Ecuador by Colleen Madonna Flood Williams; James D. Henderson (Editor)Call Number: 980 Di631e
ISBN: 9781422232996
Publication Date: 2015-01-01
Named for the equator, which passes through it, the Republic of Ecuador sits on the western coast of South America. One of the smallest countries of the continent, Ecuador nevertheless features a wide variety of terrain: high mountain peaks, tropical forests, grasslands, snow-capped volcanoes, and glacial lakes. Off the Pacific coast, about 600 miles (966 km) to the west, lie Ecuador's renowned Galápagos Islands, home to more than 5,000 species of plants and animals. About half of Ecuadors 15.2 million inhabitants live in the country's fertile, coastal lowlands, where crops like cocoa, bananas, rice, and cotton are grown for export.