Ecuador

III

People

Approximately 80 percent of the population of Ecuador is composed of Native Americans and mestizos (persons of mixed Native American and European ancestry); the remainder is equally divided between Europeans (chiefly of Spanish descent) and blacks. Immigrants have also come to Ecuador from countries such as Lebanon, China, Korea, Japan, Italy, and Germany. The country’s population is 63 percent urban.

Ecuador had a population of 14,573,101 in 2009. The average population density is 53 persons per sq km (136 per sq mi). A little less than half of the people live on the Sierra, where the population is predominantly Native American. The other half, mostly mestizos and blacks, live on the Costa. The remainder of the population is scattered within the Oriente and Galápagos Islands. The only significant groups of people of predominantly Spanish descent are in the cities of Quito, Cuenca, and Guayaquil.

Although the Sierra remains the administrative center of the country, it is no longer the most densely populated region, largely because of migration to the urban centers on the coast. Population is growing fastest in the Costa. The population of Guayaquil, a Pacific port on the Guayas River and the country’s largest commercial center, jumped from some 250,000 in 1950 to almost 2 million by 2001.

Quechua-speaking people who live in the Sierra are the most numerous of the Native American groups in Ecuador. They refer to themselves as Runa (“people”) and increasingly affirm a strong sense of Quechuan identity. The Shuar, Achuar, and other groups inhabit the Amazon lowlands. Small indigenous groups also live along the Ecuadorian coast.

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Ecuadorian blacks, who see themselves as a distinct cultural group, are the descendents of African slaves. Ecuadorians of African descent are concentrated in the province of Esmeraldas in the northeast and in the Chota River valley in the northern Sierra.

A

Principal Cities

Quito, the capital, is situated in the central highlands and in 2001 had a population of 1,399,378. The oldest capital in South America, Quito retains much of its Spanish colonial architecture and is noted for its churches and for its art and culture. In 1978 Quito’s historic center was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. South of Quito is the Avenue of Volcanoes, a row of snow-capped mountains, 40 to 80 km (25 to 60 mi) apart, that rise from the plateau to more than 4,900 m (16,000 ft) above sea level.

Guayaquil, in the southwest, with a population of 1,990,000, is Ecuador’s largest city and its principal port and commercial center. The port has many foreign residents, and most foreign businesses are located there. Rivalry between the mountain and coastal regions has long been centered on the cities of Quito and Guayaquil. Other cities include Cuenca (277,374), an industrial and commercial center; Santo Domingo de los Colorados (287,018 ), a farming and forestry center; Machala (204,578), a commercial and farming center; and Ambato (154,095), a resort area and a commercial and transportation center.

B

Language and Religion

The official and most widely used language in Ecuador is Spanish. Many rural Native Americans speak Quechua, the original language of the Inca people.

Most Native Americans in Ecuador became converts to the Roman Catholic faith during the years following the conquest of Peru and Ecuador by the Spanish. Roman Catholicism became the state religion in 1863, but by 1889 a liberal movement resulted in a partial severance of church from state. A decree of 1904 placed the church under state control; properties of religious orders were confiscated, and absolute freedom of religion was introduced. Today Roman Catholicism is the faith of about 96 percent of the population. Native Americans of the Oriente maintain ancient religions; members of various Protestant denominations make up about 2 percent of the population.

C

Education

A campaign to reduce the high illiteracy rate in Ecuador was started in 1944; in 2007 some 92.6 percent of the people aged 15 or older were literate. Education is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 and 14. All state schools are nondenominational, but private nondenominational and religious schools also receive state funds. Bilingual education in Quechua and other Native American languages is becoming increasingly widespread.

C

1

Elementary and Secondary Schools

In the 2006 school year 2 million pupils were enrolled in 18,014 primary schools. While nearly all children attended primary school, only 59 percent of secondary-school-aged children were enrolled in school.

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