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Ecuador
Where is Equador anyhow?
Equador's Flag
The Blue symbolizes independence from Spain. The Yellow recalls the Federation of Greater Colombia and the red symbolizes courage.
The condor on top of the shield stretches his wings to symbolize power, greatness and strength of Ecuador. The condor also represents the idea that it will always be ready to attack any enemy.
Quick Facts:
- Ecuador is the only country in the world named after a geographical feature.
- The official name of Ecuador is República del Ecuador, which literally means “The Republic of the Equator.” The equator runs through the country and, in fact, there’s a large monument about 45 minutes away from Quito where you can stand in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.
- The world's largest exporter of bananas.
- Ecuador has the world’s first and second UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Galapagos Islands and Quito.
- Charles Darwin had largely based his theory of evolution on the discoveries he made at the Galapagos Island, which he visited in 1835.
Galapagos Islands
Galapagos Land Iguana
- SIX HUNDRED MILES off the coast of Ecuador lies the Galápagos Archipelago: a world unto itself, forged of lava and isolated for thousands of years.
- The islands are known for their famously fearless wildlife and was visited by Charles Darwin in 1835.
- The Galapagos archipelago is perhaps one of the most bio-diverse places on earth.
- Ninety-seven percent of the islands are a national park and half of the land species (and one fifth of the marine species) are endemic (only from) to the Galapagos.
Sally Lightfoot Crab
Discovery
Topic
- The first-recorded visitor to the Galápagos was Tomás de Berlanga, a Spanish noble and the bishop of Panama, whose ship was blown off course in 1535 while sailing from Panama to Peru.
- Berlanga was less than impressed with the stark, desert-like archipelago, describing it in a letter to the king of Spain as "dross, worthless, because it has not the power of raising a little grass, but only some thistles."
Gentle Giants
- The islands’ giant tortoises—after which the archipelago is named (Galapago is an old Spanish word for Tortoise)—can survive up to one year without food or water.
- Tragically, this unique adaptation was a leading factor in their demise over the centuries, as thousands of tortoises were captured and stored onboard ships to provide fresh meat for sailors. More than 100,000 tortoises are estimated to have been lost, leading to the extinction of several species and pushing others to the brink.
The Middle of the World
- Yes, there are two different places to see the equator in Ecuador!
- An interesting fact about the Mitad del Mundo is that the original monument was erected in the wrong place. The original or first equator was marked by Charles-Marie de La Condamine in the year 1736. He pinpointed the Middle of the World in the days when there were no GPS systems, so it’s still somewhat impressive that he missed by just 240 meters.
Brief History of Ecuador
- The Incas of Peru captured Quito in 1492 but the centre of the Inca Empire in Cuzco, Peru and Quito, Ecuador, would soon be divided again when civil war breaks out.
- Until Pizarro, one of the Spanish invaders, took over Quito in 1534 and Ecuador remained under Spanish rule for almost 300 years.
- The indigenous people became slaves to Spanish landowners.
- Ecuadorian independence was won in several stages beginning in 1809. By the late 1800s, the Radical Liberals reduced the power of the church - one of the strong legacies of Spanish rule - in an effort to modernize Ecuador.
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