Ecuador Essay, Research Paper

Ecuador

I picked this country because when we saw the video on Ecuador it made me want to learn more about the country. Ecuador has a population approximately 10,500,000 and is a little bit smaller than Nevada. 85% of the people aged 15 or older are literate. The Galapagos Islands are also part of Ecuador and the total population is about 10,000 people. Guayaquil is the most densely populated city which has a population of 1,800,000. The 2nd most densely populated city is Quito, the country’s capital, which has a population of 1,200,000. Ecuador is divided into 21 providence’s and the government system is about the same as ours, with an Executive Office, a Legislative Office, and a Judicial Office.

The official language of Ecuador is Spanish, but fortunately in tourists attracted area’s many people speak English, French, and German such as Quito. Although the Catholic religion is predominant, churches of many faiths will be found throughout the country. There are ten Indian-nationalities, each one with its own distinctive language and customs, making Ecuador a fascinating multi-cultural country.

The Spanish first landed on the coast of what is now Ecuador in 1526, led by Bartolom? Ruiz. Spanish conquistadors under Francisco Pizarro invaded the country in 1532 and two years later were in control of the area. Pizarro, acting in the name of the Spanish crown, appointed his brother Gonzalo governor of Quito on December 1, 1540. A short time later Francisco Pizarro was assassinated, and Gonzalo Pizarro led a rebellion against Spain. His independent rule lasted until April 9, 1548, when forces of the Crown defeated his army at Jaquijaguana and he was executed.

Ecuador’s people mainly grow food and sell it for profit.. Ecuador’s exports are mostly bananas, coffee, cocoa, shrimp, tuna fish, canned tropical fruits, etc. Ecuador’s imports are transportation equipment, machinery, metal, and chemicals. Mineral resources include petroleum, gold, silver, lead, zinc, salt, copper, iron, coal, and sulfur. Forests cover over 50% of Ecuador.

The currency in Ecuador is a sucre named for Field Marshall Antonio Jose de Sucre. The sucre is divided into 100 centavos. By the way, 3045 sucres equal 1 US dollar. I think one interesting thing about this country is that they only have 445 radio stations, 900,000 T.V.’s that are in the peoples homes, 40 newspapers, and can you believe this, there are only 15 television channels. In this country, it does not cost anything to trade in your money, but only if you trade the money in a bank or a exchange house.

Good places to visit may be, Quito, the country’s capital. It is said to have many amazing sites and you can look at Mr. VB’s Video to see more great places to visit in Ecuador. In that movie, they showed some amazing things about Ecuador, but it also had its bad points.

In conclusion, I think I would definitely visit this country because from the information I just stated and the information I read in the past and the movie I saw in your class, really convinced that I should visit the country.

Daniel La Bellarte