Facts about Ecuador

Approximately 95 percent of Ecuadorians are Roman Catholic.

Ecuador has often placed great emphasis on multilateral approaches to international issues.

An economic recession in 1999 led hundreds of thousands of Ecuadorians to emigrate.

In 2006, Ecuador exported about $6.7 billion in products to the United States.

Ecuador qualified for the final rounds of both the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups.

Other civilizations that arose throughout Ecuador included the Machalilla culture on the coast; the Tolita (c. 300 B.C.E.–200 C.E.

Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west.

The instability of border areas and frequent encroachments of Colombian guerrillas into Ecuadorian territory have led the Ecuadorian army to deploy more troops to the region.

Ecuador is also a significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru, with over half of the U.S.-bound cocaine passing through Ecuadorian Pacific waters.

The ongoing conflict in Colombia and security along the 450-mile-long northern border are important issues in Ecuador's foreign relations with Colombia.

The Correa administration is pursuing a policy known as Plan Ecuador to develop the northern border region and protect citizens from the drug threat.

The Peruvian navy blocked the port of Guayaquil, cutting supplies to the Ecuadorian troops.

Recession and popular unrest led to a return to populist politics and domestic military interventions in the 1960s, while foreign companies developed oil resources in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

The indigenous population established itself as a force in Ecuadorian politics, and participated in the Gutiйrrez administration before joining the opposition.

The pipeline brought oil from the east side of the Andes to the coast, making Ecuador the second-largest oil exporter in South America.

Ecuador is a multicultural, multiethnic nation–state with one of the highest representations of indigenous cultures in South America.

In April 2005, for example, Ecuador's congress ousted President Lucio Gutiйrrez.

The Pan-American Highway connects the northern and southern portions of the country as well as connecting Ecuador with Colombia to the north and Peru to the south.

The most popular sport in Ecuador, as in most South American countries, is soccer (football).

On September 30, 2007, Ecuador elected a constituent assembly, dominated by President Rafael Correa's PAIS Alliance, charged with rewriting the constitution.

Ecuador's indigenous communities are integrated into that mainstream culture to varying degrees, but some may also practice their own autochthonous cultures, particularly the more remote indigenous communities of the Amazon basin.

Ecuador finished ahead of Poland and Costa Rica to come in second to Germany in Group A in the 2006 World Cup.

Ecuador is the world's largest exporter of bananas (about $1.2 billion in 2006) and a major exporter of shrimp ($588 million in 2006).

Ecuador straddles the equator, from which it takes its name.

The small Afro-Ecuadorian minority, including mulattos and zambos, largely based in the Esmeraldas and Imbabura provinces, makes up 3 percent.

Peru claimed that Ecuador's military presence in Peruvian-claimed territory was an invasion; Ecuador, for its part, claimed that Peru had invaded Ecuador.

Ecuador and Peru reached an accord, formalized in the Rio Protocol, in favor of hemispheric unity against the Axis powers in World War II.

The food in Ecuador is diverse, varying with altitude and associated agricultural conditions.

President Correa has announced his opposition to resumption of FTA talks with the United States, citing concerns that Ecuador is not yet sufficiently competitive, especially in sensitive agriculture sectors.

A popular street food in mountain regions of Ecuador consists of potatoes served with roasted pig (hornado).

Evidence of human habitation in Ecuador exists from the Paleoindian period (11,000 to 4,000 B.C.E.

Ecuador obtained its first Olympic gold medal in Atlanta's 1996 Olympic Games, through Jefferson Pйrez, on the 20 km race-walk.

Organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border, which thousands of Colombians also cross to escape the violence in their home country.

Ecuador's economic performance has been solid since it adopted the U.S. dollar as its national currency in 2000, following a major banking crisis and recession in 1999.

Ecuador's mainstream culture is defined by its mestizo majority and, like their ancestry, is a mixture of European and Amerindian influences infused with African elements inherited from slave ancestors.

The Panama hat is of Ecuadorian origin and is known there as "Sombrero de paja toquilla."

Ecuador is divided into 24 provinces, each with its own administrative capital.

The struggle for control over territory in the Amazon basin led to a long-lasting dispute between Ecuador and Peru.

The matches of the Ecuadorian national football team are the most-watched sports events in the country.

The Ecuadorian economy is based on petroleum production, manufacturing primarily for the domestic market, and agricultural production for domestic consumption and export.

Ecuador has an area of 98,985 square miles (256,370 sq km), slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Nevada.

On October 9, 1820, Guayaquil became the first city in Ecuador to gain its independence from Spain.

Ecuador's political parties have historically been small, loose organizations that depend more on populist, often charismatic, leaders to retain support than on programs or ideology.

Ecuador has produced many world-renowned master painters including: Oswaldo Guayasamнn, Camilo Egas, and Eduardo Kingman from the Indiginist Movement; and Manuel Rendon, Enrique Tбbara, Anнbal Villacнs, and Estuardo Maldonado from the Informalist Movement.

Basketball also has a high profile, while Ecuador's specialties include Ecuavolley, a three-person variation of volleyball.

The United States is Ecuador's principal trading partner.

Ecuador has 61 universities, many of which offer graduate degrees.

Ecuador joined Simуn Bolнvar's Republic of Gran Colombia, only to become a separate republic in 1830.

Ecuador's capital is Quito, which is in the Sierra region.