Ecuador - a brief portrait

The smallest Andean country in the north-west of the South American continent, straddling the equator between the Pacific Ocean and magic glacial peaks or smoking volcanos, surprises visitors by the diversity of its landscapes, its lush vegetation and rich fauna, particularly on the Galapagos Isles, part of the national territory and about 1000km from the mainland.

The highly developed Indio civilisations were destroyed, first by the Incas, later by the Spanish conquerors.
Since its independence in the year 1830 Ecuador has been marked by instability and recurrent national crises but also by the oil boom and a rapidly growing tourist industry.

Ecuador