Ecuador

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

It spends a total of 2.6 percent of its GDP, or US$2.5 billion on its military which makes it the 58th highest military spender in the world.

The Ecuadorian military is called the Ecuadorian Armed Forces and consists of the Navy, an Air Force and ground forces. Since the increase of tensions between Peru and Ecuador, it has been transforming its military from a large military into a small professional military. Other threats to its territorial integrity are the high presence of cartels and other narcotic related organizations.

Military membership

It is a member of five international military organizations which makes it the 66th most militarily interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces
Conference on Disarmament
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Ecuador has participated in six international wars. It has partaken in the following wars:

Ecuadorian–Peruvian War 1857–1860
Ecuadorian–Colombian War 1863-1863
Chincha Islands War 1864-1865
Ecuadorian–Peruvian War 1941-1941
Paquisha War 1981-1981
Cenepa War 1995-1995

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Ecuador is a member of 13 international political organizations making it the 65th most interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Organization of American States
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Organization of Ibero-American States
International Criminal Court
Interpol
Permanent Court of Arbitration
Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels
Association of World Election Bodies
South Centre (organization)
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Despite its history in dictatorships as well as economic mismanagement, its democratic elections are considered to be reasonably fair and occur on a regular basis. Therefore, it is the 73rd most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Ecuador are characterized by being a multiparty system where the President of Ecuador is head of state as well as head of the Army.

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Egypt.

Named by the Spanish for its geographical location on the equator, the Republic of Ecuador is mostly known for its Galapagos Islands which is a home to rare plant and animal life as well as being a central location of Charles Darwin for his evolution theory. Before its contact with Europeans, it was inhabited by the Inca Empire. When first contact was established with Spanish explorers in 1532, it became a Spanish colony. Its first form of independence was in 1819 when the territory of Ecuador became independent from Spain, but part of Colombia. In 1830 it seceded from Colombia and became an independent state. Since then, it has seen more than 50 transitions of power due to coups and the military dictatorships and has lost some of its territory to Peru. The last three decades have been characterized by a more stable presidential representative democracy. .

The geography of Ecuador is characterized by its mountain range that goes through the center of Ecuador. To the west of this mountain range is a low-lying and hilly terrain. To the east it borders the Amazon rain forest. It borders Colombia to the north and Peru to its south and southeast. To the west it is located on the Pacific Ocean.

With a total surface area of 278,000 square kilometers or 107,000 square miles it is the 73rd largest state in the world being slightly larger than Burkina Faso and slightly smaller than the Philippines.

It has a total water surface area of 6754 square kilometers or 2600 square miles making it the 61st state with the largest amount of water.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Its water quality is relatively low due to a lack of treatments. Around 80 percent of the population has access to drinking water with a lower percentage in rural areas.

Afghanistan's share of water, as well as the other states are displayed below.

Because of its location on the equator, Ecuador experiences a tropical climate with the exception of its mountain range. The average temperature is 20.7 degrees Celsius or 69.2 degrees Fahrenheit which makes it the 104th warmest state in the world.

The average high temperature is 26.1 degrees Celsius or 79 degrees Fahrenheit.

The average low temperature is 19.2 degrees Celsius or 66.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

With an annual precipitation of 104 centimetres or 40.8 inches, Ecuador is the state with the 96th highest amount of rainfall. Rainfall is fairly evenly spread out throughout Ecuador with the northern part receiving relatively more than its southern part.

The capital of Ecuador, Quito is a home to 1.6 million people. The capital that is closest located to Quito is Bogota Colombia with a distance of 702.4 kilometers or 463.4 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Quito is Singapore with its capital Singapore with a distance of 19,746 kilometers or 12,269 miles.

The economy of Ecuador is characterized by a mixed system with private enterprise freedoms as well as centralized government planning. A large part of the economy, around 40 percent, is dependent on oil exports. Aside from this, Ecuador mainly exports agricultural products and is the largest exporter of bananas. Around 30 percent of its exports goes to the United States followed by China with more than 10 percent. The majority of its imports also comes from China and the United States which each represent around 20 percent of its imports.

It is a member of 14 international economic organizations which makes it the 59th most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Alliance for Financial Inclusion
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Inter-American Development Bank
International Development Law Organization
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
International Bamboo and Rattan Organization
Andean Community
International Renewable Energy Agency
Group of 77
Group of 24
Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law

Its GDP is estimated to be just over US$100 billion which makes it the 62nd largest economy in the world.

Its GDP per square kilometer is US$370,000 or US$960,000 per square mile which makes it the 107th highest in the world.

Its GDP per capita is around US$5900 which is the 93rd highest in the world.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power is the 115th highest in the world and is estimated to be US$11,232.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With its Spanish history, Spanish has been recognized as the official language and is spoken by more than 90 percent of the population. The remaining percentage is spoken by the indigenous people. The majority of its total population of 17.5 million is a mix of European and indigenous people. There are some small minorities of ethnic Spanish as well as refugees and immigrants from the Middle East and East Asia.

It is the 119th most densely populated state in the world with 63 people per square kilometer or 162 people per square mile.

Around 6.7 percent of the population, or around 1.2 million people have migrated to other states. The most popular of which are the United States and Spain which combined represent more than 80 percent of total emigration. The main causes for migration are high unemployment rates and promises of better quality of life.

Immigration to Ecuador is around 300,000 people or 1.7 percent of the total population. This makes Ecuador the 78th state with the highest amounts of immigrants. Around two thirds of immigrants come from neighbouring Colombia and around 10 percent are people that re-migrated from the United States back to Ecuador.

The literacy rate in Ecuador is the 108th highest in the world and stands at 93.5 percent. Because of an economic contraction, government spending has nearly halved which could further decrease its literacy rate in the near future.

There are several health risks that Ecuador faces. The majority of the population is at risk for cardiovascular diseases, but it also has a high amount of traffic incidents which contributes to the amount of deaths. Other factors, such as communicable diseases are largely caused by mosquito infections. Ecuador has the 83rd highest life expectancy in the world with an average life expectancy of 77.7 years. Women reach the age of 80.5 while men reach the age of 75.1.

Freedom of religion is granted by the state and has been in place since the 1990s.

It is the seventh most Christian state in the world with a percentage of 94.1. The majority of Ecuadorians adhere to the Catholic denomination which was introduced with the Spanish colonization.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

Around 0.01 percent of the population adheres to Islam. This makes Ecuador the 184th most Islamic state in the world. The majority of these are Arabs that have arrived that since the start of the 20th century. They are mainly located in Quito, with smaller communities located in other large cities.

Around 0.07 percent of the population adheres to Buddhism. The majority of these Buddhist came as immigrants from Japan and China at the end of the 20th century. Since then, Buddhism has grown and Ecuador currently houses the largest Buddhist Temple of the continent.

There are no official Hindu organizations known in Ecuador.

The majority of Jews arrived with Spanish settlers during times of colonization and as refugees during the second world war. At present, around 0.02 percent of the population adheres to Judaism.

Around 0.23 percent of the population adheres to non-mainstream religions. The most prevalent of which are religions that are related to the Inca religion.

Around 3.7 percent of the population is non-religious. It is estimated that the true number is much higher, but due to a large influence of the Catholic church it is seen as a taboo.