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Background:
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The
"Republic of the Equator" was one of three
countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran
Colombia in 1830 (the others are Colombia and
Venezuela). Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost
territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors.
A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved
in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian
governance in 2004, the period has been marred by
political instability. Seven presidents have governed
Ecuador since 1996.
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Location:
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Western
South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the
Equator, between Colombia and Peru |
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Geographic coordinates:
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2 00 S, 77
30 W |
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Map references:
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South
America |
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Area:
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total:
283,560 sq km
land: 276,840 sq km
water: 6,720 sq km
note: includes Galapagos Islands |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than Nevada |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
2,010 km
border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km |
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Coastline:
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2,237 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial
sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500 meter
isobath |
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Climate:
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tropical
along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher
elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands |
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Terrain:
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coastal
plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra),
and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente) |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum,
fish, timber, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 5.85%
permanent crops: 4.93%
other: 89.22% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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8,650 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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frequent
earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods;
periodic droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation;
soil erosion; desertification; water pollution;
pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically
sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos
Islands |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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Cotopaxi in
Andes is highest active volcano in world
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Population:
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13,363,593
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 33.5% (male 2,282,252/female 2,195,942)
15-64 years: 61.5% (male 4,094,146/female
4,130,096)
65 years and over: 4.9% (male 310,336/female
350,821) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
23.27 years
male: 22.82 years
female: 23.74 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.24% (2005
est.) |
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Birth rate:
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22.67
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.24
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-6.07
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
23.66 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 28.36 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 76.21 years
male: 73.35 years
female: 79.22 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.72
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.3% (2003
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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21,000
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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1,700 (2003
est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian |
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Ethnic groups:
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mestizo
(mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%,
Spanish and others 7%, black 3% |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 95%, other 5% |
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Languages:
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Spanish
(official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua) |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.5%
male: 94%
female: 91% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador
local long form: Republica del Ecuador
local short form: Ecuador |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Quito |
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Administrative divisions:
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22
provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay,
Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro,
Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios,
Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza,
Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe |
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Independence:
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24 May 1822
(from Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Independence
Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809) |
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Constitution:
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10 August
1998 |
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Legal system:
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based on
civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of
age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages
18-65, optional for other eligible voters |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Alfredo PALACIO (since 20 April
2005); Vice President Nicanor Alejandro SERRANO Aguilar
(since 5 May 2005); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government; former President
Lucio GUTIERREZ was removed from office by congress
effective 20 April 2005
head of government: President Alfredo PALACIO
(since 20 April 2005); Vice President Nicanor Alejandro
SERRANO Aguilar (since 5 May 2005); note - the president
is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: the president and vice president are
elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a
four-year term (no immediate reelection); election last
held 20 October 2002; runoff election held 24 November
2002 (next to be held October 2006)
election results: results of the 24 November 2002
runoff election - Lucio GUTIERREZ elected president;
percent of vote - Lucio GUTIERREZ 54.3%; Alvaro NOBOA
45.7%; note - Vice President Alfredo PALACIO assumed the
presidency on 20 April 2005 after congress removed Lucio
GUTIERREZ from office |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats;
members are popularly elected by province to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2002 (next to be
held October 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PSC 25, PRE 15, ID 16, PRIAN 10, PSP 9,
Pachakutik Movement 6, MPD 5, DP 4, PS-FA 3,
independents 7; note - defections by members of National
Congress are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes
in the numbers of seats held by the various parties |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court or Corte Suprema (according to the Constitution,
new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in
December 2004, however, Congress successfully replaced
the entire court via a simple-majority resolution) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Concentration
of Popular Forces or CFP [Averroes BUCARAM]; Democratic
Left or ID [Guillermo LANDAZURI]; National Action
Institutional Renewal Party or PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA];
Pachakutik Movement [Gilberto TALAHUA]; Patriotic
Society Party or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular
Democracy or DP [Dr. Juan Manuel FUERTES]; Popular
Democratic Movement or MPD [Gustavo TERAN Acosta];
Radical Alfarista Front or FRA [Fabian ALARCON,
director]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz,
director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Leon FEBRES
CORDERO]; Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Victor
GRANDA] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Confederation
of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Luis
MACAS, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or
CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous
Evangelists of Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO,
president]; National Federation of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos
and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA CRUZ, president];
Popular Front or FP [Luis VILLACIS] |
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International organization participation:
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CAN, CSN,
FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur
(associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA,
RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC
20009
telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200
FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Jersey
City (New Jersey), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New
York, and San Francisco |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Kristie Anne KENNEY
embassy: Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria,
Quito
mailing address: APO AA 34039
telephone: [593] (2) 256-2890
FAX: [593] (2) 250-2052
consulate(s) general: Guayaquil |
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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Ecuador has
substantial petroleum resources, which have accounted
for 40% of the country's export earnings and one-fourth
of central government budget revenues in recent years.
