In this easy-to-use book, kids will find all the facts they need to know to be a geography expert. Created by a National Geographic Bee winner, this is the perfect tool for kids to use to help them prepare for a competition, study for a test, or fill their hunger for learning facts and figures about the countries of the world. This book is also the perfect companion to the National Geographic Bee Official Study Guide. The National Geographic Ultimate Fact Book provides the building blocks to geographic knowledge and will change the way kids look at the world.
Andrew Wojtanik was the 2004 winner of the National Geographic Bee and the 2005 winner of the National Geographic World Championship. He is currently a student of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
ECUADOR
Ecuador:
Country name: Republic of Ecuador
Continent: South America
Area: 109,483 sq mi / 283,560 sq km
Population: 14,666,000
Population Density: 134 people per sq mi / 52 people per sq km (most dense in South America)
Capital: Quito
Physical
Highest Point: Chimborazo 20,561 ft / 6,267 m
Lowest Point: Pacific Ocean 0 ft / 0 m (sea level)
Mountain ranges:
Andes:- cover much of Ecuador
- extend into Colombia and Peru
Peaks (minimum elevation of 8,000 ft / 2,400 m):
Chimborazo:- located in the Andes
- highest point in Ecuador
Rain Forests:
Amazon:- located in eastern Ecuador
- extends into Colombia and Peru
- largest rain forest in the world
Oceans:
Pacific:- forms most of the western coast of Ecuador Gulfs
- Gulf of Guayaquil
- forms the southwestern coast of Ecuador
Rivers:
Pastaza:- has its source in the Andes
- extends into Peru Putumayo
- forms part of the Ecuador-Colombia border
- extends into Colombia
Political:
Independence: May 24, 1822 (from Spain)
Bordering Countries: Peru, Colombia (2)
Administrative Divisions: Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi,
El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe (24 provinces)
Ethnic/Racial Groups: mestizo, Amerindian, black
Religion: Christianity (Roman Catholic)
Languages: Spanish, Quechua
Currency: U.S. dollar
Current President: Rafael Correa Delgado
Cities (capital, largest, or with at least a million people):
Guayaquil:- located in western Ecuador
- city in the Guayas province of Ecuador
- most populated city in Ecuador (2,690,000 people)
- chief port on the Gulf of Guayaquil
Quito:- located in northern Ecuador
- city in the Pichincha province of Ecuador
- capital of Ecuador (1,801,000 people)
- located in a valley in the Andes
Environmental/Economic:
Climate: tropical along the coasts and in the rain forest; cooler in the highlands
Natural Resources: petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower
Agricultural Products: bananas, coffee, cacao, rice, cattle major exports: petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee, cacao
Natural Hazards: earthquakes, landslides, volcanoes, floods, droughts
