Ecuador 
Facts
Population:
13,183,978 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
35.8% (male 2,398,801; female 2,320,537)
15-64 years:
59.81% (male 3,900,193; female 3,984,797)
65 years and over:
4.39% (male 269,372; female 310,278) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate:
2% (2001 est.)
Birth rate:
25.99 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate:
5.44 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.87 male(s)/female
total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
34.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
71.33 years
male:
68.52 years
female:
74.28 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.12 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.29% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
19,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,400 (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Ecuadorian(s)
adjective:
Ecuadorian
Ethnic groups:
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%
Languages:
Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
90.1%
male:
92%
female:
88.2% (1995 est.)
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $37.2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
0.8% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture:
14%
industry:
36%
services:
50% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line:
50% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%:
2.2%
highest 10%:
33.8% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
96% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
4.2 million
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate:
13%; note - widespread underemployment (2000 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
planned $5.1 billion (not including revenue from potential privatizations)
expenditures:
$5.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)
Industries:
petroleum, food processing, textiles, metal work, paper products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fishing, lumber
Industrial production growth rate:
2.4% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production:
10.065 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel:
29.51%
hydro:
70.49%
nuclear:
0%
other:
0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption:
9.386 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports:
25 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products:
bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp
Exports:
$5.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee, cocoa, cut flowers, fish
Exports - partners:
US 37%, Colombia 5%, Italy 5%, Chile 5%, Peru 4% (1999)
Imports:
$3.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, raw materials, fuels; consumer goods
Imports - partners:
US 30%, Colombia 13%, Venezuela 6%, Japan 5%, Venezuela 6%, Mexico 3% (1998)
Debt - external:
$15 billion (1999)
Economic aid - recipient:
$695.7 million (1995)
Currency:
US dollar (USD)
Currency code:
USD
Exchange rates:
sucres per US dollar - 25,000 (January 2001), 24,988.4 (2000), 11,786.8 (1999), 5,446.6 (1998), 3,988.3 (1997), 3,189.5 (1996)
note:
on 7 January 2000, the government passed a decree "dollarizing" the economy; on 13 March 2000, the National Congress approved a new exchange system whereby the US dollar is adopted as the main legal tender in Ecuador for all purposes; on 20 March 2000, the Central Bank of Ecuador started to exchange sucres for US dollars at a fixed rate of 25,000 sucres per US dollar; since 30 April 2000, all transactions are denominated in US dollars
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Statistics: CIA World Factbook.
Press
1 2 
Displaying 1 to 7 of 13 items.
(Centrist), Quito
http://www.hoy.com.ec/
(Conservative), Quito
http://www.elcomercio.com/
El Mercurio
(Conservative), Cuena
(Conservative), Guayaquil
http://www.telegrafo.com.ec/
El Tiempo
(Centrist), Quito
(Centrist), Guayaquil
http://www.eluniverso.com/
Expreso
(Centrist), Guayaquil
Ecuador in the News
1 2 3 4
Displaying 5 to 8 of 15 items.
The current election, which will now go into a second round run-off on Nov. 26, has polarized Ecuador's 13 million inhabitants, over half of whom still live in poverty.
His last stint in government, under current caretaker President Palacio, was abruptly ended with his forced resignation for attempting to restructure Ecuador's debt repayments and oil industry.
The indigenous party Pachakutiq described the cancellation of Oxy's contract as "a triumph of the mobilization of the indigenous peoples."
After scoring resounding victories, indigenous movements of South America are encountering new challenges on institutional and state levels that they have not been able to answer.
Americas 
