Country	Ecuador
Capital	Quito
Continent	South America
Currency	United States dollar(USD)
Languages	Spanish, Kichwa(Quichua) & Shuar

Locaion

Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru

Geographic Co ordinates

2 00 S, 77 30 W

Land Boundries

Total:2,010 km
Border countries:Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km

Geography - note

Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world

Population

14,790,608 (July 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world:65

Nationality

Noun:Ecuadorian(s)
Adjective:Ecuadorian

Ethnic groups

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%

Religions

Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

Languages

Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)

Country Name

Conventional long form:Republic of Ecuador
Conventional short form:Ecuador
Local long form:Republica del Ecuador
Local short form:Ecuador

Government Type

republic

Capital

Name:Quito
Geographic coordinates:0 13 S, 78 30 W
Time difference:UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions

24 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, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe

Independence

24 May 1822 (from Spain)

National Holiday

Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)

Constitution

20 October 2008

Legal system

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal, compulsory for persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters

Executive branch

Chief of state:President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government:President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January 2007)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
(For more information visit the World Leaders website)
Elections:the president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term and can be re-elected for another consecutive term; election last held on 26 April 2009 (next to be held in 2013)
Election results:President Rafael CORREA Delgado reelected president; percent of vote - Rafael CORREA Delgado 52%; Lucio GUTIERREZ 28.2%; Alvaro NOBOA 11.4%; other 8.4%

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (124 seats; members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve four-year terms)
Elections:last held on 26 April 2009 (next to be held in 2013)
Election results:percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAIS 59, PSP 19, PSC 11, PRIAN 7, MPD 5, PRE 3, other 20; note - defections by members of National Assembly are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties

Judicial branch

National Court of Justice or Corte Nacional de Justicia (according to the Constitution, justices are elected through a procedure overseen by the Judiciary Council); Constitutional Court or Corte Constitucional (Constitutional Court justices are appointed by a commission composed of two delegates each from the Executive, Legislative, and Transparency branches of government)

Political Parties and Leaders

Alianza PAIS movement [Rafael Vicente CORREA Delgado]; Christian Democratic Union or UDC [Luis ACOSTA Moreta]; Democratic Left or ID [Dalton BACIGALUPO]; Ethical and Democratic Network or RED [Martha ROLDOS]; Institutional Renewal and National Action Party or PRIAN [Vicente TAIANO]; Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement - New Country or MUPP-NP [Jorge GUAMAN Coronel]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Luis VILLACIS]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Pulley, director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO]; Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Silvia SALGADO]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Marlon SANTI, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS [F. Napoleon SALTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or FEINE [Manuel CHUGCHILAN, president]; National Federation of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Luis Alberto ANDRANGO Cadena, president]

International organization participation

CAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador Luis Benigno GALLEGOS Chiriboga
Chancery:2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Telephone:[1] (202) 234-7200
FAX:[1] (202) 667-3482
Consulate(s) general:Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Newark (New Jersey), San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador Heather HODGES
Embassy: Avenida Avigiras E12-170 y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Quito
Mailing address:Avenida Guayacanes N52-205 y Avenida Avigiras
Telephone:[593] (2) 398-5000
FAX:[593] (2) 398-5100
consulate(s) general: Guayaquil

