View Intelligence Dossier Back to 1991 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Airports [time series]

153 total, 151 usable; 46 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 23 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

44 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

28,000 km total; 3,600 km paved, 17,400 km gravel and improved earth, 7,000 km unimproved earth

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

1,500 km

Merchant marine [time series]

47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 342,411 GRT/495,482 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 8 cargo, 17 refrigerated cargo, 2 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 16 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 bulk

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil, 800 km; refined products, 1,358 km

Ports [time series]

Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, Esmeraldas

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

965 km total; all 1.067-meter-gauge single track

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

domestic facilities generally adequate; 318,000 telephones; stations--272 AM, no FM, 33 TV, 39 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Army (Ejercito Ecuatoriano), Navy (Armada Ecuatoriana), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana), National Police

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$176 million, 1.6% of GDP (1990 est.)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 2,716,919; 1,840,296 fit for military service; 117,113 reach military age (20) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for 18% of GDP and 35% of labor force (including fishing and forestry); leading producer and exporter of bananas and balsawood; other exports--coffee, cocoa, fish, shrimp; crop production--rice, potatoes, manioc, plantains, sugarcane; livestock sector--cattle, sheep, hogs, beef, pork, dairy products; net importer of foodgrains, dairy products, and sugar

Budget [time series]

revenues $2.2 billion; expenditures $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $375 million (1991)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

sucre (plural--sucres); 1 sucre (S/) = 100 centavos

Economic aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $498 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1.7 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $64 million

Electricity [time series]

1,983,000 kW capacity; 6,011 million kWh produced, 570 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates [time series]

sucres (S/) per US$1--869.54 (December 1990), 767.75 (1990), 526.35 (1989), 301.61 (1988), 170.46 (1987), 122.78 (1986), 69.56 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$2.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--petroleum 47%, coffee, bananas, cocoa products, shrimp, fish products; partners--US 60%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC countries

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$11.8 billion (December 1990)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$10.6 billion, per capita $1,010; real growth rate 1.5% (1990)

Illicit drugs [time series]

relatively small producer of coca following the successful eradication campaign of 1985-87; significant transit country, however, for derivatives of coca originating in Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru

Imports [time series]

$1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--transport equipment, vehicles, machinery, chemicals; partners--US 34%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC, Japan

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate - 3.8% (1989); accounts for almost 40% of GDP, including petroleum

Industries [time series]

petroleum, food processing, textiles, metal works, paper products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fishing, timber

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

49.5% (1990)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

Ecuador has substantial oil resources and rich agricultural areas. Growth has been uneven because of natural disasters (e.g., a major earthquake in 1987), fluctuations in global oil prices, and government policies designed to curb inflation. The government has not taken a supportive attitude toward either domestic or foreign investment, although its agreement to enter the Andean free trade zone is an encouraging move.

Unemployment rate [time series]

8.0% (1990)

Geography

Climate [time series]

tropical along coast becoming cooler inland

Coastline [time series]

2,237 km Continental shelf: claims continental shelf between mainland and Galapagos Islands; Territorial sea: 200 nm

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly smaller than Nevada

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

two sections of the boundary with Peru are in dispute

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

subject to frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; periodic droughts

Land boundaries [time series]

2,010 km total; Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km

Land use [time series]

arable land 6%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures 17%; forest and woodland 51%; other 23% ; includes irrigated 2%

Natural resources [time series]

petroleum, fish, timber

Note [time series]

Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world

Terrain [time series]

coastal plain (Costa), inter-Andean central highlands (Sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (Oriente)

Area (Total area) [time series]

283,560 km2; land area: 276,840 km2; includes Galapagos Islands

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

21 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe

Capital [time series]

Quito

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

Communist Party of Ecuador (PCE, pro-Moscow), Rene Mauge Mosquera, secretary general, 5,000 members; Communist Party of Ecuador/Marxist Leninist (PCMLE, Maoist), 3,000 members; Socialist Party of Ecuador (PSE, pro-Cuba), 5,000 members (est.); National Liberation Party (PLN, Communist), 5,000 members (est.)

Constitution [time series]

10 August 1979

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador Jaime MONCAYO; Chancery at 2535 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 234-7200; there are Ecuadorian Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco, and a Consulate in San Diego; US--Ambassador Paul C. LAMBERT; Embassy at Avenida Patria 120, on the corner of Avenida 12 de Octubre, Quito (mailing address is P. O. Box 538, Quito, or APO Miami 34039); telephone [593] (2) 562-890; there is a US Consulate General in Guayaquil

Executive branch [time series]

president, vice president, Cabinet

Flag [time series]

three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms

Independence [time series]

24 May 1822 (from Spain; Battle of Pichincha)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court (Corte Suprema) Chief of State and Head of Government--President Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos (since 10 August 1988); Vice President Luis PARODI Valverde (since 10 August 1988) Right to center parties-- Social Christian Party (PSC), former President Leon FEBRES Cordero Rivadeneira; Conservative Party (PC), Alberto DAHIK, leader; Radical Liberal Party (PLR), Blasco Manuel PENAHERRERA Padilla, director; Centrist parties-- Concentration of Popular Forces (CFP), Averroes BUCARAM Saxida, director; Radical Alfarist Front (FRA), Cecilia CALDERON de Castro, leader; People, Change, and Democracy (PCD), Aquiles RIGAIL Santistevan, director; Revolutionary Nationalist Party (PNR), Carlos Julio AROSEMENA Monroy, leader; Center-left parties-- Democratic Left (ID), President Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos, leader; Roldosist Party of Ecuador (PRE), Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director; Popular Democracy (DP), Vladimiro ALVAREZ, president; Christian Democratic (CD), Julio Cesar TRUJILLO; Democratic Party (PD), Francisco HUERTA Montalvo, leader; Far-left parties-- Broad Leftist Front (FADI), Rene MAUGE Mosquera, director; Socialist Party (PSE), Victor GRANDA Aguilar, secretary general; Democratic Popular Movement (MPD), Jaime HURTADO Gonzalez, leader; Ecuadorian National Liberation (LN), Alfredo CASTILLO, president; Popular Revolutionary Action Party (APRE), Lt. Gen. Frank VARGAS Pazzos, leader

Legal system [time series]

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Republic of Ecuador

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

AG, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 10 August (1809, independence of Quito)

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18; compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters President--first round held 31 January 1988 and second round on 8 May 1988 (next first round to be held May 1992 and second round June 1992); results--Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos (ID) 54%, Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz (PRE) 46%; Chamber of Representatives--last held 17 June 1990 (next to be held June 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(72 total) PSC 16, ID 14, PRE 13, PSE 8, DP 7, CFP 3, PC 3, PLR 3, FADI 2, FRA 2, MPD 1

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

People

Birth rate [time series]

30 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish) 55%, Indian 25%, Spanish 10%, black 10%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

60 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

2,800,000; agriculture 35%, manufacturing 21%, commerce 16%, services and other activities 28% (1982)

Languages (Language) [time series]

Spanish (official); Indian languages, especially Quechua

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

64 years male, 68 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

86% (male 88%, female 84%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun--Ecuadorian(s); adjective--Ecuadorian

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

less than 15% of labor force

Population [time series]

10,751,648 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

Roman Catholic 95%

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.7 children born/woman (1991)