ECUADOR CHRISTIAN DATING
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Geography
Area: 256,370 sq. km; about the size of Colorado.
Cities: Capital--Quito (pop. 1.4 million). Other cities--Guayaquil (2.0 million).
Terrain: Jungle east of the Andes, a rich agricultural coastal plain west of the Andes, high-elevation valleys through the mountainous center of the country and an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Climate: Varied, mild year-round in the mountain valleys; hot and humid in coastal and Amazonian jungle lowlands.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Ecuadorian(s).
Population (July 2004 est.): 13,212, 742.
Annual population growth rate (2004 est.): 1.03%.
Ethnic groups: Indigenous 25%, mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish) 55%, Caucasian and others 10%, African 10%.
Christian singles note-Religion: Predominantly Roman Catholic, but religious freedom recognized.
Languages: Spanish (official), indigenous languages, especially Quichua, the Ecuadorian dialect of Quechua.
Education: Years compulsory--ages 6-14, but enforcement varies. Attendance (through 6th grade)--76% urban, 33% rural. Literacy--90%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--19/1,000. Life expectancy--70.8 yrs.
Work force (5.6 million): Agriculture--30%; commerce--12%; services--33%; manufacturing--9%; other--16%.

Government
Type: Republic.
Constitution: August 10, 1998.
Independence: May 24, 1822 (from Spain).
Branches: Executive--president and 15 cabinet ministers. Legislative--unicameral Congress. Judicial--Supreme Court, Provincial Courts, and ordinary civil and criminal judges.
Administrative subdivisions: 22 provinces.
Political parties: Over a dozen political parties; none predominates.
Suffrage: Obligatory for literate citizens 18-65 yrs. of age; optional for other eligible voters; active duty military personnel and police may not vote.

Economy
GDP (2002): $24.3 billion.
Real annual growth rate: 1996, 2.0%; 1997, 3.4%; 1998, 0.4%; 1999, -7.3%; 2000, 2.3%; 2001, 5.6%; 2002, 3.3%.
Per capita GDP: $1,959.
Natural resources: Petroleum, fish, shrimp, timber, gold.
Agriculture (34% of GDP): Products--bananas, seafood, flowers, coffee, cacao, sugar, rice, corn, and livestock.
Industry (18.3% of GDP; oil and mining 15%): Types--petroleum extraction, food processing, wood products, textiles, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals.
Trade: Exports (2003)--$6.73 billion: petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee, cacao, hemp, wood, fish, cut flowers. Major markets--U.S. 41%, Latin America 24%, European Union (EU) 14%, and Asia 10%.
Imports (2003)--$6.22 billion: industrial materials, nondurable consumer goods, agricultural products. Major suppliers--Latin America 39%, U.S. 23%, EU 14%, and Asia 14%.

PEOPLE
Christian singles note-Ecuador's population is ethnically mixed. The largest ethnic groups are indigenous and mestizo (mixed Indian-Caucasian). Although Ecuadorians were heavily concentrated in the mountainous central highland region a few decades ago, today's population is divided about equally between that area and the coastal lowlands. Migration toward cities--particularly larger cities--in all regions has increased the urban population to about 55%. Due to an economic crisis in the late 1990s, more than 600,000 Ecuadorians emigrated to the U.S. and Europe from 2000 to 2001. The tropical forest region to the east of the mountains remains sparsely populated and contains only about 3% of the population.