Ecuador (including the Galapagos Islands)

Country name: Ecuador

Population: 14.6 million (UN, 2011)

Capital: Quito

Area: 272,045 sq km (105,037 sq miles)

Major language: Spanish, indigenous languages

Major Religion: Christianity

Currency: 1 US dollar = 100 cents

Main exports:  Petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee, cocoa, cut flowers, fish

Internet domain: .ec

International dailling code: +593

Climate: For such a small country, Ecuador seems to have it all. From the Andean peaks, to the tropical rainforests, from the high ground of the capital city, Quito, to the sunny shores running along its coastline. Not forgetting of course the volcanic Galapagos Islands approximately 600 miles off the coast-line. Like in Peru, Lewis the Lion needed to be prepared for all weathers!

Lewis the Lion’s adventure had unexpectedly taken him to Ecuador, a country which he knew very little about at all, but here are some facts about it that he thinks are cool:

– The Galapagos Islands belong to Ecuador. These islands are very important as they inspired the scientist Charles Darwin in his evolution theories, due to the unique way the animals and plants have developed there. Look out for Lewis the Lion’s special blogs on the Galapagos Islands!

– The line of the Equator passes right through Ecuador, just north of the capital city Quito and also in the northern part of the Galapagos Islands. You can do all sorts of cool scientific experiements along the line of the Equator and Lewis the Lion will look forward to telling you more about them in his blog.

– The country has many indigenous communities, including groups living in the jungle, mountains and coastal areas. Some people are descendants of the colonising Spaniards and others of African slaves, for example. Lewis the Lion just loved being in such a multi-cultural community!

– Quito, the capital city, is the second highest capital city in South America after La Paz in Bolivia. (It can have the same climate too: hot during daylight hours and cold in the evenings).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>