Ecuador Missions
Missionaries Serving:
Jim and Caty Tate
Capital
Quito (1,100,800, 1993 est.)
System of Government
Unitary Multiparty Republic
Area
283,561 Sq Km (109,484 Sq Mi) (slightly smaller than Nevada)
Estimated 2000 Population
12,679,700
Geography
Ecuador is located on the northwest coast of South America. It is bound by Colombia to the north, Peru to the east and south as well as the Pacific Ocean to the west. The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador, and include six major islands and many smaller ones. The islands are volcanic in origin and are chiefly basaltic lava flows. The terrain of Ecuador has three regions: the coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente). The coastal plain is a rich agricultural area. The sierra is the central plateau between the Cordillera Occidental, Central and the Oriental mountain ranges. It rises to the snow capped mountain peaks and has 22 massive volcanoes. The sierra is subject to occasional and severe earthquakes.
Climate
Ecuador has a tropical climate which is hot and humid. The costa has a heavy wet season from December to April, although rainfall occurs throughout the year. Average temperature ranges in Quito are from 46 degrees Fahrenheit to 70 degrees Fahrenheit all year.
People
The principal ethnic majority are the AmerIndians who account for about 50% of the population, followed by the Mestizos who are of mixed AmerIndian and Spanish descent and account for around 40%. Whites or pure Spanish account for around 9% of the population. Other ethnic minorities include Asians, Black Africans, British, Irish, French, Germans and Lebanese. Around 700 tribes represent the AmerIndian population.
Vital Statistics
Life Expectancy at Birth: 63.4 years male, 67.6 years female (1990). Infant Mortality Rate: 51.7 per 1,000 live births (1990). HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate: 0.29% (1999 est.).
Religions
Most of the people of Ecuador are Christians with around 94% of the population Roman Catholic and 2% are Protestant. The remainder follow local native tribal beliefs.
Languages
The official language is Spanish, which is spoken by around 93% of the population. Nearly 6% of the population speak Quechua, mainly the AmerIndians.
History
Between 1931 and 1948 twenty one governments held temporary office. During this period Jose Velasco Ibarra became President five times. In 1947 the military overthrew Velasco’s government. In 1960 he was re-elected and in 1962 was ousted. Carlos Arosemena replaced Velasco and in 1963 the military overthrew him and suspended the constitution to prevent a communist takeover. A military Junta remained in power until 1966 when the people demanded an end to military rule. In 1968 Velasco was re-elected president and in 1970 he suspended the constitution and began to govern as dictator. Military leaders overthrew Velasco in 1972 and Rodriguez Lara became dictator. In 1976 the military ousted Rodriguez Lara and took control of the government. In 1979 Jaime Roldos won elections and led a new reformist coalition government. He died in a plane crash in 1981 and Osvaldo Hurtado replaced him. Rodrigo Cevallo won the 1988 presidential election, and Sixto Ballen won in 1992. President Jamil Mahuad was elected in 1998, but was deposed in a military coup in January 2000. Following the coup the vice president, Gustavo Bejarano, was quickly selected to be the president.
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