8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 1/16

Geography

Ecuador has a total area of 283,520 km2 (109,468 sq mi), includin the !al"#aos 

$slands% &f this, 283,520 km2 (109,468 sq mi) is land and 6,'20 km2 (2,595 sq mi) ater%

Ecuador is ier than *ruua+, urinam, !u+ana and -rench !u+ana in outh .merica%

/himoraoolcano,

the farthest #oint

from the centre of the

Earth

Ecuador lies

 eteen latitudes 2 and 5, ounded on

the est + the acific &cean, and has 2,33' km (1,452 mi) of coastline% $t has 2,010 km

(1,250 mi) of land oundaries, ith /olomia in the north (590 km, or 3'0 mi, order)

and eru in the east and south (1,420 km, or 882 mi, order)%

he countr+ has four main eora#hic reions

• La Costa, or 7the coast7, com#rises the lol+in land in the estern #art of the

countr+, includin the acific coastline%

• La Sierra, or 7the hihlands7, is the hihaltitude elt runnin northsouth alon

the centre of the countr+, its mountainous terrain dominated + the .ndes mountain

rane%

• La Amazonía, also knon as El Oriente, or 7the east7, com#rises the .maon 

rainforest areas in the eastern #art of the countr+, accountin for :ust under half of the

countr+;s total surface area, thouh #o#ulated + less than 5< of the #o#ulation%

• La Región Insularis the reion com#risin the !al"#aos $slands, some 1,000

kilometres (620 mi) est of the mainland in the acific &cean%

Ecuador;s ca#ital is =uito, hich is in the #roince of ichincha in the ierra reion%

$ts larest cit+ is !ua+aquil, in the !ua+as roince% /oto#a>i, hich is :ust south of

=uito, features one of the orld;s hihest actie olcanoes% he to# of ?ount 

/himorao (6,268 m, or 20,560 ft, aoe sea leel) is considered to e the most distant

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 2/16

 #oint of the Earth;s surface from the center of the Earth, ien the a##ro>imatel+ elli#soid 

sha#e of the #lanet%@1A

Climate

here is reat ariet+ in the climate, larel+ determined + altitude% $t is mild +ear

round in the mountain alle+s, ith a humid sutro#ical climate in coastal areas and

rainforest in lolands% he acific coastal area has a tro#ical climate ith a seere rain+

season% he climate in the .ndean hihlands is tem#erate  and relatiel+ dr+, and the

.maon asin on the eastern side of the mountains shares the climate of other rainforest

ones%

Because of its location at the equator, Ecuador e>#eriences little ariation in da+liht

hours durin the course of a +ear% Both sunrise and sunset occur each da+ at the to si>o;clock hours%

Hydrology

astaa Cier 

he .ndes is the watershed divisor  eteen the .maon atershed, hich runs to

the east, and the acific, includin the northsouth riers ?ata:e, antiao, Esmeraldas, 

/hone, !ua+as, Duones, and u+anoumes%.lmost all of the riers in Ecuador form in the a ierra reion and flo east toard

the .maon Cier  or est toard the acific &cean% he riers rise from snomelt at the

edes of the snoca##ed #eaks or from the aundant #reci#itation that falls at hiher

eleations% $n the a ierra reion, the streams and riers are narro and flo ra#idl+

oer #reci#itous slo#es% Ciers ma+ slo and iden as the+ cross the ho+as +et ecome

ra#id aain as the+ flo from the heihts of the .ndes to the loer eleations of the other

reions% he hihland riers roaden as the+ enter the more leel areas of the /osta and

the &riente%

$n the /osta, the e>ternal coast has mostl+ intermittent riers that are fed + constant

rains from Fecemer throuh ?a+ and ecome em#t+ riereds durin the dr+ season%

he fe e>ce#tions are the loner, #erennial riers that flo throuhout the e>ternal coast

from the internal coast and a ierra on their a+ to the acific &cean% he internal

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 3/16

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 4/16

Ecuador has the first constitution to reconie the rihts of nature% he #rotection of

the nation;s iodiersit+ is an e>#licit national #riorit+ as stated in the ational lan of

7Buen Jiir7, or ood liin, &:ectie 4, 7!uarantee the rihts of nature7, olic+ 1

7ustainal+ consere and manae the natural heritae, includin its land and marine

 iodiersit+, hich is considered a strateic sector7% .s of the ritin of the lan in 2008,

