Ecuador Aventura.com

Ecuador

admin — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:34:44 +0000

Ecuador is officially known as the Republic of Ecuador and is a democratic republic within the confines of South America.

It is bordered by Colombia on the north and by Peru on the east and south. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the western side. Ecuador also includes the Galapagos Islands about six hundred miles from the mainland.

Ecuador takes its name from lying on the equator; its capital city is Quito and the largest city is Guayaquil.

See also

History of Ecuador

admin — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:34:31 +0000

The earliest evidence of human culture in Ecuador was in 3500 BC.
Many different civilizations arose in Ecuador, such as the Valdivia Culture and Machalilla Culture. The Quitus arose from this area and the Caсari culture, which is the modern day Cuenca.

Each civilization developed its own distinctive pottery, religion and architecture. The Caсari eventually fell and were assimilated into the Incan empire.

Through a number of wars and marriages among the nations, the area became a part of the Inca Empire. At one point the nation was divided in two with one of the Incan sons, Atahualpa, taking the north and Huascar taking the south. Eventually Atahualpa defeated Huascar to take over the empire.

In 1531, the Spanish conquistadors under Francisco Pizarro arrived to find a country torn apart by civil war. The Spanish wanted to take over the area and captured Atahualpa, holding him for ransom. The Spanish eventually took over and the indigenous people were decimated by disease under early Spanish rule. In 1563, Quito became the administrative district of Spain.

In 1809, Latin America attempted to get out of Spanish rule and began the process of eventually getting independence, beginning in 1820. The rest of Ecuador gained independence in 1822.

Visit Ecuador

admin — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:34:20 +0000

Ecuador has numerous places for visitors to travel to.

Its cultural heritage has been well preserved for those interested in the culture and the history of the area.

Nature enthusiasts can take off from Ecuador and visit the most interesting islands of the Galapagos.

Ecuador is a great place for climbers and hikers from all around the world with an incredible diversity of landmarks, plants and animals to see. Within a day’s drive of the modern city of Quito are 20,000 foot glacial peaks, Amazon rainforests, warm coastal beaches and dense cloud forest with many hidden treasures from the Incan period. People can go on their own and also can hire a guide to take them through the most amazing scenery you’d ever want to see.