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South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Peru.
Ecuador has not been a mature democracy. With a banking collapse and the government taking austerity measures military men decide to transcend electoral politics and take power in a coup, overthrowing an elected president, Jamil Mahuad. The military man leading the coup was Lucio Gutierrez, who won the presidential election of 2002 with the support of Bolivia's many impoverished Indians. In 2004 President Gutierrez replaced the Supreme Court, claiming it was biased against him. Imagine if President Clinton had replaced the Supreme in December 2000 when it voted in favor of Bush over Gore.
On April 20, 2005, Ecuador's Congress replaced Gutierrez, and immediately the new president, Alfredo Palacheo, ordered the arrest of Gutierrez, who took refuge in Brazil's embassy.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Factbook: "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."
2009: $7,400 (ranks 103rd)
2008: $7,600
2007: $7,300
2009: -1%
2008: 6.5%
2007: 2.5%
2009: 7.9%
2008: 8.7%
2007: 8.8%
2009: 20.2% of GDP
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
2007: Top ten percent of the population, 43.3%; bottom ten percent, 1.2%
Exports oil, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp, mostly to the United States, at 41 percent.
Oil production, 2009: 486,100 barrels l per day.
Living in an urban area: 66%
July 2009: 13.573 million. Growth rate: 1.497% (ranks 87th)
July 2008: 13.928 million
July 2005: 13.4 million
2009: More leaving than arriving. A net loss of 0.81 persons per 1,000 population.
2009: 20.9
2008: 21.35
2007: 23.66
2009: 75.3 years (ranks 82nd)
Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: 0.3 percent (2003 estimate).
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65 percent, Amerindian 25 percent, Spanish. and others 7 percent, blacks 3 percent.
Traditionally, Amerindian women have been tied to household chores, working land and looking after children. Now more are disturbing their husbands by seeking opportunities in education .
Roman Catholic 95 percent.
Ecuador's Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, but defamation is a criminal offense and a fearful media remains timid regarding sensitive issues, including stories about the military.
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2010 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.