19< of Ecuador;s land area as in a #rotected areaK hoeer, the lan also states that

32< of the land must e #rotected in order to trul+ #resere the nation;s iodiersit+%

/urrent   #rotected areas  include eleen national #arks, ten ildlife refues, nine

ecoloical reseres, and other areas%. #roram eun in 2008, ocioosque, is #reserin

another 2%3< of total land area (6,295 kmL, or 629,500 ha) + #a+in #riate landoners

or communit+ landoners (such as indienous tries) incenties to maintain their land as

natie ecos+stems such as natie forests or rasslands% Eliiilit+ and susid+ rates forthis #roram are determined ased on the #oert+ in the reion, the numer of hectares

that ill e #rotected, and the t+#e of ecos+stem of the land to e #rotected, amon other

factors%

Fes#ite ein on the *E/& list, the !al"#aos are endanered + a rane of

neatie enironmental effects, threatenin the e>istence of this e>otic ecos+stem% 

.dditionall+, oil e>#loitation of the .maon rainforest has led to the release of illions of

allons of untreated astes, as, and crude oil into the enironment, contaminatin

ecos+stems and causin detrimental health effects to indienous #eo#les%

Eonomy

Ecuador;s econom+ is the eihth larest in atin .merica and e>#erienced an aerae

roth of 4%6< eteen 2000 and 2006% -rom 200' to 2012 Ecuador;s !F re at an

annual aerae of 4%3 #ercent, aoe the aerae for atin .merica and the /ariean,

hich as 3%5 #ercent, accordin to the *nited ations; Economic /ommission for atin

.merican and the /ariean (E/./)% Ecuador as ale to maintain relatiel+ su#erior

roth durin the crisis% $n Danuar+ 2009 the /entral Bank of Ecuador (B/E) #ut the

2010 roth forecast at 6%88<% $n 2011 its !F re at '%8 #ercent and ranked third

hihest in atin .merica, ehind .rentina (2nd) and anama (1st)% Beteen 1999 and

200', !F douled, reachin M65,490 million accordin to B/E%@46A $nflation rate u# to

Danuar+ 2008 as located aout 1%14<, the hihest recorded in the last +ear, accordin to

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 5/16

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 6/16

countr+, like eucal+#tus and manroes% ines and cedars are #lanted in the reion of a

ierra and alnuts, rosemar+, and alsa ood in the !ua+as Cier Basin% he industr+ is

concentrated mainl+ in !ua+aquil, the larest industrial center, and in =uito, here in

recent +ears the industr+ has ron consideral+% his cit+ is also the larest usiness

center of the countr+% $ndustrial #roduction is directed #rimaril+ to the domestic market%

Fes#ite this, there is limited e>#ort of #roducts #roduced or #rocessed industriall+% hese

include canned foods, liquor, :eelr+, furniture, and more% . minor industrial actiit+ is

also concentrated in /uenca%

Horld rade /enter headquarters in

!ua+aquil

Ecuador has neotiated ilateral treaties ith other countries, esides elonin tothe .ndean /ommunit+ of ations, and an associate memer of ?ercosur% $t also seres

on the Horld rade &raniation (H&), in addition to the $nteramerican Feelo#ment

Bank ($FB), Horld Bank, $nternational ?onetar+ -und ($?-), /or#oraciNn .ndina de

-omento (/.-,) and other multilateral aencies% $n .#ril 200', Ecuador #aid off its det

to the $?-, thus endin an era of interentionism of the .enc+ in the countr+% he #ulic

finance of Ecuador consists of the /entral Bank of Ecuador (B/E), the ational

Feelo#ment Bank (B-), the tate Bank, the ational -inance /or#oration, the

Ecuadorian Iousin Bank (BEJ,) and the Ecuadorian Educational oans and !rants%

Beteen 2006 and 2009, the oernment increased social s#endin on social elfare

and education from 2%6< to 5%2< of its !F% tartin in 200', ith an econom+

sur#assed + the economic crisis, Ecuador as su:ect to a numer of economic #olic+

reforms + the oernment that hae hel#ed steer the Ecuadorian econom+ to a sustained,

