ECUADOR. Republic of Ecuador
A country in the northwest of South America, bordered by the Pacific Ocean. Area - 283.6 thousand km² (including the Galapagos Islands and others in the Pacific Ocean). Capital - Quito (over 1.8 million), largest city and economic center - Guayaquil (over 1.7 million). Administratively, the country is divided into 21 provinces, including the Galapagos Islands (Colón Archipelago), which have the status of a province. Population - 12.2 million (2004), Ecuadorians; 40% - Spanish-Indian mestizos, 40% - indigenous people (mainly Quechua), 10% - whites, 10% - blacks. The official language is Spanish.
Most of the indigenous population speaks the Quechua language. The dominant religion is Catholicism. The currency - none, since 2000, the US dollar has been used as a means of payment.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on June 16, 1945).
National holiday - August 10 - Day of Proclamation of Independence (1809).
According to the constitution adopted on June 5, 1998, Ecuador is a republic. The head of state is the president (also the head of government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces), elected by direct elections for a term of 4 years. Since April 20, 2005, the temporary head of state has been Alfredo Palacio, following the removal of constitutional president Lucio Gutiérrez by the National Congress.
The highest legislative authority is the unicameral National Congress (121 deputies; elected for a term of 4 years).
Political parties: The People's Democracy Party - Christian Democratic Union (PD - CDU) - founded in 1978, a party of clerical groups, maintains ties with similar parties in Europe and Latin America.
The Right-Conservative Social Christian Party (SCP) - founded in 1951, unites the large bourgeoisie closely linked with foreign capital. The Conservative Party (CP) - founded in 1883, a right-wing party representing the interests of large landowners and bourgeoisie connected with foreign monopolies. The Ecuadorian Roldosist Party (ERP; named after the party chairman J. Roldós) - founded in 1982, influential in the largest province of the country - Guayas, supported by Lebanese capital. The Democratic Left (DL) - founded in 1970, a party of reformist-minded middle classes, part of the Socialist International. The Republican Unity Party (RUP) - created in 1992 at the initiative of the then-presidential candidate S. Durán during the election campaign. The People's Forces Union (PFU) - founded in 1984, right-conservative, enjoys support from a certain part of the national middle and small bourgeoisie.
The Communist Party of Ecuador (CPE) - established in 1926, weakened by factional fragmentation.
The largest trade union associations: Confederation of Workers of Ecuador - founded in 1944; Ecuadorian Confederation of Class Organizations - founded in 1938; Ecuadorian Confederation of Free Trade Unions - created in 1962, part of the WFTU and ORIT; United Workers Front - coordinates the activities of several trade unions.
Until the mid-15th century, the territory of modern Ecuador was inhabited by numerous indigenous tribes, most of which were conquered and incorporated into the Inca Empire. From 1531 to 1533, Spanish rule was established here. On August 10, 1809, in Quito (the historical name of the country), a rebellion began, resulting in the overthrow of the colonial administration. In 1822, during the war for independence, the Quito region became part of Gran Colombia, and in 1830 was proclaimed an independent state, named Ecuador (from Spanish - equator), reflecting the geographical location of the country. The socio-political development of Ecuador in the 19th and 20th centuries was marked by a high degree of instability, numerous military coups, and instability of constitutional structures.
As a result of an armed conflict with Peru, which Ecuador was drawn into in 1941, the country was forced to cede about 40% of its territory to Peru.
In 1996, the president elected was Abdala Bucaram, a representative of the Ecuadorian Roldosist Party (ERP), who was removed from power in February 1997 due to a severe political crisis. From February to August 1997, the country was led by interim president Fabián Alarcón Rivera. On August 10, 1998, constitutional president Jamil Mahuad Witt, representing the PD - CDU, took the oath. He was removed in January 2000, and according to the constitution, the presidency was taken over by vice president Gustavo Noboa Bejarano.
