| Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador conventional short form: Ecuador local long form: Republica del Ecuador local short form: Ecuador etymology: the country's position on the globe, straddling the Equator, accounts for its Spanish name |
| Government type | presidential republic |
| Capital | name: Quito geographic coordinates: 0 13 S, 78 30 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time) note: Ecuador has two time zones, including the Galapagos Islands (UTC-6) etymology: named after the Quitus, a Pre-Columbian indigenous people credited with founding the city |
| Administrative divisions | 24 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe |
| Independence | 24 May 1822 (from Spain) |
| National holiday | Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809) |
| Constitution | history: many previous; latest approved 20 October 2008 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic through a referendum, by public petition of at least 1% of registered voters, or by agreement of at least one-third membership of the National Assembly; passage requires two separate readings a year apart and approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly, and approval by absolute majority in a referendum; amendments such as changes to the structure of the state, constraints on personal rights and guarantees, or constitutional amendment procedures are not allowed; amended 2011, 2015, 2018 |
| Legal system | civil law based on the Chilean civil code with modifications; traditional law in indigenous communities |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent only: yes dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 3 years |
| Suffrage | 18-65 years of age; universal and compulsory; 16-18, over 65, and other eligible voters, voluntary |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Guillermo LASSO Mendoza (since 24 May 2021); Vice President Alfredo Enrique BORRERO Vega (since 24 May 2021); the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Guillermo LASSO Mendoza (since 24 May 2021); Vice President Alfredo Enrique BORRERO Vega (since 24 May 2021) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 February 2021 with a runoff on 11 April 2021 (next to be held in February 2025) election results: 2021: Guillermo LASSO Mendoza elected president; first round election results: percent of vote - Andres ARAUZ (UNES) 32.72%, Guillermo LASSO Mendoza (CREO) 19.74%, Yaku PEREZ Guartambel (MUPP) 19.38%, Xavier HERVAS Mora (Independent) 15.68%, other 12.48%; second round election results: percent of vote - Guillermo LASSO Mendoza (CREO) 52.5%, Andres ARAUZ (UNES) 47.5% 2017: Lenin MORENO Garces elected president in second round; percent of vote - Lenin MORENO Garces (Alianza PAIS Movement) 51.1%, Guillermo LASSO (CREO) 48.9% |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (137 seats; 116 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 15 members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote, and 6 directly elected in multi-seat constituencies for Ecuadorians living abroad by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 7 February 2021 (next to be held in February 2025) election results: percent of vote by party - UNES 32.21%, MUPP 16.81%, ID 11.98%, PSC 9.73%, CREO 9.65%, MC-PSE 3.76%, other 15.86%; seats by party - UNES 49, MUPP 27, ID 18, PSC 18, CREO 12, MC-PSE 2, independents 3, other 8; composition - men 85, women 52, percent of women 38%; note - defections by members of National Assembly are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: National Court of Justice or Corte Nacional de Justicia (consists of 21 judges, including the chief justice and organized into 5 specialized chambers); Constitutional Court or Corte Constitucional (consists of 9 judges) judge selection and term of office: justices of National Court of Justice elected by the Judiciary Council, a 9-member independent body of law professionals; judges elected for 9-year, non-renewable terms, with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the executive, legislative, and Citizen Participation branches of government; judges appointed for 9-year non-renewable terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years subordinate courts: Fiscal Tribunal; Election Dispute Settlement Courts, provincial courts (one for each province); cantonal courts |
| Political parties and leaders | Alianza PAIS movement [Lenin Voltaire MORENO Garces] Avanza Party or AVANZA [Ramiro GONZALEZ] Central Democratic Movement or CD [Jimmy JAIRALA] Citizen Revolution Movement or MRC [Rafael CORREA] Creating Opportunities Movement or CREO [Guillermo LASSO] Democratic Left or ID Forward Ecuador Movement [Alvaro NOBOA] Fuerza Ecuador [Abdala BUCARAM] (successor to Roldosist Party) Honesty Alliance or MC-PSE (alliance including Concertation Movement or MC and Socialist Party of Ecuador or PSE) Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement or MUPP [Marlon Rene SANTI Gualinga] Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Gilmar GUTIERREZ Borbua] Popular Democracy Movement or MPD [Luis VILLACIS] Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO] Socialist Party [Patricio ZABRANO] Society United for More Action or SUMA [Mauricio RODAS] Union of Hope or UNES (coalition of left-leaning parties) |
| International organization participation | CAN, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Ivonne Leila Juez De A-BAKI (since 6 February 2020) chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200 FAX: [1] (202) 333-2893 email address and website: embassy@ecuador.org http://www.ecuador.org/ consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Haven (CT), New Orleans, New York, Newark (NJ), Phoenix, San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Michael J. FITZPATRICK (since 3 July 2019) embassy: E12-170 Avenida Avigiras y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Quito mailing address: 3420 Quito Place, Washington DC 20521-3420 telephone: [593] (2) 398-5000 email address and website: ACSQuito@state.gov https://ec.usembassy.gov/ consulate(s) general: Guayaquil |
| Flag description | three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; the flag retains the three main colors of the banner of Gran Colombia, the South American republic that broke up in 1830; the yellow color represents sunshine, grain, and mineral wealth, blue the sky, sea, and rivers, and red the blood of patriots spilled in the struggle for freedom and justice note: similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms |
| National anthem | name: "Salve, Oh Patria!" (We Salute You, Our Homeland) lyrics/music: Juan Leon MERA/Antonio NEUMANE note: adopted 1948; Juan Leon MERA wrote the lyrics in 1865; only the chorus and second verse are sung |
| National symbol(s) | Andean condor; national colors: yellow, blue, red |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