sustantial, and focused financial stailit+ and social #olic+% uch #olicies ere

e>#ansionar+ fiscal #olicies, of access to housin finance, stimulus #acks, and limitin

the amount of mone+ reseres anks could kee# aroad% he Ecuadorian !oernment has

made hue inestments in education and infrastructure throuhout the nation, hich hae

im#roed the lies of the #oor% $n 2000, Ecuador chaned its currenc+ from the sucre to

the * dollar  folloin a ankin crisis%

&n 12 Fecemer 2008, #resident /orrea announced that Ecuador ould not #a+

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 7/16

M30%6 million in interest to lenders of a M510million loan, claimin that the+ ere

monsters% $n addition, it claimed that M3%8 illion in forein det neotiated + #reious

administrations as illeitimate ecause it as authorised ithout e>ecutie decree% .t

the time of the announcement, the countr+ had M5%65 illion in cash reseres%

Industry

he countr+ has #otential for the industr+ in a ariet+ of sectors, includin domestic

 #roduction of ra materials and manufactured te>tiles, minin, chemical, #etrochemical,

and oil refinement% oer eneration is also a #otential sector that is startin to e

deelo#ed due to Ecuador;s hih ater #otential in arious sectors of the countr+K the

deelo#ment of #roducts ased on the meltin or lass materials, #roduction and aro

 #rocessed foods, and #harmaceutical #roduction, amon others% he most releant #ro:ectcurrentl+ under deelo#ment is the acific refiner+, located in ?anta, hich ill e one

of the larest in the reion%

Curreny

/incuenta (50) centaos,

resident Elo+ .lfaro

he  *%% dollar , current

currenc+ of the Ce#ulic

of Ecuador%

$n its infanc+, Ecuador

as #art of !ran /olomia

until 1830 as

Fe#artamento del ur%

!ran /olomia;s monetar+ reulations retained the old #anish colonial s+stem% Ecuador

officiall+ ean its on monetar+ unit on Dune 28, 1835, hen the inscri#tion (re%) 7E

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 8/16

E/*.F&C E /&&?B$.7 as chaned to 7CEOB$/. FE E/*.F&C7% ?an+

reional coins from neihorin eru, /olomia, Boliia, etc%, as ell as international

units, ere in circulation and acce#ted hile =uito fouht counterfeitin and tried to

unif+ its currenc+% /ounterfeitin had reached alarmin #ro#ortions durin 1842% .t this

time, Ecuador as on the ere of ankru#tc+, and, since leitimate coins had such

im#erfections, it as im#ossile to tell them from the ad coins%

&n Fecemer 29, 1845, resident Jicente CamNn Coca authoried a coin to com#ete

ith the  fuertes  (fullodied coin) of other countries% his as the  #eso fuerte% he

standard of 903 fineness for siler, hoeer, resulted in a hea+ e>#ort of the coin% $t

disa##eared as soon as it entered circulation (!resham;s la), raed u# + the

merchants of !ua+aquil%

B+ the 1850s, the =uito mint as not receiin enouh #recious metals to :ustif+ itso#eration% $t had to coin a minimum of 6,000 #esos a +ear :ust to meet oerhead% he

mint as shut don tem#oraril+ durin 1853 hile the oernment considered the

o#tions of kee#in it o#en or shuttin it don #ermanentl+% he mint equi#ment as

orn and could not #roduce coins in sufficient quantit+ to com#ete ith the forein coin

that entered Ecuador%

/onress #assed a ne monetar+ la on Fecemer 5, 1856, ado#tin the -rench

decimal s+stem, a standard of 0%900 for siler, and the Ecuadorian -ranco% he #eso

remained a unit of account equal to 5 francos% a#er mone+ as first issued in 1859 +

the Banco de Circulación y Descuento de Manuel Antonio de Luzarraga  in !ua+aquil,

ith anknote denominations of 1, 4, 5, 10, and 20 #esos%

Ecuador;s monetar+ unit, the #eso, as renamed  sucre (decree of ?arch 22, 1884,

effectie .#ril 1)% he 1884 monetar+ la #ermitted free circulation of the old coins of

