| Geography and Climate |
Ecuador is located in Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru. Area comparatively slightly smaller than Nevada. Total land boundary is 2,010 km, border countries are Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km.
Ecuador has a tropical climate: along coast becoming cooler inland. Terrain consists of coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Elevation extreme has a lowest point in Pacific Ocean 0 m and highest point in Chimborazo 6,267 m. Natural resources are petroleum, fish are timber. Land use: arable land: 6%, permanent crops: 5%, permanent pastures: 18%, forests and woodland: 56%, other: 15% (1993 est.). Irrigated land: 5,560 sq km (1993 est.). Natural hazards are frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; periodic droughts.
Environment—current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes
Geography—note: Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world
Ref. Anonymous, 1999 |