Ecuador's geography has endowed the country with a variety of microclimates. The coast is hot all year, with a humid rainy season between December and May. In the mountains climate depends on altitude, becoming cooler the higher you go. The Amazon region is hot, humid and wet while the Galapagos Islands are dry with a steady year-round average temperature of 77°F (25°C).
US Dollar was accepted as the national currency of Ecuador on January, 2000, thereby replacing Sucre, the initial Ecuador Currency. It was nationally adopted in Ecuador from September, 2000.
Important Details about Ecuador Currency
According to the current currency conversion rate of Ecuador, 25000 Sucre is equal to 1 US dollar. The money that is circulated includes notes and coins. Notes are of the denominations of US$100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 while the coins are found in denominations of US$1 and 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 cent.
Ecuador is a country in western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, for which the country is named.Ecuador encompasses a wide range of natural formations and climates, from the desert-like southern coast to the snowcapped peaks of the Andes mountain range to the plains of the Amazon Basin. Cotopaxi in Ecuador is one of the world's highest active volcanos. It also has a large series of cliffs that follow the southern border and spill into the northwest area of Peru.
The coastal region and the high Andean basins of what is now Ecuador were inhabited by Indian tribes when the first Europeans reached the area's Pacific coast in 1526. The Inca Empire extended over the highland region to an area near to Quito. The first Spanish settlement in Ecuador was established in 1534 at Quito on the site of an important Inca town of the same name. Another settlement was established four years later near the mouth of the river Guayas on the site of Guayaquil. Expeditions initaited by Francisco Pizarro, who discovered and conquered Peru, founded the settlements and extended Spanish rule over the highland basins and coastal lowlands. Ecuador was part of the Viceroyalty of Peru until 1740, when it was transferred to the Viceroyalty of New Granada (together with Colombia and Venezuela). With hardly any gold or silver, Ecuador did not attract many Europeans settlers during the Spanish colonial period, which lasted until 1822.
The first uprising against Spanish rule took place in 1809, but only in 1822 did Ecuador gain independence as part of the Federation of Gran Colombia, from which it withdrew in 1830. A long period of strife and instability followed, caused mainly by struggles between conservative and liberal elements, clerical and anticlerical movements, and large landowners and owners of small farms or platations. The country was run by dictators, and the army palyed an important role in internal politics. During the first century of its independence, Ecuador had changed its contitutions 13 times and only few of its presidents had managed to serve a full four-year term.
The economic development associated with the cocoa boom at the end of the nineteenth and the first querter of the twentieth century helped to improve and stabilize the country's administration, despite the frequent turnover in rulers -18 presidents between 1897 and 1934- and 25 presidents between 1934 and 1988.
1 Jan New Year's Day.
12 Feb Amazon and Galapagos Day.
27 Feb Civicism and National Unity Day.
10 Apr Good Friday.
1 May Labour Day.
24 May Battle of Pichincha.
10 Aug Independence Day.
9 Oct Guayaquil Independence Day.
2 Nov All Souls' Day.
3 Nov Cuenca Independence Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
31 Dec New Year's Eve.
Note
Ecuador's Carnival (in March/April), the Foundation of Guayaquil (usually in October), the Foundation of Cuenca (usually in November) and the Foundation of Quito (usually in December) are not official public holidays, but are widely observed. Other holidays, in addition to the above, may be marked locally.
There are 13.2 million people living in Ecuador. The majority of the population is mestizo (mixed blood) (65%), followed by Amerindians (25%), black (3%), and Spanish and other ethnic groups (7%). Similar to many developing countries, the majority of Ecuador's population is under 25. The population growth rate is currently estimated at 2%.
The most populous city in Ecuador is the port city of Guayaquil with a population of 2.5 million. Quito is the second most populous with 1.5 million people.
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