-rance, $tal+, iterland, /olomia, etc% .s for siler, the la #ermitted the im#ort of 5

franc #ieces of -rance, $tal+, Belium, and iterland etc% o##er (vellón) as made leal

tender to 5 dPcimos% Bank reseres ere in siler coins, and anknotes ere conertile

solel+ into siler% Ecuador as on a de facto  siler standard and did not coin an+ old

 eteen 1884 and 1892% resident .ntonio -lores Di:Nn announced that from .uust 15,

1890, onl+ national coins ere alloed to circulate in Ecuador, and Ecuador;s monetar+

s+stem as unified% -olloin the financial ankin crisis of 1999, the * dollar ecame

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 9/16

leal tender in Ecuador on ?arch 13, 2000, and sucre notes ceased ein leal tender on

e#temer 11% ucre notes remained e>chaneale at Banco /entral until ?arch 30,

2001, at 25,000 sucres #er dollar% Ecuador no onl+ issues its on centao coins%

!ransport

Caila+s in Ecuador

(interactie ma#)

he rehailitation and

reo#enin of the

Ecuadorian railroad and

use of it as a tourist

attraction is one of therecent deelo#ments in

trans#ortation matter%he

roads of Ecuador in recent

+ears hae underone

im#ortant im#roement% he ma:or routes are an .merican (under enhancement from

four to si> lanes from Cumichaca to .mato, the conclusion of 4 lanes on the entire

stretch of .mato and Cioama and runnin ia Cioama to o:a)% $n the asence of

the section eteen o:a and the order ith eru, there are the Coute Es#ondilus andQor

Cuta del ol (oriented to trael alon the Ecuadorian coastline) and the .maon

 ackone (hich crosses from north to south alon the Ecuadorian .maon, linkin most

and more ma:or cities of it)%

.nother ma:or #ro:ect is deelo#in the road ?anta ena, the hiha+ !ua+aquil

  alinas Iiha+ .loa anto Fomino, Cioama ?acas (hich crosses ana+

 ational ark)% &ther ne deelo#ments include the ational *nit+ ride com#le> in

!ua+aquil, the ride oer the a#o rier in -rancisco de &rellana, the Esmeraldas Cier

Bride in the cit+ of the same name, and, #erha#s the most remarkale of all, the Bahia

an Jincente Bride, ein the larest on the atin .merican acific coast%

he international air#orts of =uito and !ua+aquil hae e>#erienced a hih increase

in demand and hae required moderniation% $n the case of !ua+aquil it inoled a ne

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 10/16

air terminal, once considered the est in outh .merica and the est in atin .merica and

in =uito here an entire ne air#ort has een uilt in aaela and as inauurated in

-eruar+ 2013, ith /anadian assistance% Ioeer, the main road leadin from =uito

cit+ centre to the ne air#ort ill onl+ e finished in late 2014, makin current traellin

from the air#ort to donton =uito as lon as to hours durin rush hour% =uito;s old

cit+centre air#ort is ein turned into #arkland, ith some liht industrial use%

"emographis

Ecuador;s #o#ulation is ethnicall+ dierse and the 2011 estimates #ut Ecuador;s

 #o#ulation at 15,00',343% he larest ethnic rou# (as of 2010) is the  Mestizos, ho are

the descendants of #anish colonists that interred ith indienous #eo#les, and

constitute aout '1< of the #o#ulation% he Hhite Ecuadorians (Hhite atin .merican)account for 6%1< of the #o#ulation of Ecuador and can e found throuhout all of

Ecuador #rimaril+ around the uran areas% Een thouh Ecuador;s hite #o#ulation

durin its colonial era ere mainl+ descendants from #ain, toda+ Ecuador;s hite

 #o#ulation is a result of a mi>ture of Euro#ean immirants, #redominantl+ from #ain

ith #eo#le from $tal+, -rance, !erman+, and iterland ho hae settled in the earl+

20th centur+% Ecuador also has #eo#le of middle eastern e>traction that hae also :oined

the ranks of the hite minorit+% hese include economicall+ ell off immirants of

eanese and alestinian descent, ho are either /hristian or ?uslim ( $slam in Ecuador )%

