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World > South America >
Ecuador > Geography (Facts)
Ecuador - Geography (Facts) |
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Location: |
Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru |
Geographic coordinates: |
2 00 S, 77 30 W |
Map references: |
South America |
Area: |
total: 283,560 sq km land: 276,840 sq km water: 6,720 sq km note: includes Galapagos Islands |
Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Nevada |
Land boundaries: |
total: 2,010 km border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km |
Coastline: |
2,237 km |
Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500 meter isobath |
Climate: |
tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands |
Terrain: |
coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente) |
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m |
Natural resources: |
petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower |
Land use: |
arable land: 5.71% permanent crops: 4.81% other: 89.48% (2005) |
Irrigated land: |
8,650 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards: |
frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts |
Environment - current issues: |
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands |
Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note: |
Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world |
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