Viva ecuador

 Ecuador – Beautiful and peculiar

At the Pacific coast we find this marvelous country with no less than the four worlds.

The first world is the majestic mountains of Andes. The second is the mysterious rain forest in the Ecuadorian Amazonas. So we have the coast line with the amazing beaches. Finally it’s the Galapagos Islands, untouched by man until recently.

Indeed, this country is inviting to fabulous adventures.

The People

The people of Ecuador is highly differenciated. Totally they count around 15 million souls, and their origins are as diverse as the country itself.

Most of them consider themselves as mestizos, 15 % as European Caucasian, 7 % natives and 7 % Afro-Ecuadorians. This is according to a census in 2010.

Almost everyone speaks Spanish, but also the Indian language Kichwa is officially approved. Furthermore, there are several native languages and dialects. In the tourist sector there are also a lot of English speakers.

The population is very catholic, as you can tell by all the impressionable churches and religious events. But in the rain forests there are people who are still believing in the old nature goods.

Tourism

The tourists just love Ecuador. The preferred destinations are without compare the Galapagos Island and Quito. This is also ideal for a two-week vacation.

But there are also a lot of people who are taking the opportunity to see the rain forest int the eastern parts of the country. Or go to the city of Cuenca in the south, who also has a city center declared as world heritance by UNESCO.

Among other attractions there is the Volcano route, following the Andes mountains. The territories around the volcanoes Cotopaxi, Chimborazo and Tunguragua are also protected national parks.

If you like birds, you are obliged to go to Mindo. Its considered as a Birdwatchers Paradise.

Politics and economy

Ecuador has formally been a republic since 1830. The actual president since 2017 is Lenin Moreno, He is considered to be on the center of Latin American politics, even he was elected as a leftist.

Ecuador adapted the US dollar as currency after galloping inflation and economic crisis in 2000. The main export products are petroleum, bananas and shrimps. The descendent petroleum prices in 2015 affected the country considerably, and likewise the earth quake in 2016.

The country is highly in debt to the World Bank and China. This is the biggest challenge the government has to face, right now.

There was massive demonstration against the government of Lenin Morena after he decided to remove the fuel subsidies, after a recommendation from the World Bank. He had to go back on this.

It’s an election for a new president in 2021.