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South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Peru.
Ecuador has not been a mature democracy. With a banking collapse and the government taking austerity measures military men decide to transcend electoral politics and take power in a coup, overthrowing an elected president, Jamil Mahuad. The military man leading the coup was Lucio Gutierrez, who won the presidential election of 2002 with the support of Bolivia's many impoverished Indians. In 2004 President Gutierrez replaced the Supreme Court, claiming it was biased against him. Imagine if President Clinton had replaced the Supreme in December 2000 when it voted in favor of Bush over Gore.
On April 20, 2005, Ecuador's Congress replaced Gutierrez, and immediately the new president, Alfredo Palacheo, ordered the arrest of Gutierrez, who took refuge in Brazil's embassy.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Factbook: "Ecuador is substantially dependent on its petroleum resources, which have accounted for more than half of the country's export earnings and one-fourth of public sector revenues in recent years."
Estimated per capita GDP:
2008 $7,500
2007 $7,200
2006 $7,100
GDP annual growth rate:
2008: 5.9%
2007: 2.4%
2006: 3.9%
Unemployment rate:
2008: 8.7%
2007: 8.8%
Exports oil, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp, mostly to the United States, at 41 percent.
Produces 523,000 barrels of oil per day.
Deaths: 4.21. Births: 21.54, down from 22.67 in 2005
Estimate for July 2008: 13.928 million, up from 13.4 million in 2005. Growth rate for 2008: 0.935 percent per year.
More leaving than arriving, a net loss of 7.98 persons per 1,000 population, up from a net loss of 6.07 in 2005. It is written that many have been going to Spain and Italy seaching for better living conditions.
Infant mortality estimated for 2008: 21.35, down from 23.66 in 2005 (deaths before the age of one year, per 1,000 live births).
Average life expectancy at birth estimated for 2008: 76.81, up from 76.21 in 2005
Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: 0.3 percent (2003 estimate).
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65 percent, Amerindian 25 percent, Spanish. and others 7 percent, blacks 3 percent.
Traditionally, Amerindian women have been tied to household chores, working land and looking after children. Now more are disturbing their husbands by seeking opportunities in education .
Roman Catholic 95 percent.
Ecuador's Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, but defamation is a criminal offense and a fearful media remains timid regarding sensitive issues, including stories about the military.
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.