: October 29, 2015
Ecuador is a place teeming with biodiversity – and interesting facts! Here are some tidbits that will help you discover more about this great South American nation.
1. Spanish is widely spoken, but don’t be surprised if you hear them speaking an unfamiliar language.
Spanish is the country’s official language, but there are about ten native languages spoken all over the country. The Inca language Quicha is often used by Ecuador’s Indian population.
2. Ecuador is not just biodiverse – it’s “megadiverse.”
As of date, there are seventeen countries listed as “megadiverse,” and Ecuador is one of them. Every square kilometer of this country is considered as one of the most biodiverse in the world.
3. The summit of Ecuador’s Chimborazo Volcano is the furthest point from the center of the Earth.
Mount Everest might be the tallest mountain on Earth, but the summit of Chimborazo is considered by experts to be the farthest point from the center of the Earth. The total distance of its summit from the planet’s core is approximately 6,384.4 kilometers, which is more or less 2000 meters more than the distance of Everest’s peak to the center. If we’re going to include this distance, then Chimborazo certainly is the taller than Everest. Chimborazo is also the highest peak near the equator.
4. Some Amazonian native tribes managed to resist the Spanish conquest and even the Incas.
Deep within Ecuador’s inland forests are native tribes that have managed to preserve their cultural traditions up to this day without interference from foreign rule or modern influence.
5. Quito may be the capital, but it’s not the biggest city.
Santiago de Guayaquil, more commonly known as Guayaquil, takes the throne as the largest and most populous city in Ecuador. It is home to about 2.3 million people, while Quito is home to roughly 2.2 million inhabitants.
6. Ecuador for the equator.
Ecuador holds the distinction as the only country in the world named after a geographical feature, the equator.
7. Ecuador was once part of the Gran Colombia.
Ecuador joined the nation called Gran Colombia, which included Venezuela and Colombia, sometime between 1822 and 1830 after they were freed from the Spaniards. It wasn’t successful however, and Ecuador became a republic in the 1830s.