$n addition, there is a small Euro#ean Deish (Ecuadorian :es) #o#ulation, hich is

 ased mainl+ in !ua+aquil and to a lesser e>tent in =uito% .merindians account for 13<

of the current #o#ulation% he mostl+ rural ?ontuio #o#ulation of the coastal #roinces

of Ecuador, ho miht e classified as ardo account for '%4< of the #o#ulation% he

.froEcuadorians is a minorit+ #o#ulation ('<) in Ecuador, that includes the ?ulattos 

and zambos, and are larel+ ased in the Esmeraldas #roince and to a lesser deree in

the #redominantel+ ?estio #roinces of /oastal Ecuador !ua+as and ?anai%

Language

?ost Ecuadorians s#eak #anish, thouh man+ s#eak .merindian lanuae, such as

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 11/16

Richa (also knon as =uichua), hich is one of the =uechuan lanuaes and is s#oken

 + a##ro>imatel+ 2%5 million #eo#le in Ecuador, /olomia, and eru% @8'A  &ther

.merindian lanuaes s#oken in Ecuador include .a#it (s#oken + the ."), .;inae

(s#oken + the /ofan), huar /hicham (s#oken + the huar), .chuarhiiar (s#oken

 + the .chuar and the hiiar), /ha;#alaachi (s#oken + the /hachi), sa;fiki (s#oken +

the s"chila), aicoca (s#oken + the iona and eco+a), and Hao ededeo (s#oken +

the Haorani)% houh most features of Ecuadorian #anish are those uniersal to the

#anishs#eakin orld, there are seeral idios+ncrasies%

#usi

Dulio Daramillois an icon of music%he music of Ecuador has a lon

histor+% asillo is a enre of indienous atin music% $n Ecuador it is the 7national enre

of music7% hrouh the +ears, man+ cultures hae rouht their influences toether to

create ne t+#es of music% here are also different kinds of traditional music like alao,

 #asacalle, fo> incaico, tonada, ca#ishca, Boma (hihl+ estalished in afroEcuadorian

societies), and so on%  ecnocumia and Cockola are clear e>am#les of the influence of

forein cultures% &ne of the most traditional forms of dancin in Ecuador is an:uanito%$t;s oriinall+ from northern Ecuador (&taalo$maura)% an:uanito is a danceale

music used in the festiities of the mestio and indienous cultures% .ccordin to the

Ecuadorian musicoloist eundo uis ?oreno, an:uanito as danced + indienous

 #eo#le durin an Duan Bautista;s irthda+% his im#ortant date as estalished + the

#aniards on Dune 24, coincidentall+ the same date hen indienous #eo#le celerated

their rituals of $nti Ca+mi%

Sports

?ain article  #ort in

Ecuador 

Defferson Pre,

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 12/16

&l+m#ic !old ?edalist

Estadio ?onumental

of !ua+aquil%

he most #o#ular

s#ort in Ecuador , as

in most outh

.merican countries,

is footall (soccer)%

$ts est knon #rofessional teams include Barcelona and Emelec from !ua+aquilK F* 

=uito,  Fe#ortio =uito, and El acional  from =uitoK &lmedo  from CioamaK and

Fe#ortio /uenca from /uenca% /urrentl+ the most successful soccer team in Ecuador is

F* =uito, and it is the onl+ Ecuadorian team that has on the Coa Libertadores, theCoa !udamericana, and the "ecoa !udamericanaK the+ ere also runnersu# in the

2008 -$-. /lu Horld /u#% he matches of the Ecuadorian national team are the most

atched s#ortin eents in the countr+% Ecuador has qualified for the final rounds of the

2002, the 2006, S the 2014  -$-. Horld /u#s% he 2002 -$-. Horld /u# qualif+in

cam#ain as considered a hue success for the countr+ and its inhaitants% Ecuador

finished in 2nd #lace on the qualifiers ehind .rentina and aoe the team that ould

 ecome Horld /ham#ion, Brail% $n the 2006 -$-. Horld /u#, Ecuador finished ahead

of oland and /osta Cica to come in second to !erman+ in !rou# . in the 2006 Horld

/u#% -utsal, often referred to as #ndor , is #articularl+ #o#ular for mass #artici#ation%

here is considerale interest in tennis in the middle and u##er classes of Ecuadorian

societ+, and seeral Ecuadorian #rofessional #la+ers hae attained international fame%

Basketall has a hih #rofile, hile Ecuador;s s#ecialties include Ecua$volley, a three

