada.
Squint
your eyes at a map of the region and Ecuador looks something
like a grinning skull, gazing across the Pacific at its lone
'overseas' holding, the blissfully distant Galápagos
Islands. Owned by Ecuador since 1832, the far-flung islands
are lauded as one of the world's greatest natural history
treasures, their unique diversity of plant and animal life
providing a living textbook for ecologists and oglers alike.
It'll cost you plenty to get out to see them, but when you
weigh that against the immense affordability of mainland adventuring
and the rarity of the experience, you'll be hard pressed to
let your purse strings tie you down
Full
country name: Republic of Ecuador
Area: 283,520 sq km (175,780 sq mi)
Population: 12,920,092 (growth rate: 2.1%)
Capital city: Quito (pop 1.5 million)
People: 40% mestizo, 40% Indian, 15% Spanish descent, 5% African
descent
Language: Spanish, Quechua, Quichua, other indigenous languages
Religion: Over 90% Roman Catholic, small minority of other Christian
denominations
Government: Democracy
President: Lucio Gutiérrez
GDP:
US$58.7 billion
GDP per head: US$4,800
Inflation:43%
Major industries: Oil, bananas, shrimp, fish, coffee, textiles,
metal work, paper products, wood products, chemicals, plastics,
fishing, lumber
Major trading partners: US, Latin America, EU, Asia, Caribbean
Ecuador
Flight from UK
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