Ecuador

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

 2 00 S, 77 30 W

"Dios, patria y libertad"  (Spanish) "God, homeland and liberty"
President Rafael Correa	Vice President Lenín Moreno

Capital

Quito

Government
Unitary presidential republic

Religion
Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

Population
14,790,608

Ethnic group
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%.

National Language                     
Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)
            
National Day
24 May 1822 (from Spain)

Anthem
Salve, Oh Patria (Spanish),
Hail, Oh Fatherland

Currency
U.S. dollar  (USD)

Attractions
Galapagos Islands, La Compania Church, Oriente Province Native Villages, Otavalo Market 

Website    

  

Art & Cultural

The ICON

La Compania Church La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús (English: The Church of the Society of Jesus, known colloquially as La Compañía) is a Jesuit church in the historic center of Quito, Ecuador. It is one of the most well-known churches in Quito because of its central nave, which is covered in seven tons of gold leaf. It was modeled after the Church of the Gesù and Sant'Ignazio in Rome. Styled in Latin American Baroque, it took Jesuit priests 160 years to finish construction. Design elements include a near symmetrical facade, Moorish influence in the nave, and artwork by artists of the Quito School of Art. The bell tower was the tallest structure in colonial Quito, but was toppled by two earthquakes in 1859 & 1868. In the past twenty-years, the church has gone under heavy restoration, especially after a fire damaged the interior nave. The remains of Ecuador's patron saint, Mariana de Jesús, are in a sarcophagus that is part of the main altar.

Galapago Turtle