Ecuador

Ecuador comprises an area of more than 280,000 square kilometres and has a population of around 14 million. The country straddles the equator, from which it derives its name. Located in Latin America, it is bordered in the north by Colombia, in the east and south by Peru and in the west by the Pacific Ocean. Its capital city is Quito and Spanish is the official language.

Apart from oil, Ecuador also exports bananas, shrimp, coffee, cocoa, cut flowers and fish. The country is a haven for many exotic animals and birds like the blue footed booby, and the orange iguana, both of which can be found in the Galapagos Islands.

Ecuador’s President is Rafael Correa Delgado. The country joined OPEC in 1973. Nineteen years later, in 1992, it voluntarily suspended its membership. It resumed membership of the Organization in 2007.

Did you know?

• Ecuador’s capital city Quito was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the 1970s for having the best preserved and least altered historic centre in Latin America.
• Located in the Santa Elena Peninsula, Ancon 1 is Ecuador’s first productive oil well. It began producing oil in 1921.
  

• b/d (barrels per day)
• cu. m. (cubic metres)

Source: Annual Statistical Bulletin 2012