Ecuador and its enchantments

Our small Country is located in the South American Triangle in the northwest between Colombia and Perú. It has an area of 276,370 square kilometers (104,506 square miles) and is divided into four natural areas; the Oriente (Amazon Basin), Sierra (Highlands), Coast (Lowlands) and The Galapagos Islands (The Enchanted Islands).
The Equator crosses this marvellous country, and it was named after it. Ecuador has a variety of climates; varying between a hot weather not so strong because of the cold Humboldt Ocean current on the coast and the icy cold of the páramos and the snow capped mountains. In the subtropics and lowlands, the climate is warm and agreeable, in most of the sierra it is mild and pleasant, and the climate of the Amazon area is very humid with a great amount of rainfall.
Ecuador is a privileged country with its incredible biodiversity that offers 1800 bird species, 1000 fish species, 680 types of reptiles and amphibious, and more than 20000 kind of plants that joined to the numberless of landscapes, handicrafts and the warmth of the people, let the traveler have a unique experience

• Ecuador’s capital is Quito City
• The official languages in Ecuador are Spanish and Quichua, though English is spoken in the main tourist centers.
• The currency is the American Dollar.
• Our local time is Eastern Standard-GMT - 5 hours on the mainland/GMT - 6 hours on the Galápagos Islands.
• Electricity used in Ecuador is 100 volts, 60 cycles A.C.
• Normally the banking hours are from 09:00 hours to 17:00 hours, Monday through Friday. But all the banks count with automatic cashier windows.
• Most of the shops are open from 11:00 hours to 19:00 hours, Monday through Saturday.

The population of Ecuador is about 12,000,000. For political and administrative purposes, the country is divided into 24 provinces (6 in the Amazon Basin, 11 in the Highland, 6 in the Lowland, and The Galapagos Islands).

National Parks and Natural Reserves

National Parks:

• Machalilla National Park
• Cotopaxi National Park
• Podocarpus National Park
• Sangay National Park
• Cajas National Park
• Yasuni National Park
• Galápagos National Park and Marine Reserve
• Sumaco Napo Galeras National Park

Natural Reserves:

• Manglares Churute Reserve
• Cotacachi – Cayapas Reserve
• Cayambe – Coca Ecological Reserve
• Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve
• El Boliche National Recreation Area
• Chimborazo Wildlife Reserve
• Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve
• Limoncocha Biological Reserve