ECUADOR GEOGRAPHY Total area: 283,560 km2; land area: 276,840 km2; includes Galapagos Islands Comparative area: slightly smaller than Nevada Land boundaries: 2,010 km total; Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km Coastline: 2,237 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: claims continental shelf between mainland and Galapagos Islands; Territorial sea: 200 nm Disputes: two sections of the boundary with Peru are in dispute Climate: tropical along coast becoming cooler inland Terrain: coastal plain (Costa), inter-Andean central highlands (Sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (Oriente) Natural resources: petroleum, fish, timber Land use: arable land 6%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures 17%; forest and woodland 51%; other 23% ; includes irrigated 2% Environment: subject to frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; periodic droughts Note: Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world PEOPLE Population: 10,751,648 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991) Birth rate: 30 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 60 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 68 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Ecuadorian(s); adjective--Ecuadorian Ethnic divisions: mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish) 55%, Indian 25%, Spanish 10%, black 10% Religion: Roman Catholic 95% Language: Spanish (official); Indian languages, especially Quechua Literacy: 86% (male 88%, female 84%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 2,800,000; agriculture 35%, manufacturing 21%, commerce 16%, services and other activities 28% (1982) Organized labor: less than 15% of labor force GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Republic of Ecuador Type: republic Capital: Quito Administrative divisions: 21 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe Independence: 24 May 1822 (from Spain; Battle of Pichincha) Constitution: 10 August 1979 Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: Independence Day, 10 August (1809, independence of Quito) Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet Legislative branch: unicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema) Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos (since 10 August 1988); Vice President Luis PARODI Valverde (since 10 August 1988) Political parties and leaders: Right to center parties-- Social Christian Party (PSC), former President Leon FEBRES Cordero Rivadeneira; Conservative Party (PC), Alberto DAHIK, leader; Radical Liberal Party (PLR), Blasco Manuel PENAHERRERA Padilla, director; Centrist parties-- Concentration of Popular Forces (CFP), Averroes BUCARAM Saxida, director; Radical Alfarist Front (FRA), Cecilia CALDERON de Castro, leader; People, Change, and Democracy (PCD), Aquiles RIGAIL Santistevan, director; Revolutionary Nationalist Party (PNR), Carlos Julio AROSEMENA Monroy, leader; Center-left parties-- Democratic Left (ID), President Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos, leader; Roldosist Party of Ecuador (PRE), Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director; Popular Democracy (DP), Vladimiro ALVAREZ, president; Christian Democratic (CD), Julio Cesar TRUJILLO; Democratic Party (PD), Francisco HUERTA Montalvo, leader; Far-left parties-- Broad Leftist Front (FADI), Rene MAUGE Mosquera, director; Socialist Party (PSE), Victor GRANDA Aguilar, secretary general; Democratic Popular Movement (MPD), Jaime HURTADO Gonzalez, leader; Ecuadorian National Liberation (LN), Alfredo CASTILLO, president; Popular Revolutionary Action Party (APRE), Lt. Gen. Frank VARGAS Pazzos, leader Suffrage: universal at age 18; compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters Elections: President--first round held 31 January 1988 and second round on 8 May 1988 (next first round to be held May 1992 and second round June 1992); results--Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos (ID) 54%, Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz (PRE) 46%; Chamber of Representatives--last held 17 June 1990 (next to be held June 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(72 total) PSC 16, ID 14, PRE 13, PSE 8, DP 7, CFP 3, PC 3, PLR 3, FADI 2, FRA 2, MPD 1 Communists: Communist Party of Ecuador (PCE, pro-Moscow), Rene Mauge Mosquera, secretary general, 5,000 members; Communist Party of Ecuador/Marxist Leninist (PCMLE, Maoist), 3,000 members; Socialist Party of Ecuador (PSE, pro-Cuba), 5,000 members (est.); National Liberation Party (PLN, Communist), 5,000 members (est.) Member of: AG, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jaime MONCAYO; Chancery at 2535 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 234-7200; there are Ecuadorian Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco, and a Consulate in San Diego; US--Ambassador Paul C. LAMBERT; Embassy at Avenida Patria 120, on the corner of Avenida 12 de Octubre, Quito (mailing address is P. O. Box 538, Quito, or APO Miami 34039); telephone 593 (2) 562-890; there is a US Consulate General in Guayaquil Flag: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms ECONOMY Overview: Ecuador has substantial oil resources and rich agricultural areas. Growth has been uneven because of natural disasters (e.g., a major earthquake in 1987), fluctuations in global oil prices, and government policies designed to curb inflation. The government has not taken a supportive attitude toward either domestic or foreign investment, although its agreement to enter the Andean free trade zone is an encouraging move. GDP: $10.6 billion, per capita $1,010; real growth rate 1.5% (1990) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 49.5% (1990) Unemployment rate: 8.0% (1990) Budget: revenues $2.2 billion; expenditures $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $375 million (1991) Exports: $2.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--petroleum 47%, coffee, bananas, cocoa products, shrimp, fish products; partners--US 60%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC countries Imports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--transport equipment, vehicles, machinery, chemicals; partners--US 34%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC, Japan External debt: $11.8 billion (December 1990) Industrial production: growth rate - 3.8% (1989); accounts for almost 40% of GDP, including petroleum Electricity: 1,983,000 kW capacity; 6,011 million kWh produced, 570 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, metal works, paper products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fishing, timber Agriculture: accounts for 18% of GDP and 35% of labor force (including fishing and forestry); leading producer and exporter of bananas and balsawood; other exports--coffee, cocoa, fish, shrimp; crop production--rice, potatoes, manioc, plantains, sugarcane; livestock sector--cattle, sheep, hogs, beef, pork, dairy products; net importer of foodgrains, dairy products, and sugar Illicit drugs: relatively small producer of coca following the successful eradication campaign of 1985-87; significant transit country, however, for derivatives of coca originating in Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $498 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1.7 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $64 million Currency: sucre (plural--sucres); 1 sucre (S/) = 100 centavos Exchange rates: sucres (S/) per US$1--869.54 (December 1990), 767.75 (1990), 526.35 (1989), 301.61 (1988), 170.46 (1987), 122.78 (1986), 69.56 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 965 km total; all 1.067-meter-gauge single track Highways: 28,000 km total; 3,600 km paved, 17,400 km gravel and improved earth, 7,000 km unimproved earth Inland waterways: 1,500 km Pipelines: crude oil, 800 km; refined products, 1,358 km Ports: Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, Esmeraldas Merchant marine: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 342,411 GRT/495,482 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 8 cargo, 17 refrigerated cargo, 2 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 16 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 bulk Civil air: 44 major transport aircraft Airports: 153 total, 151 usable; 46 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 23 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: domestic facilities generally adequate; 318,000 telephones; stations--272 AM, no FM, 33 TV, 39 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Army (Ejercito Ecuatoriano), Navy (Armada Ecuatoriana), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana), National Police Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,716,919; 1,840,296 fit for military service; 117,113 reach military age (20) annually Defense expenditures: $176 million, 1.6% of GDP (1990 est.)