Ecuador Travel

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Ecuador & Galapagos Location in the world

Located in northwestern South America,exactly on the Equator line, Ecuador is bordered by Colombia to the north, Peru to the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. To be exact, 590 km (367 mi) of Ecuador borders Colombia, 1,420 km (882 mi) of Ecuador borders Peru, and 2,337 km (1,452 mi) of Ecuador is pure coastline. The current border with Peru has been highly debated since its establishment with the Rio Protocol on January 29, 1942 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the end of the Ecuadorian-Peruvian War of 1941-1942, Peruvian and Ecuadorian foreign ministers signed this agreement in hopes of subduing further conflict over territorial boundaries, and the borders have stayed put since then. Nonetheless, about 200,000 sq km (77,000 sq mi) of this awarded territory is still under dispute. The short Cenepa War in 1995 brought about a three year process to end the conflict, actually ending in 1998 with a peace treaty signed by the two countries and supported by United States, Brazil, Argentina and Chile.

Area

As the fourth smallest country in South America, Ecuador fills an area of 283,560 sq km (109,483 sq mi). Of this total, 276,841 sq km (172,021 sq mi) is land mass and 6,720 sq km (4,175 mi) is water. If compared to a state in the United States, Ecuador would be a bit smaller than Nevada. However, what it lacks in size, it makes up in topographical, ecological and geological diversity. In fact, Ecuador is split up into four distinct regions. The Amazon jungle, better known as El Oriente, makes up most of eastern Ecuador; the Andes mountains, or La Sierra, occupies most of central Ecuador; and Pacific coastal lowlands, or La Costa, dominate the western part of Ecuador. The fourth region is reserved for the Galapagos Islands, which totals 8,010 sq km (3,093 sq mi) of Ecuadorian territory.

Why Ecuador takes its name from the Equator line

The equator runs through the northern part of Ecuador, about 35 km (22 mi) from the capital city of Quito, which rests at the coordinates 00°15'S and 78°35'W. This is where the country gets its name, since ¨Ecuador¨ means equator in Spanish. Due to its equatorial positioning, Quito experiences spring-like temperatures all year round, and only has two real seasons: the dry season and the wet season. Additionally, the western, southern and northern hemispheres all intersect within Ecuador's borders.

In terms of altitude, Ecuador stretches from 0 m above sea level at the Pacific Ocean to 6,267 m above sea level at Mount Chimborazo, the highest point on earth from the middle of the planet. Geologically speaking, Ecuador is located along the Andean Cordillera. Since Ecuador lies near three major fault lines--where the South American, the Nazca and the Caribbean tectonic and oceanic plates meet--it is especially susceptible to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In fact, Ecuador has 62 volcanoes thoughout the country, which is notable for such small area. Ecuador also contains the interesting Volcano Alley, which is a valley just south of Ibarra, that is flanked by nine of the country's highest volcanoes: Cotacachi, Imbabura, Cayambe, Pichincha, Quilotoa, Antisana, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua and Chimborazo. Some of these volcanoes are active such as Tungurahua, Pichincha and Cotopaxi. Some are semi-active and some are completely dormant. Nevertheless, this high concentration of volcanoes, coupled with the possibility of fault line movement, makes Ecuadorian cities ideal locations to see erupting volcanoes from your hotel room.

The Galapagos Islands and Ecuador

The Galápagos Islands are located 1,000 km (620 mi) off the western coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. While Ecuador is the closest mass of land to the archipelago, the nearest major islands are Cocos Island, which is 720 km (447 mi) north of the Galápagos off the coast of Costa Rica, and Easter Island, which is 3,200 km (1,990 mi) south of the Galápagos off the coast of Chile. The northernmost and southernmost islands stretch a distance of 220 km (137 mi). Isla Isabela, Volcán Ecuador and Volcán Wolf are all in line with the equator, but the 60 plus islands that make up the Galápagos are located in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

The archipelago was formed from a lava vent on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Interestingly, the islands are gradually moving east with the Nazca oceanic plate and new islands are forming as a result. The Galápagos Islands lie over the Galápagos hotspot, a volcanic hotspot from which it gets its name. A volcanic hotspot is a geological term to denote an area that experiences upwelling of extremely hot rock within the earth's mantle, causing abnormal amounts of volcanic activity. Additionally, three oceanic plates merge above this hotspot: the Pacific plate, the Nazca plate and the Cocos plate. These geological features were important factors in the creation of the islands and they continue to impact the archipelago, whether it is in the creation of new islands and islets or in the changing of forms and shapes of already existing land masses.

The climate of the Galápagos depends largely on the Humboldt current, which is an oceanic current that flows northwest from Antarctica along the western coast of South America. For instance, between June and December, this current brings cooler temperatures and rainy weather.

All in all, Ecuador and the Galápagos have unique positions geographically and geologically in the world, which all contribute to their climates, their susceptibility to natural disasters and their incredible natural diversity.