Ecuador is considered one of the most beautiful South American countries, which is called "the country of eternal spring and flowering plants." A small country with a well-preserved colonial architecture, a vibrant and peculiar culture, delightful volcanic landscapes and lush rainforests.
In the west the state is washed by the Pacific Ocean, in the north, it borders with Colombia, in the south and east-with Peru. The land border with Colombia is 590 km, with Peru 1420 km. The state is comprised of the Galapagos Islands, an archipelago lying in the Pacific Ocean, 975 miles west of the mainland of Ecuador.
Geographically, Ecuador is divided into four zones:
1. Costa-Lowland part of the Pacific coast
2. Sierra-central mountainous part of the country
3. Orente-Jungle, Foothill Plains related to the basin of the upper Amazon
4. Islas Galapagos-Archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, 972 km west of the coast of Ecuador.
The administrative state is divided into 24 provinces, each of which is divided into cantons, and those, in turn, to parishes. The capital of Ecuador is the city of Quito. 25 km north of the capital of Ecuador-Quito the territory crosses the equator, which gave the country name.The territories of Ecuador in ancient times were inhabited by various Indian tribes engaged in primitive farming, hunting, and fishing. The population of Ecuador is approximately 16 211 thousand. Man. 25% of them are native Indians; About 65%-mestizo (descendants of mixed marriages of Indians with immigrants from Europe); 3 percent were Afro-descendant Ecuadians, descendants of slaves removed from Africa; and 7% are Ecuadorians Spanish (mostly living in Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca) and immigrants from European countries and Asia.