Ecuador

Ecuador Geography

Location
Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru

Geographic coordinates
2 00 S, 77 30 W

Area
total: 283,560 sq km
land: 276,840 sq km
water: 6,720 sq km
note: includes Galapagos Islands

Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Nevada

Land boundaries
total: 2,010 km
border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km

Coastline
2,237 km

Maritime claims
territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500 meter isobath

Climate
tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands

Terrain
coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m

Natural resources
petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower

Land use
arable land: 5.85%
permanent crops: 4.93%
other: 89.22% (2001)

Irrigated land
8,650 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards
frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands

Environment - international agreements
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note
Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world



- Info Provided by the CIA World Factbook -