Capital city: Quito  (pop 1.3 million) Area: 283,520 sq km ( Population: 13.7million People: 40% mestizo, 40% Indian, 15% Spanish descent, 5% African descent  Language: - Spanish, plus Quechua and indigenous languages Religion: Over 90% Roman Catholic, small minority of other Christian denominations Government: Republic Currency: Sucre

Ecuador in Brief:   

In a small area straddling the equator, the country is divided from north to south by the Andean Cordillera, forming three regions: the Coast, the Andes, and the the Amazon.  Ecuador  is one of the world's most biologically diverse countries. It has some of the oldest rain forest, the  highest active volcano, and the amazing archipelago of the  Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean -some 1000 km (620 mi) west of the mainland.

Quito - at 9,360 feet - the national capital, sits centered at the northern end of the country in an Andean valley only 22 km (14 mi) south of the equator, it has a wonderful spring-like climate in a spectacular setting surrounded by several snowcapped volcanoes standing sentinel in the distance.  Architecturally, Quito has an abundance of colonial treasures.  Ecuador's colonial religious architecture is predominantly baroque, and modern building has been strictly controlled in the old town since 1978, when it was declared a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO. 

Ecuador is rich in natural attractions to explore.  One of Ecuador's greatest treasures is the Galapagos, a paradise of ecotourism.  The Galapagos are the result of volcanic eruptions some three to five million years ago, and their unusual wildlife inspired Darwin to write "The origin of the Species".For the visitor, Ecuador is relatively undiscovered; it takes only thirty minutes by plane from Quito, to hop over the snowcapped Andes to a thriving Andean culture.  A little further lies the Amazon Basin, where indigenous tribes strive to maintain their way of life. A few hours more by boat takes you to rain forest lodges where you can explore the jungle on foot, by boat, or canoe. The rain forest is a paradise for bird watching in cloud forests or  rafting wild rivers.  The coast bears the legacy of Spanish colonialism and is the home of the Panama hat, or Guayaquil,  Ecuador's other main city (and its only major port), basks on the sweltering southern coast just north of the Peruvian border. In the Andes the City of Cuenca, the third largest city in Ecuador there is a  a number of stunning Colonial buildings, cobble stone streets, plazas and patios. The small town of Otavalo is famous for its Saturday Indian market, the oldest in Latin America, which dates back to pre-Inca times. The Otaveleños who host it do so in their traditional dress, which is how they dress every day. 

Ecuador has six national parks, seven other reserves, and more than 20 privately protected areas.  Tourism here is being developed sensitively, with many outfitters and tour companies following ecotourism principles.  In fact, some 65 percent of all organized travel to Ecuador is represented by members of the Ecuadorean Ecotourism Association, the first organization of its kind in Latin America, which has joined government and private sectors in an effort to ensure sustainable development through environmental awareness. 

The Amazon, Oriente,  experiences rain all year round - July and August are the wettest months, September through December the driest.  It is usually as hot here as it is on the coast.

Top photos by Enrique Aquilar: Lake Cuicocha; culturas Amazonicas; Islas Galápagos; Majestuoso volcán Chimborazo.. Bottom photos Courtesy of Consulate of Ecuador in NY