Ecuador

Ecuador is famous for its soups and casseroles. Pork, chicken, corn tortillas, rice, eggs and vegetables are the main ingredients used for traditional dishes. Seafood is also very popular. A typical speciality is the 'caldo de patas', a soup made from cows feet and 'cuy', roasted Guinea Pig. On the coast cooked banana chips are very popular – 'patacones'.

Ecuador is a multi cultural country. Approx. 35% of the 13.5 million inhabitants are indigineous folk, 45% are Mestizen (a mixture of inbred Indigeous and Spanish people), 10% of the population is white and 10% are Afro-Ecuadorians. There are big differences depending on the region you are in. In the highlands the proportion of Indigineous people is especially high. Along the coast, there is a big difference between people in the north and those in the south. The Province Esmeraldas in the north has the highest proportion of Afro-Ecuadorians. In the south you will find more Mestizen.
The pre Columbian inhabitants of Ecuador are famous for their impressive crafts: pottery, painting, sculptures, gold and silver art. The Spanish taught the local artists how to master the colonial religion art which was replaced at a later date by work such as the 'Hero of the Revolution'. Today typical souvenirs of the region include pieces of ceramic, jewellery, pieces of weaving, cane and pieces made of leather.
The traditional music of the Andes is unique, dominated by wind instruments and Percussion.

The main attraction of Ecuador is the Andes - they stretch from the north to the south. They divide the country into three main regions: the pacific coast, the highlands and the Amazon rainforest. The fourth region being the Galapagos Islands (1'000km from the mainland), which originated from a volcano.
Due to extremes in the topography, and the height of certain areas in Ecuador, it is said to be one of the most varied land masses on earth, even though only it consists of 256'370 km2 and is the smallest country in the Andes. Apart from the tropical mountains and foggy forests that cover the Andes mountain range, you will find approx. 3’500 meters of highlands, and above this, a layer of ice that never melts. In the north is tropical rainforest and towards the south a thorny desert.
There are over 1 600 different species of birds, over 16 000 species of plants, 106 endemic reptiles, 138 endemic amphibians and over 6 000 species of butterfly.
Lamas and condore can be seen wild in Ecuador, as well as jaguars, monkeys, and snakes... the list goes on and on.

For more up to date information regarding the political situation in Ecuador, please check: www.eda.admin.ch.

Ecuador belonged to the Inkas until the beginning of the 16th century. It became a Spanish colony after it was conquered in 1533, or 1534 by the Spanish. In 1809 the War of Independence began, leading to the victory of the Spanish in 1822. In 1830 the country was declared as being the Republic of Ecuador, even though civil war and restlessness were still being experienced.
In 1942 part of the country was lost to Peru. Between 1972 and 1978 there were a number of military dictatorships. In 1978 the people voted for a new system of government, and democracy returned.
In 1995 there was conflict regarding the border between Peru. This was solved peacefully after three years of discussion.
Foreign debt and inflation increased slowly until the economic crisis in 1999 lead to a mass protest, and one year later a state of emergency was declared. During this year, the President Jamil Mhuad was overthrown.
Despite much protest the currency of Ecuador, the Sucre, was replaced by US-Dollars in the year 2000.

Ecuador has something for everyone: snorkeling on the Galapagos islands, trekking in the jungle, walking on the volcano, swimming in thermal springs or shopping at the markets. It is the ideal place to tank energie and learn a language!

The country

The Republic of Ecuador is a country in the north west of South America. To the north you will find Colombia, to the east and south Peru, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The Galápagos Islands in the Pacific also belong to Ecuador. They are situated about 965 km west of the mainland. Named after the Spanish word for equator, Ecuador straddles the equator and has an area of 272,045 km² (105,037 mi²). Quito is the country’s capital.

The climate

Ecuador has many different climatic zones in rather a confined space.
Cuenca: Just like the rest of the Andes, Cuenca has a mild climate all year round. During the day it is quite warm, however the nights can be rather cool. The average temperature during the day is 14.6 °C. The rainy season lasts from the middle of October to the beginning of May. During this time it is tropical and sunny in the morning, and cloudy in the afternoon with some local showers.

Visa

For a stay of up to 90 days a visa is not required, your passport has to be valid for at least 6 months after the day of departure. If you stay longer than 90 days you can get an extension locally. For further information please contact the Embassy or Consulate.