Ecuador landscapes

Ecuador is located on the equator and its sunrise and sunset are almost

always at 6.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. The official language is Spanish.

About 30 percent of the people are pure Amerindians.

After Spanish, the widely spoken language is Quicha. English

and other European languages are spoken in tourism centres.

This South America country

offers beautiful scenery and a

variety of tourist attractions

for singles, families and budget

travelers.

There are many beautiful places

to stay, and very affordable.

Explore the country through personalized tours:

• guided expeditions through the mountains

• hiking and bird watching adventures

recommended: books on distribution and taxonomy of birds of the country

before you travel;

• sightseeing: Rio Verde waterfalls

• marine biology camps and marine science camps;

• Richly decorated colonial churches in Quito, hot spring baths in Baños,

Guayaquil with its bars, discotheques and nightlife;

The landscape is very volatile because of its volcanoes.

The country’s land consists of three distinctive geographical regions.

Each has its own climate, its own terrain, and its own customs and

attitudes:

THE WEST

A hot coastal plain, this one is the seat of industry and commerce as well

as an agricultural region; major exports are bananas, coffee, cocoa and

sugar. The largest city is Guayaquil, which holds majority of the country

industry.

THE CENTRAL MOUNTANEOUS REGION OF THE ANDES

From north to south, there are

two spines of the Andes.

Between them, on the central

plateau, called Sierra, live

most Ecuadorians.

Life in the mountain goes slower.

With the air of a Spanish colonial

town there is the capital city,

Quito. The rural Amerindian villages seem to belong to an even earlier age.

THE EAST

This third part, called Oriente, consists of tropical savanna and rain

forest around the headwaters of the River Amazon. The region is very

underdeveloped. Baños is one of the most popular tourist attractions. East

of Baños lies some of the world’s last really wild, unexplored territory.

Shipwreck

LEARN SPANISH

Ecuador en francais

Ekwador

Sea Turtles

Retirement

Cuenca