 #erson ariation of olle+all% Bullfihtin is #racticed at a #rofessional leel in =uito,

durin the annual festiities that commemorate the #anish foundin of the cit+, and it

also features in festials in man+ smaller tons% Cu+ union is found to some e>tent in

Ecuador, ith teams in !ua+aquil, =uito, and /uenca%

Ecuador has on onl+ to medals in the &l+m#ic !ames, oth ained + 20km (12

mi) racealker  Defferson Pre, ho took old in the 1996 ames and siler 12 +ears 

later % Pre also set a orld est in the 2003 Horld /ham#ionshi#s of 11'21 for the 20

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 13/16

km (12 mi) distance%

Health

he current structure of the

Ecuadorian #ulic health care s+stem

dates ack to 196'%he ?inistr+ of the ulic Iealth (?inisterio de alud Tlica del

Ecuador) is the res#onsile entit+ of the reulation and creation of the #ulic health

 #olicies and health care #lans% he ?inister of ulic Iealth is a##ointed directl+ + the

resident of the Ce#ulic% he current minister, or Ecuadorian eneral sureon, is /arina 

Jance%

he #hiloso#h+ of the ?inistr+ of ulic Iealth is the social su##ort and serice to

the most ulnerale #o#ulation, and its main #lan of action lies around communitarian

health and #reentie medicine%

he #ulic healthcare s+stem allos #atients to e treated ithout an a##ointment in

 #ulic eneral hos#itals + eneral #ractitioners and s#ecialists in the out#atient clinic

(Consulta E%terna) at no cost% his is done in the four asic s#ecialties of #ediatric,

+necolo+, clinic medicine, and surer+% here are also #ulic hos#itals s#ecialied to

treat chronic diseases, taret a #articular rou# of the #o#ulation, or #roide etter

treatment in some medical s#ecialties% ome e>am#les in this rou# are the !+necoloic

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 14/16

Ios#itals, or ?aternities, /hildren Ios#itals, !eriatric Ios#itals, and &ncolo+

$nstitutes%

.lthouh ellequi##ed eneral hos#itals are found in the ma:or cities or ca#itals of

 #roinces, there are asic hos#itals in the smaller tons and canton cities for famil+ care

consultation and treatments in #ediatrics, +necolo+, clinical medicine, and surer+%

/ommunit+ health care centers (/entros de alud) are found inside metro#olitan

areas of cities and in rural areas% hese are da+ hos#itals that #roide treatment to #atients

hose hos#italiation is under 24 hours% he doctors assined to rural communities,

here the #o#ulation of indienous #eo#le can e sustantial, hae small clinics under

their res#onsiilit+ for the treatment of #atients in the same fashion as the da+ hos#itals in

the ma:or cities% he treatment in this case res#ects the culture of the communit+%

he #ulic healthcare s+stem should not e confused ith the Ecuadorian ocialecurit+ healthcare serice, hich is dedicated to indiiduals ith formal em#lo+ment

and ho are affiliated oliatoril+ throuh their em#lo+ers% /itiens ith no formal

em#lo+ment ma+ still contriute to the social securit+ s+stem oluntaril+ and hae access

to the medical serices rendered + the social securit+ s+stem% he Ecuadorian $nstitute

of ocial ecurit+ ($E) has seeral ma:or hos#itals and medical sucenters under its

administration across the nation%

Ecuador currentl+ ranks 20, in most efficient health care countries, com#ared to 111

 ack in the +ear 2000% Ecuadorians hae a life e>#ectanc+ of '5%6 +ears% he infant

mortalit+ rate is 13 #er 1,000 lie irths, a ma:or im#roement from a##ro>imatel+ '6 in

the earl+ 1980s and 140 in 1950% 23< of children under fie are chronicall+

malnourished% o#ulation in some rural areas hae no access to #otale ater, and its

su##l+ is #roided + mean of ater tankers% here are 686 malaria cases #er 100,000

 #eo#le% Basic health care, includin doctor;s isits, asic sureries, and asic medications,

has een #roided free since 2008%Ioeer, some #ulic hos#itals are in #oor condition

and often lack necessar+ su##lies to attend the hih demand of #atients% riate hos#itals

and clinics are ell equi##ed ut still e>#ensie for the ma:orit+ of the #o#ulation%

