Geographic description
The Republic of Ecuador, located in north-western South America, is bounded by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. The country also includes the Galápagos Islands (Archipiélago de Colón) in the Pacific, about 965 km west of the mainland. Ecuador, as its name implies, straddles the equator and has an area of 283 560 km2.
Despite its small size, Ecuador has a great variety of environmental conditions as a result of two major factors: first, the presence of the Andes, which divide the country from north to south, and second, the cold, dry Humboldt current, which is responsible for xerophytic vegetation found along the southern coast and reaching roughly as far as the equator.
The coastal plain along Ecuador’s Pacific coast covers a little more than a fourth of the country. It was formed by alluvial deposits from the mountains and ranges from 20 to 160 km wide. In the north, it is wet and swampy. In the south, near Peru, it is a desert thanks to the drying effect of the Humboldt current. In between, tropical forests cover much of the lowland, although some of it has been cleared for farms.
The highlands of the Sierra make up about another fourth of Ecuador. Two parallel ranges of the Andes Mountains extend the length of the country from north to south with high plateaus between them. Mountain peaks rise over 6 000 m, some of them are active volcanoes.
To the east, the Oriente lowlands cover the remaining half the country. Thick tropical forests cover the eastern foothills of the Andes and part of the Amazon River Basin. The rivers draining the Oriente, including the Napo and the Pastaza, are part of the Amazon River system. The region is mostly undeveloped.
The Galapagos Islands cover about 7 800 km2. Most of the islands are volcano peaks, some of which rise to 1 500 m. The five largest islands are Isabela (Albemarle), Santa Cruz (Indefatigable), San Cristobal (Chatham), Fernandina (Narborough), and San Salvador (James).
The coastal region and the Oriente are generally hot and humid, with a mean annual temperature of about 24° C. Temperatures in the Sierra are cooler, depending on the elevation. Quito, some 2850 m above sea level, has an average annual temperature of 13° C. The climate of the Galapagos Islands is moderated by the cool Humboldt Current. Rainfall averages 1 400 mm, although over 2 000 mm may fall in the Oriente. The southern coastal lowlands receive much less rainfall, as do the Galapagos Islands.