Ecuador+(Hannah)

toc media type="file" key="19 Ecuador_ Welcome To Ecuador 1.mp3" width="264" height="22" align="center"
 * Ecuador (Republic of)**



**__General Information__**

 * **Capital City**: Quito, population 1,801,000
 * **Population**: 15, 007,343 (2011 census)
 * **Largest City**: Guayaquil, population 2,634,000
 * **Religion**: 95% Roman Catholic; religious freedom is recognized
 * **Official Language(s)**: Spanish
 * ** Major Exports ** :
 * **Currency** : U.S. Dollar
 * **Demographics (2011 est)** :
 * Age Structure
 * 0-14 years: 30.1% (male 2,301,840/female 2,209,971)
 * 15-64 years: 63.5% (male 4,699,548/female 4,831,521)
 * 65+ years: 6.4% (male 463,481/female 500,982) [[image:hstspanishspeakingcountries3rd/mecuador.gif width="292" height="385" align="right"]]
 * Median Age
 * Total: 25.7 years
 * Male: 25 years
 * Female: 26.3 years
 * Population Growth Rate: 1.443%
 * Birth Rate: 19.96 births/1,000 population
 * Death Rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population
 * Infant Mortality Rate
 * Total: 19.65 deaths/1,000 live births
 * Male: 23.02 deathes/1,000 live births
 * Female: 16.11 deathes/1,000 live births
 * Life Expectancy
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Total Population: 75.73 years
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Male: 72.79 years
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Female: 78.82 years
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Ethnic Groups
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white): 65%
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Amerindian: 25%
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Spanish and Others: 7%
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Black: 3%
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Literacy (2001 est.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Total Population: 91%
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Male: 92.3%
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Female: 89.7%
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Hospital Bed Density (2008 est): 1.5 beds/1,000 population

__**Geography**__


> A variety of volcanic islands lie just off the coast of the Pacific Ocean. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">
 * **Land Area**: 276,840 sq. km; about the size of Colorado.
 * **Terrain**: A rich coastal plain west of the Andes Mountains, with a Jungle to the east. High-elevation valleys through the mountains that run through the center of the country.
 * **Climate**: Tropical along the coast, becoming cooler as you move more inland and to higher elevations.
 * **Highest Point**: Mount Chimborazo at 20, 577 ft.
 * **Lowest Point**: Pacific Ocean, 0m.
 * **Natural Resources**: Petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower

<span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">__Brief History__
The tribes in the north of Ecuador formed the Kingdom of Quito around 1000. It assimilated into the Inca Empire through conquest and marriage. However, the land was conquered in 1532 by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. Throughout the 17th century, a Spanish colony thrived, but at the expense of the Incans. The first rebellion occurred in 1809. In 1819, Ecuador joined Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama in a confederacy known as Greater Colombia. Ecuador gained Independence when Greater Colombia collapsed in 1830. Revolts and dictatorships followed; it had 48 presidents during the first 131 years of the republic.Although it was under military rule in the 1970s, the country did not experience the violence usually seen of other Latin American military countries. Its last 30 years of democracy, however, have been weak and improperly maintained because of a weak executive branch and a strong, easily angered Congress. Peru invaded Ecuador in 1941 and seized a large piece of Ecuadoran territory in the Amazon region. In 1981 and 1995, war broke out again. In May 1999, Ecuador and Peru signed a treaty ending the nearly 60-year border debate.