Eduation

he Ecuadorian /onstitution requires that all children attend school until the+

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 15/16

achiee a 7asic leel of education7, hich is estimated at nine school +ears% $n 1996, the

net #rimar+ enrollment rate as 96%9<, and '1%8< of children sta+ed in school until the

fifth rade% he cost of #rimar+ and secondar+ education is orne + the oernment, ut

families often face sinificant additional e>#enses such as fees and trans#ortation costs%

roision of #ulic schools falls far elo the leels needed, and class sies are often

er+ lare, and families of limited means often find it necessar+ to #a+ for education% $n

rural areas, onl+ 10< of the children o on to hih school% he ?inistr+ of Education

states that the mean numer of +ears com#leted is 6%'%

Ecuador has 61 uniersities, man+ of hich still confer terminal derees accordin to

the traditional #anish education s+stem, honorin a lon tradition of hain some of the

oldest uniersities in the .mericas *niersit+ of an -ulencio, founded in 1586 + the

.uustinesK an !reorio ?ano *niersit+, founded in 1651 + the DesuitsK and

*niersit+ of anto om"s of .quino, founded in 1681 + the Fominican order%

.mon the traditional conferred terminal derees can e noted the doctorate for

medicine and la schools or enineerin, #h+sics, chemistr+, or mathematics for

 #ol+technic or technolo+ institutes% hese terminal derees, as in the case of the hF in

other countries, ere the main requirement for an indiidual to e acce#ted in academia

as a #rofessor or researcher% $n the #rofessional realm, a terminal deree ranted + an

accredited institution automaticall+ #roides a #rofessional license to the indiidual%Ioeer, in 2004, the ational /ouncil of Iiher Education (/&E*), started

the reoraniation of all the dereerantin schemes of the accredited uniersities in

order to #air them ith forein counter#arts% he ne structure of some careers caused

the dro##in of su:ects, credits, or een the name of the #reiousl+ conferred di#lomas%

he terminal deree in la, #reiousl+ knon as DF Duris Foctor   (Foctor en

Duris#rudencia) as re#laced + the one of abogado (attorne+) ith the e>ce#tion of the

modification of the numer of credits to equate it to an underraduate deree% $n the samefashion for medical school, the required time of education as consideral+ reduced from

nine +ears (the minimum needed to otain the title of ?F in ?edicine and urer+) to

almost fie, ith the #roision that the di#loma is not terminal an+more, and it is ien

ith the title of m&dico (medic)% herefore, an ?F or hF in medicine is onl+ to e

otained oerseas until the uniersities ad:ust themseles to rantin schemes and

8/12/2019 Geography of equador

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/geography-of-equador 16/16

curriculum as in forein counter#arts% onetheless, a 7mPdico7 can start a career as

famil+ #ractitioner or eneral medicine #h+sician%

his ne reoraniation, althouh er+ amitious, lacked the #ro#er #ath to the

homoloation of di#lomas for hihl+ educated #rofessionals raduated in the countr+ or

een for the ones raduated in forein institutions% &ne of the #oints of conflict as the

im#osition of otainin forein derees to current academicians% .s toda+, a ?aster;s

deree is a requirement to kee# an academic #osition and at least a forein hF to attain

or retain the status of rector  (#resident of a uniersit+) or d&cano (dean)% -or Ecuadorian

researchers and man+ academicians trained in the countr+, these reulations sounded

illoical, disa##ointin, and unlaful since it a##eared a question of a title name conflict

rather than s#ecialiation or science adancement%

. deate to modif+ this and other reforms, s#eciall+ the one hich ranted control ofthe Iiher Education +stem + the oernment, as #racticall+ #assed ith consensus

 + the multi#artisan ational .sseml+ on .uust 4, 2010, ut etoed + resident

Cafael /orrea, ho anted to kee# the la strictl+ as it as oriinall+ redacted + his

 #olitical #art+ and E.FE (ational ecretar+ of lannin and Feelo#ment)% Fue

to this chane, there are man+ hihl+ educated #rofessionals and academicians under the

old structure ut estimated that onl+ 8'< of the facult+ in #ulic uniersities hae

alread+ otained a ?aster;s deree, and feer than 5< hae a hF (althouh man+ of

them alread+ hae Ecuadorianranted doctorate derees)%

.out 300 institutes of hiher education offer to to three +ears of #ostsecondar+

ocational or technical trainin%