| Despite its
small size, Ecuador is one of the worlds most varied Countries.
Ecuador is bordered by Colombia to the north and Peru to the
south and east with the Pacific coast of South America to
the west with the equator passing though Ecuador. Mainland
Ecuador has three regions. The western coastal lowlands, central
highlands and eastern Amazonian lowlands.
Western pacific lowlands
The western coastal lowlands used to be heavily
forested, but most of the natural vegetation is now destroyed
for agriculture and the mangroves have been hacked and replaced
with shrimp ponds. This region is made up of fertile plains,
rolling hills, and sedimentary basins traversed by a plethora
of rivers that rush from the heights of the Andes to the Pacific
Ocean. The nations most important and beautiful rivers can
be seen here. The western provinces of Los Rios, Manabi and
El Oro are the most intensively farmed in Ecuador.
The Highlands - The Andes & the Austro
The Andean mountain Range runs from north
to south, splitting the country into the western coastal lowlands
and the eastern jungles and rainforests of the upper Amazonian
basin. Chimborazo is the highest peak of the Andean mountains,
which is composed of two volcanic mountain ranges, about 400
km long, with a valley nestled between. The valley houses
Quito, the capital of Ecuador. This is the region with the
highest population density in the country.
The Amazon Region
The eastern lowlands of the Oriente still
retain much of their virgin rainforest, but Oil exploitation
and colonization are threatening this habitat. The population
of the Oriente has more than tripled since the late 1970s. Galapagos Islands
In addition to the mainland, Ecuador owns
the Galapagos Islands (Archipelago of Colón) , which
also straddle the equator, about 1000 km west of the coast.
They are an isolated group of volcanic islands in the Pacific
Ocean. They consist of 13 major islands, 6 small islands and
scores of islets many of which have not been named as yet.
Apart from its beautiful beaches and unique and varied ecosystems,
the Galapagos Islands are home to towering active volcanoes.
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