<span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;"> __Government & Economy__
media type="youtube" key="POE_fHCCzxU" height="305" width="406" align="left"


 * **Government Type**: Republic
 * **Independence Day**: August 10, 1809 from Spain

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">
 * **Constitution**: October 20, 2008
 * **President**: Rafael Correa
 * **Vice President**: Lenin Moreno
 * **Current Political Climate**:
 * **GDP**: $56.99 billion (2010 preliminary)
 * **Main Industries**: oil, mining, food processing, textiles, metal work, paper products, wood products, plastics, fishing lumber, tourism
 * **Main Agriculture Products**: bananas, coffee, cacao, rice, potatoes, manioc, plantains, sugarcane, cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy, balsa wood, fish, shrimp

__Etiquette and Customs__

 * A young girl's 15th birthday is considered a special date and is much celebrated.
 * Do not give lilies or marigolds as a gift; they are used at funerals.
 * Never arrive on time when invited to a home. Arrive a little later, about 30-45 minutes late.
 * Guests are served first.
 * All food is eaten with utensils, even fruit.
 * It is polite to leave a small amount of food on your plate when you're finished eating.
 * The host makes the first toast. Wait for the toast to be made before taking the first sip of your drink. Look at the person being toasted when you lift your glass.

__Cuisine__
> who prefer more usual meals, Ecuador can provide those as well.
 * Ecuador is well known for an abundance of exotic fruits, excellent seafood and many varieties of Andean potatoes.
 * Roasted cuy (guinea pig), tronquito (bull penis soup) or yaguarlocro (potato soup made with sprinklings of blood) are popular dishes for adventurous eaters. For those
 * Ecuadorians have a regular diet of rice, potatoes, and meat (beef and chicken can be found anywhere but pork is only found in the sierra.
 * Most dishes are accompanied by a traditional hot sauce called Aji.

__Clothing__

 * The men's dress usually consists of a blue poncho, a fedora, or a felt hat and white, calf-length knickers. The shimba (a long braid that hangs down nearly to the man's waist) is very traditional, and seen as a symbol of ethnic identity.
 * Women usually wear a white blouse, a blue skirt and shawl. Jewelry is very important; most women wear layers of necklaces of mostly gold beads and red coral bracelets.
 * In coastal regions, men usually wear "guayaberas" (loose-fitting shirt worn in the lieu of a jacket). Women wear light dresses.

__Sports__

 * The most popular sport in Ecuador is soccer, or football as it is called there.
 * Soccer is considered the national sport, since it is so popular.
 * Things like walking, hiking, and climbing (up the peak of a mountain) are available everywhere in Ecuador. Some trails may require the services of a guide.
 * Mountain hikes are readily available for hire throughout the country.
 * Water activities include swimming, whitewater rafting, snorkeling, kayaking, fishing, (wind) surfing and scuba diving.
 * More extreme sports include bungee jumping, hang gliding, and para gliding.

__Holidays/Celebrations__

 * January 6: Three Kings Day (a.k.a. Epiphany)
 * February 12: Anniversary of the Discovery of the Amazon River
 * March and/or April: Carnival, the ultimate party in the Catholic nations of Latin America. Celebrations include water fights and lavish parades. Although the dates change according to the religious calendar, Carnival is always celebrated prior to Ash Wednesday.
 * May 24: Battle of Pichincha, the anniversary celebration of the country's most important battle in the war for Independence in 1822.
 * June: Corpus Cristi is usually celebrated on the 9th Thursday after Easter, and honors the beginning of the harvest season.
 * June 24: Simon Bolivar's Birthday, a nationwide celebration of the birthday of the famous South American Liberator.
 * November 2: All Soul's Day (a.k.a. Day of the Dead). Families visit cemeteries to dance, drink, eat, and leave flowers for deceased friends and families in a ceremony designed to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on.
 * December 6: Fouders Day, Quito (Fiestas de Quito). Citizens of Quito take in bullfights and street dances and ride around in chivas (open-air party buses).

__Music/Art__
media type="youtube" key="U63F3m5UJ-Y" height="302" width="401" align="right"
 * Popular rhythms in Ecuador music are Pasillo, Albazos, Pasacalles, Tonadas, Danzantes, Yaravies, and Carnavales.
 * Wind-Instrument orchestras are an essential part of all fiestas, funerals, and other social events.
 * It is said that the defining aspect of Ecuadorian art is the fusion of ancient //indigena// artistic heritage with western through and sensibilities.
 * Quito's theaters - among them the Teatro Charlot, El Patio de las Comedias and Humanizarte - host all kinds of shows.
 * In Cuenca, some of the colonial and religious art and architecture is considered to be the finest in the country.
 * Contemporary Ecuadorian artist Manuel Rendon is considered one of the best expressionists in the world.

