| Geography | Ecuador |
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Location:
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Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru |
Geographic coordinates:
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2 00 S, 77 30 W |
Map references:
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South America |
Area:
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total: 283,561 sq km
land: 276,841 sq km
water: 6,720 sq km
note: includes Galapagos Islands |
Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Nevada |
Land boundaries:
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total: 2,010 km
border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km |
Coastline:
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2,237 km |
Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500-m isobath |
Climate:
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tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands |
Terrain:
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coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente) |
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m
note: due to the fact that the earth is not a perfect sphere and has an equatorial bulge, the highest point on the planet furthest from its center is Mount Chimborazo not Mount Everest, which is merely the highest point above sea-level |
Natural resources:
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petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower |
Land use:
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arable land: 5.71%
permanent crops: 4.81%
other: 89.48% (2005) |
Irrigated land:
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8,650 sq km (2003) |
Total renewable water resources:
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432 cu km (2000) |
Total renewable water resources - per capita:
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29,644 cubic meters per capita |
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 16.98 cu km/yr (12%/5%/82%)
per capita: 1,283 cu m/yr (2000) |
Natural hazards:
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frequent earthquakes; landslides; volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts |
Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands |
Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note:
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Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world |
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