Overview of Ecuador

Location: North Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru.

Size: 283,520 Sq Km

Capital: Quito

Population: About 13 million people

Language: Spanish

History: The earliest historical details of Ecuador, date back only as far as the 11th century A.D Before the Inca conquest of the area that comprises modern-day Ecuador, the region was inhabited by four culturally related Indian groups; the Esmeralda, the Manta, the Huancavilca, and the Puná. They occupied the coastal lowlands from north to south.

The first Spaniards landed in northern Ecuador in 1526. Despite the fact that there were no major uprisings, life was difficult for the locals under Spanish rule. Spain ruled the colony from Lima, Peru, until 1739, when it was transferred to the viceroyalty of Colombia.

The "Republic of the Equator" emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 and then later lost some of its territories to its neighbours between 1904 and 1942. A border war with Peru flared in 1995 but was resolved in 1999.