Ecuador Geography Profile 2002

Location

Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru

Geographic coordinates

2 00 S, 77 30 W

Map references

South America

Area

total: 283,560 sq km
land: 276,840 sq km
water: 6,720 sq km
note: includes Galapagos Islands

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Nevada

Land boundaries

total: 2,010 km
border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km

Coastline

2,237 km

Maritime claims

continental shelf: claims continental shelf between mainland and Galapagos Islands
territorial sea: 200 NM

Climate

tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands

Terrain

coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m

Natural resources

petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower

Land use

arable land: 5.69%
permanent crops: 5.15%
other: 89.16% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land

8,650 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards

frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Galapagos Islands

Environment - international agreements

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Group

All, APLAA, South America/Global

Geography - note

Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world