ECUADOR
List of TERRAs
Country profile
Ecuador’s name comes from the equatorial line which crosses the country. The Andes mountain range divides the territory into three clearly distinct geographic areas: the Coast, the Sierra and the East which, combined with the Galapagos Islands, form the four natural regions which can be identified.
The climate is generally hot and subtropical but the Andres, which cross the country, create different climatic regions ranging from extremely cold areas to extremely rainy, tropical areas. The best time to visit the country is between June and October.
- Estimated population (in millions):
- 13,0
- Life expectancy (in years):
- 74,5
- Infant mortality rate (per every 1,000 live births):
- 23
- Female literacy rate (>14 years old):
- 89,7 %
- Male literacy rate (>14 years old):
- 92,3 %
- Children completing the 5th grade of primary school:
- 76 %
- Population living below the poverty level (= $2 a day):
- 37,2 %
Problems
The current situation in Ecuador is strongly marked by the economic crisis suffered in the 1990s. Education in the country continues to be overlooked and increasingly fewer funds are designated for the purchase of educational equipment and infrastructures. This situation is more critical in the rural areas, where basic health services are lacking or collapse in the face of illnesses related with the meteorological effects of ‘El Niño’, among these dengue, typhoid and yellow fever and cholera.