Location: South America
Status: UN Country
Capital City: Quito
Main Cities: Guayaquil, Cuenca
Population: 11,566,000
Area: 283,560 km2
Currency: 1 US dollar = 100 cents
Languages: Spanish, Quechua
Religions: Roman Catholic
More about Ecuador: a republic in South America, on the Pacific: under the Incas when Spanish colonization began in 1532; gained independence in 1822; declared a republic in 1830. It consists chiefly of a coastal plain in the west, separated from the densely forested upper Amazon basin (Oriente) by ranges and plateaus of the Andes. Official language: Spanish; Quechua is also widely spoken. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: US dollar. Capital: Quito. Pop.: 13 193 000 (2004 est.). Area: 283 560 sq. km (109 483 sq. miles)