25 Fast Facts about Ecuador

  • Bunnik Tours
  • 07 Feb 20

How much do you know about Ecuador? If your answer is ‘not much’ check out this list of fast facts we’ve put together. This small country certainly has a few things up its sleeve that will surprise you!

1. Ecuador gets its name from the word equator since the equator runs right through the country, so you can stand in the northern and southern hemisphere at the same time

2. The monument marking the equator in Ciudad Mitad del Munda isn’t quite in the right spot. Modern measurements have shown it’s actually 240 metres north

3. Mount Chimborazo is technically higher than Mt Everest due to the fact that the earth bulges at the equator. That means it is closer to the sun than any other point on earth

4. Ecuador is home to 4,250 species of orchids, the most of any country in the world

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5. Some of the most colourful and sought after roses in the world are grown in Ecuador, thanks to favourable growing conditions in the Andes

6. Ecuador is the biggest exporter of bananas in the world

7. The Galapagos Islands, which are also in Ecuador, were the first ever UNESCO World Heritage-listed site

8. The capital city of Quito was the second UNESCO World Heritage-listed site, first getting its listing back in 1978

9. Quito is also the highest capital city in the world, at 2,850m above sea level

10. In Quito, water boils at 90 degrees due to the altitude

11. Despite the fact that Quito is the capital, Guyaquil has the biggest population

12. The Panama Hat actually comes from Ecuador

13. Ecuador is home to Chalupas Volcano, one of the world’s 7 megavolcanoes

14. There are more than 1,600 species of birds in Ecuador, which makes up 15% of known species worldwide

15. The national tree of Ecuador, the cinchona, produces quinine, the first drug used to prevent malaria

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16. Ecuador is one of 17 megadiverse countries, and has the most biodiversity of any nation in the world

17. Cotopaxi Volcano is the highest active volcano in the world

18. Ecuador has four distinct geographical locations – the amazon jungle, the coastal region, the Andes (or sierra) and the Galapagos Islands 

Cotopaxi

19. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is based on his findings in the Galapagos Islands back in 1835

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20. Spanish is the official language of Ecuador, but 13 other indigenous languages are also recognised

21. Ecuador is the smallest Andean country

22. In Ecuador, nature has its own constitutional rights, recognising its “right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles”

23. Guinea pig, or cuy, is a regional delicacy which tastes similar to rabbit or duck

24. The olinguito, found in the cloud forests of Ecuador in 2013, is the most recently discovered mammal

25. Ecuador’s national currency is the US dollar

Check out your many options for visiting Ecuador here.