Ecuador also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 965 km west of the mainland. Ecuador straddles the equator. Quito, the country’s capital, is high in the Andes Mountains. Guayaquil, a port along the Pacific coast, is the largest city.
Ecuador was a Spanish colony until 1822, when independence forces won a decisive victory over Spain. Since then the government has alternated between civilian rule and military dictatorship. Agriculture dominated the economy of Ecuador until the 1970s, when the production of petroleum brought added income to the nation.
Illiniza Norte y Sur, Andes occidentales Ecuador (divulgação).
Source: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.
|
Copyright © Geographic Guide - Travel American Continent. |