[[image:hstspanishspeakingcountries3rd/Galapagos-Islands-005.jpg width="304" height="203" caption="Galapagos Islands"]]
<span style="display: block; font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">

<span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">__Tourism__
<span style="display: block; font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">
 * "Avenue of Volcanoes": a 325 km. long valley between the major Cordillera ranges. Included in this range is the tallest mountain in Ecuador, Chimborazo (“Moutain of Snow”). Chimborazo was first climbed by Edward Whimper in 1880.
 * //Ecuador Archaelogical Sites//: Several ruins left by the Incas or the Amerindians lay scattered throughout Ecuador.
 * A popular Inca site is //Ingapirca.// Others include //Rumicucho,//near Quito; //La Tolita,// near Esmeraldas; and //Tomebamba// in Cuenca.[[image:hstspanishspeakingcountries3rd/ingapirca.JPG width="412" height="176" align="right" caption="Ingapirca"]]
 * The ancient Valdiva culture (3200 BC) left remains at //Real Alto, San Ishidro// (excavated mountains), and //Santa Elena//, which is noted for having the world’s oldest known cemetary, dating from 5000 BC.
 * //Ambato//, Ecuador was rebuilt after a 1949 earthquake, leaving little colonial evidence behind. But it is still a good place to Salasaca Amerindian tapestries and other handicrafts.
 * //Galapagos Islands//: a group of twelve volcanic islands and numerous inlets 650 miles off the Pacific coast. It is 3,086 sq. miles. Famous for their flora and fauna found nowhere else, the Islands are a unique ecosystem. Charles Darwin made his theories on evolution here in 1830.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__Current Events__
//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1.) NASA Selects U.S. Teacher in Ecuador to be "Agent of Change" for STEM Education // Margot Solberg, a teacher at Academia Cotopaxi in Quito has been awarded an Endeavor Fellowship with NASA. NASA's Endeavor Science Teaching Project provides live, online training for educators working to earn a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) certificate. //2.) Ecuador Weapons Siezure Points to Thriving Small Arms Trade// Ecuador's military seized 170 firearms in the south of the country, raising the issue again of the country's importance as a transit nation for small arms moving to Colombia. The seizure, which include 7,000 rounds of ammunition, shotguns, handguns and rifles, came in the southern province of El Oro, which borders Peru. No one was arrested.

//3.) New Species of Life Resurrected from Ancient Andean Tomb// Ecuadorian scientists have revived a new species of yeast from pre-Incan tombs. The scientists uncovered ten ancient tombs, each with 20 Quitus bodies clothed in the finest cloth with gold jewelry and surrounded by offerings of food for the afterlife. Yeast biologist Javier Barriga collected samples from inside a large clay fermentation vessels to recover microbes that had fermented the ancient food and, if possible, revive them.

//4.) Ecuador Bus Accident Kills 26// In Quito, a bus traveling between Ibarra and San Lorenzo plunged down a ravine in northern Ecuador, killing twenty-six people (14 men, 10 women, 2 children) and injuring twenty-nine others. No other information has been released.

**__Sources__**
http://www.ecuador.com/culture/ http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/samerica/ecsa.gif http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/ecuador.html http://www.ecuadorexplorer.com/html/people_and_culture.html http://www.ecuadorexplorer.com/html/holidays.html http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107479.html http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35761.htm http://kitchentalks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Ecuador-Plato-Humita.jpg http://i.infoplease.com/images/mecuador.gif http://www.indexmundi.com/ecuador/demographics_profile.html [] [] [|http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Feb-19/163854-ecuador-bus-accident-kills-26-officials.ashx#axzz1mrEUHFdu]