Population:
10,933,143 (July 1992), growth rate 2.2% (1992)
Birth rate:
28 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
42 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
67 years male, 72 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
3.5 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Ecuadorian(s); adjective - Ecuadorian
Ethnic divisions:
mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish) 55%, Indian 25%, Spanish 10%, black 10%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%
Languages:
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
:Ecuador 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)
Suffrage:
universal at age 18; compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional
for other eligible voters
Elections:
National Congress:
last held 17 June 1990 (next to be held 17 May 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
President:
runoff election held 5 July 1992; results - Sixto DURAN elected as president
and Alberto DAHIK elected as vice president
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), less than 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
:Ecuador Government
US:
Ambassador vacant; Embassy at Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria; Quito
(mailing address is P. O. Box 538, Quito, or APO AA 34039); telephone [593]
(2) 562-890; FAX [593] (2) 502-052; 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 that is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms
:Ecuador Economy
Overview:
Ecuador has substantial oil resources and rich agricultural areas. Growth
has been uneven because of natural disasters (for example, 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. As
1991 ended, Ecuador received a standby IMF loan of $105 million, which will
permit the country to proceed with the rescheduling of Paris Club debt.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $11.5 billion, per capita $1,070; real growth
rate 2.5% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
49% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
8.0% (1990)
Budget:
revenues $2.2 billion; expenditures $2.2 billion, including capital
expenditures of $375 million (1991)
Exports:
$2.9 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
petroleum 47%, coffee, bananas, cocoa products, shrimp, fish products
partners:
US 60%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC countries
Imports:
$1.95 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
transport equipment, vehicles, machinery, chemicals
partners:
US 34%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC, Japan
External debt:
$12.4 billion (December 1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate -3.8% (1989); accounts for almost 40% of GDP, including
petroleum
Electricity:
2,344,000 kW capacity; 6,430 million kWh produced, 598 kWh per capita (1991)
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:
minor illicit 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 (1970-89), $2.15 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $64 million
Currency:
sucre (plural - sucres); 1 sucre (S/) = 100 centavos
:Ecuador Economy
Exchange rates:
sucres (S/) per US$1 - 1,046.25 (1991), 869.54 (December 1990), 767.75
(1990), 526.35 (1989), 301.61 (1988), 170.46 (1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Ecuador Communications