Simple directory > Regional > Ecuador

Country : Ecuador Official name: República del Ecuador (Republic of Ecuador) Head of State: President Alfredo Palacio (sworn in 20 Apr 2005) Head of government: President Alfredo Palacio Ruling party: Coalition government led by the Movimiento Unidad Plurinacional Pachakutik-Nuevo País (MUPP-NP) (Pluri-National Pachakutik United Movement-New Country) Area: 270,670 square km Population: 13.18 million (2004) Capital: Quito Official language: Spanish Currency: US dollar (US$) = 100 cents GDP per capita: US$2,160 (2003) GDP real growth: 2.00% (2003) Labour force: 3.70 million (2003) Unemployment: 11.70% (2003) Inflation: 6.60% (2003) Oil production: 427,000 bpd (2003) Balance of trade: -US$496.00 million (2003) Foreign debt: US$14.40 billion (2003) Annual FDI: US$1.33 billion (2003)

Historical profile

It is claimed that Ecuador had the oldest culture in the Americas – the Valdivia, which flourished as long ago as 10,000 BC.

1530 Ecuador formed part of the Inca Empire until its conquest by the Spaniards.

1822 Independence from Spain as part of Gran Colombia.

1930 Ecuador seceded from Gran Colombia and became an independent republic.

1941 Ecuador lost a war with Peru, which ended with the loss of one province and part of another.

1960s and 1970s A series of elected and appointed presidents (usually by the armed forces) ruled Ecuador. Few saw out their full terms of office.

1978 The constitution was approved by referendum. It provided for presidential elections.

1997 President Abdala Bucarem, who won the mid-1996 presidential election, was removed from office by a coalition of opposition parties, the labour movement, business, the media and a group of ex-presidents. Congress elected the then congressional president, Fabian Alarcón, to act as an interim president until elections.

1998 The Democracia Popular (DP) (Popular Democracy Party) became the single largest party in Congress. Jamil Mahuad, the presidential candidate of the centre-right DP, defeated Álvaro Noboa by just 2.3 per cent.

1999 A new majority alliance was formed, including seven parties and two independent deputies.

2000 A state of emergency was introduced and President Mahuad sacked the government. He was then ousted by a group of highland Indians and military officers. Vice President Gustavo Noboa took control. The US dollar was formally adopted as Ecuador's currency.

2002 Colonel Lucio Gutiérrez won the presidential run-off elections.

2003 Lucio Gutiérrez was inaugurated as president on 15 January. In the Congreso Nacional (National Congress), no single political party holds more than 26 seats (out of a total of 100) and the formal alliance of parties which supports President Gutiérrez has only 22 seats.

2004 In April, hundreds of people were held hostage for 10 days by prisoners demanding better conditions.

2005 On 20 April, Congress voted (60–2) to remove President Lucio Gutiérrez; Vice President Alfredo Palacio was sworn in as president.

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