Ecuador is an insanely beautiful country and I’m pretty sure we all know this. From the abundance of life inhabiting the great Galapagos Islands and the lush vegetation of the Amazon rain forests to the awe-inspiring peaks of the Andes Mountains and the cultural rich city of Cuenca, Ecuador has a little something for everyone.
However, here are 10 things you maybe didn’t know about Ecuador…
- Because the Earth bulges at the Equator, Ecuador’s Mt. Chimborazo is technically 1.5 miles higher than Mt. Everest when measured from the Earth’s core
- In 2008, Ecuador became the first country in the world to include recognition of the rights of nature in its constitution. Nature has the “right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles.”
- With the protection and conservation of nature being such an important part of Ecuador, it makes sense that the main airport in Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, located on the island of Baltra, operates exclusively on wind and solar energy, thanks to a $40 million engineering feat .
- The world’s highest active volcano is found in Ecuador: Mt Cotopaxi, which is 5987m above sea level.
- Ecuador grows and makes 70% of the world’s fine cacoa, Arriba, which is used in chocolate products worldwide. However, Ecuador lacks processing plants and therefore the Chocolate that is processed in Ecuador is often sub-par.
- Ecuador is the world’s largest exporter of bananas and the total value of Ecuador’s banana exports exceeds US$2 trillion each year.
- Ecuador is home to more than 1600 species of birds, which is more than double the number found on the continents of North America, Europe or Australia.
- Ecuador is approximately the size of the state of Oregon in United States
- Spanish is the national language however 23 other languages are spoken among different groups. Quichua and Jivaroan are the second and third most popular languages of the Sierra and Oriente.
- Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism secured the rights to the Beatles hit song ‘All You Need is Love’ in 2014 to use as part of its new ‘All You Need is Ecuador’ campaign to show how Ecuador can help people emotionally connect with culture and nature.
There is so much to explore in this tiny, bio-diverse, volcano speckled, cultural filled, country and around every corner is something new to learn. So why don’t you come see for yourself the many wonders this country has to offer!
It’s time for adventure. It’s time to visit Ecuador.