TOEFL Test Centers in Ecuador

EDU February 16, 2019

Ecuador Overview

Ecuador is a republic in northwest South America with the capital Quito. The country lies on both sides of the equator and is one of the smallest on the subcontinent. The Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, 1,000 km away, also belong to its territory. In terms of landscape, Ecuador is divided into the coastal plain (Costa), the upper Amazon basin (Oriente) and the Andean highlands (Sierra). The sierra is dominated by the 6,267 m high Chimborazo volcano, the highest mountain in the country, and the volcanic chain “Avenue of Volcanoes”. Ecuador is in a seismographically active zone and there are repeated major earthquakes, like the one in April 2016 with 600 fatalities. Fauna and flora are among the most diverse and varied in the world.

The largest group of the population with 72% are the descendants from the union of Europeans and members of the indigenous population (mestizos), the indigenous people make up 7%. Because of the land reform (1964) and the subsequent strong rural exodus, almost two thirds of the population now live in cities, especially in the largest metropolitan areas of Guayaquil and Quito with their rapidly growing workers’ and poor areas. The great social differences in the multiethnic society lead to tensions, which often lead to protests and strikes. As the strongest social movement, the indigenous movement has been fighting for the protection of indigenous peoples and their culture since the 1980s.

The Spanish language as well as the literature, architecture and art of the Spanish colonizers shape the country and are in contrast to the culture of the indigenous people. The area of ​​today’s Ecuador has been in the coastal plain since about 3,000 BC. Settled. Before the Spanish conquest (1533/34) it belonged to the Inca Empire, and in 1822 it became part of the independent Greater Colombia. Ecuador has been an independent republic since 1830. After a border war with Peru, it lost important areas in the Amazon lowlands in 1942. After in the disputed border area between Ecuador and Peru Oil reserves were suspected, an armed conflict broke out between the two states in 1995, which was ended in 1998 by a peace treaty. Around 30% of the country is used for the cultivation of coffee, cocoa, bananas and sugar cane as well as rice and corn. The economy and the national budget are heavily dependent on the price of crude oil, Ecuador’s main export. In terms of foreign policy, Ecuador and Bolivia maintain good relations with the left-wing government in Venezuela.

Country facts

• Official name: Republic of Ecuador
• License plate: EC
• ISO-3166: EC, ECU (218)
• Internet domain:.ec
• Currency: 1 US dollar (US $) = 100 cents
• Area: 256 370 km²
• Population (2018): 17.1 million
• Capital: Quito
• Official language (s): Spanish
• Form of government: Presidential Republic
• Administrative division: 24 provinces
• Head of State: President Lenín Moreno Garcés (since May 24, 2017)
• Religion (s) (2012): 74% Catholics, 10.4% Reformed, 7.9% Atheists, 6.4% others
• Time zone: Central European Time –6 hours
• National holiday: August 10th

Location and infrastructure

• Location (geographical): South America
• Position (coordinates): between 1 ° 27 ‘north and 5 ° south latitude and 75 ° 12’ and 81 ° west longitude
• Climate: In the coastal area and the eastern Amazon lowlands, a hot, humid tropical climate, in the highlands of the Andes a subtropical to temperate climate
• Highest mountain: Chimborazo (6,267 m)
• Road network (2015): 43,000 km (of which 8,000 km paved)
• Railway network (2017): 965 km

Population

• Annual population growth (2018): 1.2%
• Birth rate (2018): 17.6 per 1,000 residents.
• Death rate (2018): 5.1 per 1,000 residents.
• Average age (2018): 28.1 years
• Average life expectancy (2018): 77.1 years (men 74.2; women 80.3)
• Age structure (2018): 26.6% younger than 15 years, 7.7% older than 65 years
• Literacy rate (15-year-olds and older) (2016): 94.4%
• Mobile phone contracts (pre-paid and post-paid) (2017): 88 per 100 residents
• Internet users (2017): 57 per 100 residents

Economy

• GDP per capita (2018): US $ 6,316
• Total GDP (2018): US $ 108 billion
• GNI per capita (2018): US $ 6,120
• Education expenditure (2015): 5.0% of GDP
• Military expenditure (2018): 2.4% of GDP
• Unemployment rate (15 years and older) (2017): 4.9%