Consequently, fluctuations in world market prices can
have a substantial domestic impact. In the late 1990s,
Ecuador suffered its worst economic crisis, with natural
disasters and sharp declines in world petroleum prices
driving Ecuador's economy into free fall in 1999. Real
GDP contracted by more than 6%, with poverty worsening
significantly. The banking system also collapsed, and
Ecuador defaulted on its external debt later that year.
The currency depreciated by some 70% in 1999, and, on
the brink of hyperinflation, the MAHAUD government
announced it would dollarize the economy. A coup,
however, ousted MAHAUD from office in January 2000, and
after a short-lived junta failed to garner military
support, Vice President Gustavo NOBOA took over the
presidency. In March 2000, Congress approved a series of
structural reforms that also provided the framework for
the adoption of the US dollar as legal tender.
Dollarization stabilized the economy, and growth
returned to its pre-crisis levels in the years that
followed. Under the administration of Lucio GUTIERREZ -
January 2003 to April 2005 - Ecuador benefited from
higher world petroleum prices, but the government has
made little progress on economic reforms necessary to
reduce Ecuador's vulnerability to petroleum price swings
and financial crises. |
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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $49.51 billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5.8% (2004
est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing
power parity - $3,700 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
8.7%
industry: 30.5%
services: 60.9% (2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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20.6% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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45% (2001
est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 2%
highest 10%: 32%
note: data for urban households only (October
2003) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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42
note: data are for urban households (2003) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2% (2004
est.) |
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Labor force:
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4.53
million (urban) (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture
8%, industry 24%, services 68% (2001) |
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Unemployment rate:
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11.1%; note
- underemployment of 47% (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$7.9 billion
expenditures: planned $7.3 billion, including
capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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49.2% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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bananas,
coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca),
plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork,
dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp |
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Industries:
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petroleum,
food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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10% (2004
est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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81.27
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 81%
hydro: 19%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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75.58
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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523,000
bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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129,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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387,000
bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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4.408
billion bbl (2004 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
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160 million
cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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160 million
cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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106.5
billion cu m (2004) |
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Current account balance:
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$261.1
million (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$7.56
billion (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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petroleum,
bananas, cut flowers, shrimp |
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Exports - partners:
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US 48.3%,
Colombia 5.5%, Germany 4.8% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$7.65
billion (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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vehicles,
medicinal products, telecommunications equipment,
electricity |
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Imports - partners:
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US 24.5%,
Colombia 12.7%, Venezuela 8.3%, Brazil 5.8%, Chile 4.9%,
China 4.8%, Japan 4.3% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$1.436
billion (December 2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$16.81
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$216
million (2002) |
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Currency:
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US dollar (USD) |
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Currency code:
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USD |
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Exchange rates:
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25,000
(2004), 25,000 (2003), 25,000 (2002), 25,000 (2001),
24,988 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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1.549
million (2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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2,394,400
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: generally elementary but being expanded
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and
unreliable
international: country code - 593; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 392, FM
35, shortwave 29 (2001) |
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Radios:
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5 million
(2001) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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7 (plus 14
repeaters) (2001) |
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Televisions:
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2.5 million
(2001) |
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Internet country code:
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.ec |
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Internet hosts:
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3,188
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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31 (2001) |
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Internet users:
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569,700
(2003)
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Railways:
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total:
966 km
narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2003) |
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Highways:
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total:
43,197 km
paved: 8,164 km
unpaved: 35,033 km (2002) |
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Waterways:
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1,500 km
(most inaccessible) (2003) |
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Pipelines:
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extra heavy
crude 578 km; gas 71 km; oil 1,386 km; refined products
1,185 km (2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Esmeraldas,
Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, San
Lorenzo |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
31 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 241,403 GRT/391,898 DWT
by type: chemical tanker 2, liquefied gas 1,
passenger 8, petroleum tanker 20
foreign-owned: 3 (Germany 1, Greece 1, Paraguay
1) (2005) |
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Airports:
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205 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
62
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
143
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 113 (2004 est.) |
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Heliports:
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1 (2004
est.)
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Military branches:
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Army, Navy
(including Naval Infantry, Naval Aviation, Coast Guard),
Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE) |
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Military manpower - military age and obligation:
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20 years of
age for conscript military service; 12-month service
obligation (2004) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males
age 20-49: 2,792,770 (2005 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males
age 20-49: 2,338,428 (2005 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
133,922 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$655
million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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2.2% (2004)
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| Transnational
Issues |
Ecuador |
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Disputes - international:
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organized
illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate
across Ecuador's shared border and caused over 20,000
refugees to flee into Ecuador in 2004 |
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