the republic of equador by aleksi nieminen ville kontinen t569sn 2009
TRANSCRIPT
The Republic of
EQUADOR
ByAleksi
NieminenVille KontinenT569SN 2009
Republic of Ecuador Capital: Quito
Largest city: Guayaquil Official language is Spanish Government: Presidential Republic
President Rafael Correa Land area 256 370km2
Population app. 13 million Currency is USD
GDP 108 389 billion (7 785 per capita)
History
Cultures have existed in the area of Ecuador from 3500 BC
At first there were many different civilizations (e.g. Valdivia culture and Machalilla culture)
The region came under the Inca empire in 1463 and was ruled by Atahualpa (who was in charge of the northern parts of the empire)In 1531 the Spanish conquistadors invaded most of South America and the Incas fell under their rule
History from Spanish rule to the Republic of Ecuador
After 300 years of Spanish rule, the city of Guayaquil became the first city in Ecuador to gain independence (Oct 9 1820)The rest of Ecuador gained independence in May 24 1822 after a victorious battle against the Spaniard Royalist forcesThe 19th century was tainted by instabilityThere were multiple skirmishes and takeovers for the sovereignty of Ecuador, but ultimately it unified to meet the demand of cocoa for the growing world market
There were still many coups and revolutions until the threat of Peru arose in 1940’s
History from liberal revolutions to modern democracy
Peru and Ecuador fought over territorial control for the area near the Amazon Disputes ended in peace agreement in 1998
Military governments ruled the country from 1972 to 1979 after which the military junta stepped down
Elections were held under a new constitution and a new president was elected
After that the domestic political disturbances settled
Culture
Mainstream culture is a mixture of mestizo majority, European and Amerindian influences with African elementsSpanish is the common language (about 98% of the population speak it as either first or second language)Cuisine varies by region
In the coastal region seafood is the main ingredientDifferent types of meat and beans are used for dishes in the mountain regionNear the Amazon rainforest the main components are products grown there (e.g. bananas, grapes)
Culture Arts and literature
In general there are multiple writers and artists who unfortunately haven’t achieved global recognition
The indigenous people of Tigua have gained popularity for their tradicional paintings
Film industry was founded in 1924 and it enjoyed it’s golden era during that time
Soccer and tennis are the most popular sports New forms of activity such as Capoiera, paintball
and motocross are gaining popularity
GeographyEcuador is environmentally rich with a diverse habitat
One of the 17 megadiverse countries
The climate varies from tropical climate to arid mountaneous atmosphereBecause of the position the amount of daylight doesn’t vary much
Geography Galápagos Islands
Galápagos Islands are located app. 1000 km west from the mainland
The islands are rich with fauna
Unfortunately the islands are threatened by oil exploitation of the Amazon rain forest
Economy
Main export is crude oilIndustry is mainly focusing on domestic market
Products include fish, shrimp, timber, gold and tropical fruits
Due to multiple factors the country faced a major economic crisis (from 1997-1999), and in order to avert complete market destabilisation US dollar was introduced as the new currency in 2000Foreign debt is estimated at two billion dollars (2009)
DemographicsThere are multiple ethnic groupsMain religion is Roman Catholic (95%)
Protestants 4%Rest are a mixture of ancient religions and customs
Majority of the population is located in the central and western part of the country
Interesting factsPositioncurrencyTransportationJipijapaActive volcano CotopaxiMt Chimborazo (6310m) furthest away from the centre of Earth due the shape of the planet