Wikipedia:WikiProject Library of Congress Country Studies/Ecuador/peace corps

History

Indigenous cultures flourished in Ecuador long before the Inca empire conquered the area in the 15th century. In 1534, the Spanish arrived and defeated the Incas. The indigenous people were decimated by disease in the first decades of Spanish rule. They also became forced laborers for the Spanish elite. In 1563, Quito became the seat of a royal audiencia (administrative district) of Spain. After independence forces defeated the royalist army in 1822, Ecuador joined Simón Bolívar’s Republic of Gran Colombia, only to become a separate republic in 1830. The 19th century was marked by instability and a rapid succession of rulers. Ecuador’s current constitution dates to 1998. During the past decade, there have been a number of changes in the presidency, and the country has often been on the brink of political collapse. Abdala Bucaram, from the Guayaquil- based Roldosista Party, won the presidency in 1996 on a platform that promised populist economic and social reforms and the breaking of the power of the nation’s oligarchy. During this short-term of office, Bucaram’s administrationdrew critisism for corruption. The Congress deposed Bucaram in February 1997 on grounds of alleged mental incompetence. In his place, Congress named interim President Fabián Alarcón, who had been president of Congress and head of the small Radical Alfarista Front. Alarcón’s interim presidency was endorsed in a popular referendum in May 1997. In the presidential elections of 1998, Quito Mayor Jamil Mahuad won the presidency by a narrow margin. He took office on August 10, 1998 - the same day that Ecuador’s new constitution came into effect. Mahuad concluded a well-received peace agreement in the country’s border war with Peru on October 26, 1998, but increasing economic and fiscal difficulties drove his popularity steadily lower. On Jan. 21, 2000, during demonstrations in Quito by indigenous groups, the military and police refused to enforce public order. Demonstrators entered the Congress building and declared a three-person junta in charge of the country, essentially removing Mahuad from the presidential palace. Congress met in emergency session in Guayaquil on Jan. 22 and ratified Vice President Gustavo Noboa Bejarano as president in constitutional succession to Mahuad. Lucio Gutierrez was elected to succeed Gustavo Noboa as president in November 2002, but he was ousted by force in April 2005 and replaced by Alfredo Palacio, after protests against him for having removed most of the Supreme Court justices and hand-picking their successors. With Alfredo Palacio, a semblance of stability has returned to the country, but the administration remains weak amid popular pressure for reform. Rafael Correa won the November 2006 presidential elections and has assumed office since Jan. 15, 2007.

Government

The constitution provides for concurrent four-year terms of office for the president, vice president, and members of Congress. Presidents can be re-elected after an intervening term, while legislators can be re-elected immediately. The executive branch includes 15 ministries. Provincial governors and councilors, like mayors, aldermen, and parish boards, are directly elected. Congress meets throughout the year, except for recesses in July and December. There are 20 seven-member congressional committees. The Congress appoints justices of the Supreme Court for indefinite terms.

Economy

Ecuador's economy depends heavily on petroleum production and exports, along with exports of agricultural commodities and seafood. According to the Central Bank of Ecuador, the country's GDP is expected to reach nearly $44.4 billion (U.S.) in 2007. The state oil industry makes up 24 percent of the GDP, generates 37 percent of total exports, and provides about 30 percent of government revenue. Agriculture contributes 10 percent of the GDP. Ecuador's major agricultural and seafood exports are bananas, fresh cut flowers, coffee, cacao, sugar, tropical fruits, palm oil, palm hearts, rice, corn, shrimp, and tuna. In recent years, industry has become increasingly important to Ecuador's economy, though it still lags behind commodities in importance. In the 1990s, Ecuador committed itself to addressing remaining obstacles to trade and a functioning free-market economy. An unsustainable fiscal deficit and all the associated problems have made it difficult for the country to achieve any meaningful change, though it seems to be moving in a positive direction: in 1995, Ecuador joined the World Trade Organization; in 1998, the government passed comprehensive legislation to protect intellectual property rights and canceled subsidies on electricity, cooking gas, and fuel; and in 2000, Ecuador adopted the U.S. dollar as its national currency (a plan known as dollarization) to help stabilize the economy. Conversion to the dollar has brought short-term stability and tamed inflation, which fell from 96 percent in 2000 to 2.44 percent (August 2006 to August 2007). Yet Ecuador remains a poor country, with an expected per capita GDP of $3,236 for 2007. Ecuador is ranked 83rd in the 2006 United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index. Thirty percent of its population has no access to health care, 26 percent of children under five suffer chronic malnutrition, and 46 percent of households have no running water. Life expectancy is 74.3 years.