Flag description

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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This RSS feed URL is deprecatedThis RSS feed URL is deprecated, please update. New URLs can be found in the footers at https://news.google.com/news Britain is reportedly in high level talks with Ecuador to evict Julian Assange from the London embassy - NEWS.com.au NEWS.com.au Britain is reportedly in high level talks with Ecuador to evict Julian Assange from the London embassy NEWS.com.au The reports come a matter of weeks before Ecuador president Lenin Moreno's scheduled UK visit, the leader renowned for disliking Mr Assange, having labelled him a 'hacker', an 'inherited problem' and a 'stone in the shoe'. RELATED: Embassy cuts off ... Julian Assange could be EVICTED from Ecuador embassy as he's branded 'STONE in the shoe'Express.co.uk Julian Assange: Plot to EVICT Wikileaks founder from Ecuador's ...Daily Star UK Reportedly in 'Secret Talks' With Ecuador to Evict Assange From EmbassySputnik International The Times -Daily Mail all 56 news articles » Ecuador's U-turn away from media repression - Columbia ... - Columbia Journalism Review Columbia Journalism Review Ecuador's U-turn away from media repression - Columbia ... Columbia Journalism Review Lenín Moreno, now the president of Ecuador, as a candidate in 2016. Photo: Agencia de Noticias ANDES/Micaela Ayala V/flickr. This piece is being jointly ... The U-turn: Moreno steers Ecuador away from Correa's media ...CPJ Press Freedom Online Ecuador moves away from media repression, but journalists continue to work cautiously: CPJ reportKnight Center for Journalism in the Americas (blog) all 3 news articles » Trump Administration Denies Threatening Ecuador Over A Breastfeeding Resolution - NPR NPR Trump Administration Denies Threatening Ecuador Over A Breastfeeding Resolution NPR U.S. officials made threats to Ecuador in an attempt to water down a resolution in support of breastfeeding, according to a report in The New York Times. The news report has garnered strong reaction from the U.S. government. President Trump tweeted ... White House Threatened to Economically Cripple Ecuador for Promoting BreastfeedingVanity Fair Did the US Threaten Ecuador Over a Resolution Affirming the Importance of Breastfeeding?Snopes.com The Trump administration made trade threats to Ecuador over … breastfeedingVox The Independent -Gizmodo -The Lancet -New York Times all 482 news articles » Top Ecuador court upholds $9 billion ruling against Chevron - Washington Post Washington Post Top Ecuador court upholds $9 billion ruling against Chevron Washington Post QUITO, Ecuador — Ecuador's highest court has upheld a $9.5 billion judgment against oil giant Chevron for decades of rainforest damage that harmed indigenous people. Plaintiffs celebrated the constitutional court's decision announced Tuesday night by ... and more » Ecuador rector: 'My male staff still call me darling' - Times Higher Education (THE) Times Higher Education (THE) Ecuador rector: 'My male staff still call me darling' Times Higher Education (THE) Then a mechanical engineering academic at Ecuador's Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Dr Paredes watched as her new colleagues' debate over funding difficulties quickly became heated, to the point where she “thought they might kill each ... SolGold intersects copper, gold at flagship project in Ecuador ... - MINING.com MINING.com SolGold intersects copper, gold at flagship project in Ecuador ... MINING.com Company believes its Cascabel copper-gold project, 180 km north of the capital Quito, may become one of the largest copper-gold porphyry systems ever ... and more » New York appeals court suspends lawyer who sued Chevron over Ecuador claims - Reuters Reuters New York appeals court suspends lawyer who sued Chevron over Ecuador claims Reuters NEW YORK (Reuters) - A lawyer who has spent many years pursuing multibillion-dollar litigation blaming Chevron Corp for polluting the Ecuadorean rainforest was suspended on Tuesday from practicing law in New York by a state appeals court. Chevron-Ecuador Sequel: Steven Donziger Suspended From The Practice Of LawForbes all 5 news articles » Minnesota United agrees deal for Ecuador international Romario Ibarra - ESPN ESPN Minnesota United agrees deal for Ecuador international Romario Ibarra ESPN Minnesota United announced on Monday that it has reached an agreement with Club Deportivo Universidad Catolica for the transfer of Ecuador international winger Romario Ibarra using targeted allocation money. The 23-year-old will join the second-year ... Loons sign Ecuadorean standout Romario IbarraMinneapolis Star Tribune all 6 news articles » Ecuador court upholds $9 billion ruling against Chevron - The Philadelphia Tribune The Philadelphia Tribune Ecuador court upholds $9 billion ruling against Chevron The Philadelphia Tribune QUITO, Ecuador — Ecuador's highest court has upheld a $9.5 billion judgment against oil giant Chevron for decades of rainforest damage. Plaintiffs celebrated the constitutional court's decision announced Tuesday night, saying it should pave the way ... and more » Andersen Tax & Legal Debuts in Ecuador - Financial Post Andersen Tax & Legal Debuts in Ecuador Financial Post SAN FRANCISCO — Andersen Global solidifies its growing presence in Latin America with news that the Andersen name will debut in Ecuador, today unveiling Andersen Global collaborating firms Profile Cia, Ltda. and FIDESBURó Cia, Ltda. adopting the ... and more »