In the new presidential elections in the fall of 2002, left-oriented politician and former military officer Lucio Gutiérrez won. He took office in January 2003. On April 20, 2005, after several days of anti-government protests, the National Congress of Ecuador voted for the resignation of President L. Gutiérrez. This decision was supported by 60 out of 100 deputies of the legislative body in the absence of a pro-presidential faction. At the same time, the parliamentarians referred to Article 167 of the country's constitution, which allows the National Congress to remove the president from power in case of "abandonment of his post."
According to the constitution, the new head of state temporarily became Alfredo Palacio, who previously held the post of vice president.
Ecuador is a member of the UN (since 1945), OAS (since 1948), LAES (since 1975), LAI (since 1981), ASI, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Rio Group.
Ecuador is a country with a moderately developed economy, with established trade and economic and financial ties within the Western economic system, where it essentially serves as a supplier of food and raw materials. In terms of economic development, it ranks 8th in Latin America. In 2004, GDP in value terms was $28.2 billion (about $2100 per capita).
The economy of Ecuador is characterized by a multi-structure: alongside modern enterprises with foreign, mixed, and to a lesser extent local capital, there is a significant share of small commodity production. The state sector occupies a minor place.
As key tasks in the socio-economic sphere, the government considers the implementation of a strict financial policy and reduction of state expenditures, giving more dynamism to the state sector and its partial privatization, supporting private entrepreneurship, attracting investments and concessional loans from abroad, and assisting low-income segments of the population.
The national economy is based on manufacturing (18% of GDP), oil production (12%), agriculture (14%), and the service sector (50% of GDP).
Proven oil reserves are currently estimated at 1.2 billion barrels. In terms of reserves and production volume (about 15 million tons per year), Ecuador ranks 4th in Latin America, after Venezuela, Mexico, and Argentina. Developments are underway for gold, silver, platinum, vanadium, iron, copper, zinc, antimony, sulfur, and other deposits.
Among other industries, traditional sectors such as food, textile, leather, and garment industries retain significant importance. In the 1970s and 1980s, machine engineering, chemical industry, and metallurgy developed dynamically.
The installed capacity of power plants is 2 million kW, with electricity generation at 6 billion kWh. Measures are being taken to increase the share of hydropower in the country's energy balance.
In agriculture, about 50% of the working-age population is employed. The share of foreign currency earnings from the export of agricultural products is about 30%. Agriculture is characterized by outdated farming methods. Bananas (harvest - over 3.5 million tons per year), cocoa, coffee, potatoes, rice, sugarcane, cotton, and oilseeds are grown. Animal husbandry accounts for about 20% of the value of agricultural production.
The main mode of transport is by road. The length of highways is 45,000 km, with about 10,000 km paved. The length of the railway network is 965 km. Quito and Guayaquil have international airports.
Main export items ($6 billion): oil and petroleum products, shrimp, bananas (one of the largest exporters in the world), coffee, cocoa. Imports ($5.3 billion): machinery, industrial and oil equipment, textiles, certain types of food. Main trading partners: the USA, EU countries, Japan, South Korea, as well as Latin American countries. The share of Eastern European countries in foreign trade turnover is insignificant - 1.2%.
Ecuador exports bananas, flowers, and wool products to Russia. Imports from the Russian Federation: metal structures, auto parts, oil equipment, road construction machinery, steel products, mineral fertilizers, cement.
External debt - $17 billion (2003).
Despite GDP growth, an increase in foreign currency reserves, and several other indicators by the end of 2004, the level of poverty in the country remains high, accounting for 75-80% of the total population. About 11% of the economically active population is completely unemployed.
There are more than 20 higher education institutions in the country, the largest of which are: Central and Catholic Universities of Quito, Technical University of Guayaquil, State University of Cuenca.
There are 36 daily newspapers published, including "Universo" (170,000 copies), "Comercio" (130,000), "Últimas Noticias" (90,000), "Hoy" (55,000), "Telegraph" (45,000), and others. There is a state information agency - Ecuapress. More than 300 radio stations and over 10 television stations operate.