or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD[Luis VILLACIS]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Pulley,
director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO];
Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Silvia SALGADO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE
[Marlon SANTI, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS
[F. Napoleon SALTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of
Ecuador or FEINE [Manuel CHUGCHILAN, president]; National Federation
of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Luis
Alberto ANDRANGO Cadena, president]
International organization participation:
CAN, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,
ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH,
NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Benigno GALLEGOS Chiriboga
chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 234–7200
FAX: [1] (202) 667–3482
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Newark (New Jersey), San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Heather HODGES
embassy: Avenida Avigiras E12–170 y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Quito
mailing address: Avenida Guayacanes N52–205 y Avenida Avigiras
telephone: [593] (2) 398–5000
FAX: [593] (2) 398–5100
consulate(s) general: Guayaquil
Flag description:
three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; the flag retains the three main colors of the banner of Gran Columbia, the South American republic that broke up in 1830; the yellow color represents sunshine, grain, and mineral wealth, blue the sky, sea, and rivers, and red the blood of patriots spilled in the struggle for freedom and justice
note: similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms
National anthem:
name: "Salve, Oh Patria!" (We Salute You Our Homeland)
lyrics/music: Juan Leon MERA/Antonio NEUMANE
note: adopted 1948; Juan Leon MERA wrote the lyrics in 1865; only the chorus and second verse are sung
Economy ::Ecuador
Economy - overview:
Ecuador is substantially dependent on its petroleum resources, which have accounted for more than half of the country's export earnings and one-fourth of public sector revenues in recent years. In 1999/2000, Ecuador suffered a severe economic crisis, with GDP contracting by more than 6%. Poverty increased significantly, the banking system collapsed, and Ecuador defaulted on its external debt later that year. In March 2000, the Congress approved a series of structural reforms that also provided for the adoption of the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, and positive growth returned in the years that followed, helped by high oil prices, remittances, and increased non-traditional exports. From 2002–06 the economy grew 5.5%, the highest five-year average in 25 years. After moderate growth in 2007, the economy reached a growth rate of 7.2% in 2008, in large part due to high global petroleum prices. President Rafael CORREA, who took office in January 2007, defaulted on Ecuador's sovereign debt in December 2008, refusing to make payment on $3.2 billion in international bonds, representing over 80% of Ecuador's private external debt. Economic policies under the CORREA administration - including an announcement in late 2009 terminating 13 bilateral investment treaties - have generated economic uncertainty and discouraged private investment. The Ecuadorian economy slowed to 0.4% growth in 2009 due to the global financial crisis, and the sharp decline in world oil prices and remittance flows, but picked up to a 2.4% growth rate in 2010.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$114.7 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 65 $112 billion (2009 est.)
$111.6 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$61.49 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 142 0.4% (2009 est.)
7.2% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,800 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 125 $7,700 (2009 est.)
$7,800 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6.8%
industry: 32.9%
services: 60.3% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
4.59 million (urban) (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 8.3%
industry: 21.2%
services: 70.4% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
7.6% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 82 8.5% (2009 est.)
Population below poverty line:
35.1% (2008)
Household income or consumption by percentage
