BIENVENIDOS A ECUADOR

Located in South America and straddling the equator, the Ecuadorian coast rushes up to snow-capped volcanoes then falls away to hot Amazon jungle - all in a country the size of the state of Colorado.  It shared a long contested border with Peru to the south and east, and is bounded by Colombia to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west.  The country can be divided into four regions:  the western coastal lowlands, the central Andean highlands, the eastern jungles of the Amazon, and the Galapagos Islands.  Thanks to its agreeable climate and patchwork of habitats (alpine grasslands, coastal swamps, tropical rainforest), Ecuador is one of the most species-rich nations on earth, and ecologists have dubbed Ecuador a mega-diversity hotspot.

The new constitution of 2008 is the first in the world to recognize legally enforceable Rights of Nature, or ecosystem rights.

 

Not only is Ecuador rich in species and climates, but also in religion, courtships, food and cuisine, customary dress, social class system, evolving gender roles and a collectivistic culture.

 

Ecuador's art includes sculptures and indigenous handicrafts. Ecuador is known for a style of music called "Andean Blues," which is melancholic, beautiful, and talks about the hardships of the poor and protests social injustice.