GDP growth has an upward trend, from $24 billion in 2002 to an estimated $44 billion in 2007. Oil proceeds account for 35 percent of the national budget and the U.S. is Ecuador's main trading partner. Remittances from Ecuadorians living abroad are the country's second largest source of funds after oil. Though Ecuador has a relative abundance of oil reserves, it has been unable to take full advantage of those resources for its own development. Mismanagement, lack of investment, and corruption in the state-owned oil sector has caused declines in state oil production over the last decade. Commercial disputes, as well as judicial and contractual uncertainties, have deterred private oil companies and other firms from investing in the country. The electricity and telecommunications sectors also have had similar problems, which are costing Ecuadorians hundreds of millions of dollars each year. As much as 70 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

People and Culture

The diversity of the country is reflected in its people and culture. Ecuador’s population is ethnically mixed. The population of about 13.3 million includes a mix of indigenous (i.e., Amerindian) and mestizo (of mixed indigenous and European descent) groups, along with smaller populations of Afro-Ecuadorians and Europeans. There are sizable Afro-Ecuadorian populations in the provinces of Esmeraldas and Carchi. Although Spanish is the official language, the country’s indigenous groups speak numerous other languages, including Kichwa (the Ecuadorian dialect of Quechua). Many small Amerindian groups, including the Kichwa, Shuar among others, are struggling for ethnic and cultural survival. For example, only two dozen or so Záparos still speak their native language. Although Ecuadorians were heavily concentrated in the mountainous central highland region a few decades ago, today’s population is divided about equally between that area and the coastal lowlands. Migration toward cities-particularly larger cities- in all regions has increased the urban population over 60 percent. Due to an economic crisis in the late 1990s, Ecuadorian emigration phenomenon—especially to Europe and the U.S.—has dramatically increased recently.

Environment

Ecuador is located in northwestern South America and borders Colombia to the north, Peru to the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its total land area is 276,840 square kilometers, or just over 110,000 square miles— about the size of Colorado. Ecuador is divided into 22 provinces, 10 in the Andean Highlands (Sierra), six in the Amazon Lowlands (Oriente), five in the Coastal Lowlands (Costa), and the Galápagos Islands, located about 600 miles west of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean. Ecuador is one of the world’s treasures of biodiversity. Two of Conservation International’s 34 biodiversity hotspots are represented in the country, and it is the smallest of the 17 megadiverse countries of the world. The Andes Mountains, with their snow capped volcanoes, divide the generally drier coastal plain from the moist, tropical Amazon Basin region. The wide variety of environmental conditions supports an equally wide variety of plants and animals, some of which are found nowhere else on earth.

Cuisine

Most Ecuadorians eat a light breakfast, a large midday meal and a lighter dinner. Breakfast is typically bread, juice, and coffee in milk in the highlands region. On the coast it may be a plate of rice and fish. The lunch or almuerzo begins with hot homemade soup, followed by rice with meat and potatoes or vegetables. Dinner is a lighter version of the noonday meal or often just soup. On the coast, seafood is a staple, in addition to green bananas (plantains). In the highlands, potatoes and corn are more commonly eaten. Yucca and chicha (a drink made from Yucca) are staples in the diet of the Amazon or Oriente. On the whole, Ecuadorian food is not spicy, but all meals are accompanied by a hot sauce called "aji.” The diet tends to be high in carbohydrates and foods are more often fried than baked.

Geography and Climate

The four main areas of Ecuador have different climates. Because the country is on the equator, the temperature depends on the altitude, not the season. There are only two seasons—rainy and dry. The highland area is warm during the day (60 degrees to 80 degrees Fahrenheit) and cool at night (-55 degrees). The dry season tends to be warm and dusty. In the rainy season, temperatures are about 10 degrees cooler. The coastal area is generally hot and humid. The rainy season, January through April, is hot (80-95 degrees), and mold is sometimes a problem. The dry season, May through December, is slightly cooler (70-85 degrees). The Amazon Basin region is usually warm and muggy. Temperatures fluctuate greatly during the day, ranging from 60 degrees to 90 degrees. Although there are dry and rainy seasons, it rains year-round and mold is a constant problem. The Galápagos Islands are hot and dry most of the time, but the pleasant ocean breezes make the temperatures more comfortable.

Social Activities

Ecuadorian entertainment, especially in small towns, centers on drinking, dancing, and talking. Movies are also popular in Ecuador. The movies shown are often martial arts, horror, or Mexican slapstick films. Large towns usually have at least one movie theater, and many also have video/DVD stores. Small cities have a public library and cultural activities at the local Casa de la Cultura. Ecuadorians love music and love to dance, including salsa, cumbia, and merengue. Radio stations play a variety of music, including some American rock and pop.

Sports are very popular in Ecuador, especially soccer, basketball, and volleyball. Soccer is a national, indeed, Latin American—passion.