Ecuador - education
In Ecuador, the education is characterized by the country's special regional
and ethnic composition. Of the adult population in 2006, approximately 7.5%
illiterate. Illiteracy, which is unevenly distributed both ethnically and
regionally, is twice as frequent in rural areas as in cities. The language of
instruction is Spanish; as a result of the Indians' struggle for an independent
culture, bilingual education is also offered. Resources for education have been
reduced in recent years from 5.6% of GDP in 1980 to 2.6% in 1991.
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The voluntary preschool is three years old and is found almost exclusively in
the cities. The primary school for the 6-11-year-olds is compulsory, while the
continued schooling is voluntary and divided into a module for 12-14-year-olds
and one for 15-18-year-olds. Just over half of the population has left the
education system after primary school, while approximately 30% have completed the
youth education, and approximately 15% participate in higher education; 2.3% receive
no education at all (1990). Vocational education was expanded in the 1980's,
by setting up technical schools. Higher education at universities and other
colleges is offered almost exclusively in the major cities of Quito and
Guayaquil.
OFFICIAL NAME: Ecuador
CAPITAL CITY: Quito
POPULATION: 13,500,000 (Source: COUNTRYaah)
AREA: 272,000 km²
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE (S): Spanish, Quechua and approximately 10 other Native American languages
RELIGION: Catholics 95%, others 5%
COIN: US Dollar (USD)
CURRENCY CODE: ECS
ENGLISH NAME: Ecuador
INDEPENDENCE: 1830
POPULATION COMPOSITION: mestizer 60%, Indians 25%, whites (especially of Spanish origin) 12%, black
3%
GDP PER residents: $ 1534 (2007)
LIFE EXPECTANCY: men 72 years, women 78 years (2007)
INDEX OF LIVING CONDITIONS, HDI: 0.765
INDEX OF LIVING CONDITIONS, POSITION: 83
INTERNET DOMAIN NAME: .ec
Ecuador, Republic of South America; the name comes from the country's
location on the equator. Under South American conditions, Ecuador is a small
country, but naturally it is one of the most diverse in the world.
Here you will find tropical rainforest, temperate mountain slopes and
glacier-covered peaks. In addition, the unique Galápagos Islands Nature Reserve
is 1000 km out in the Pacific Ocean. The predominant and also poorest part of
the population are Indians and mestizos. Despite oil discoveries and some
industrial development in the wake of this, the country remains one of the
poorest in South America.
Ecuador - Constitution
The Republic's current constitution is from 1998. The executive power lies
with a president who, together with a vice president, is elected by direct
election for a four-year term. The government is appointed and headed by the
president. Legislative power lies with the National Congress, which has one
chamber, which in the 2002 election had 100 members, elected by direct
election. 12 of the members are elected with the whole country as a constituency
for four years, while the others are elected for a four-year period in the 22
provinces in relation to population. Everyone over the age of 18 is obliged to
vote; for illiterates, however, turnout is voluntary.
Ecuador - Economy
Ecuador began as one of the last countries in Latin America an opening and
liberalization of the economy, when the newly elected Conservative President and
Prime Minister Sixto Durán Ballén in 1992 presented a program aimed at reforming
the state's dominant role in the economy. However, the program has met with
strong opposition in Congress, and so far few privatizations of state-owned
enterprises have been completed.
Ecuador is one of the countries that went into debt crisis in the
mid-1980's. Several times the payments on the foreign debt have had to be
suspended; Among other things, in 1992, when debt was about the same as GDP and
almost four times greater than this year's export earnings. As part of a debt
restructuring agreement, Ecuador entered into a stabilization program with the
IMF in 1994, which, among other things, entailed a tight fiscal and monetary
policy. A combination of low oil prices, the main export item since the 1970's,
and natural disasters (El Niño) plunged the country into a new crisis of
suspension of payments. The transition to the US- $ as a currency in 2001 has
slowed inflation, but the government's attempts to liberalize and privatize the
economy further encounter stubborn opposition from especially the poor Native
American population.
Ecuador has for many years consistently had a surplus on the trade balance,
but the considerable interest payments on the external debt mean still deficits
on the balance of payments. The United States is the country's largest trading
partner and accounts for over a third (2005) of Ecuador's total foreign
trade. Incidentally, Ecuador trades a lot with other Latin American countries.
In 2005, Denmark's exports to Ecuador amounted to DKK 59 million. DKK, while
imports amounted to 114 mill. kr.
Ecuador - social conditions
Ecuador is a racially and class-divided society where Indians and blacks make
up the majority of the 70% of the population living below the poverty line - an
increase of 5% from the mid-1990's. Social and economic disparities grew after
President Sixto Durán Ballén in 1992 launched a harsh privatization and fiscal
policy that meant sharp cuts. This triggered violent labor struggles, social
unrest and protests, not least from the Native American section of the
population. The political and economic instability since the 1990's has
contributed to the deterioration of living conditions, although Ecuador as an
oil-exporting country has benefited from rising energy prices on the world
market. This is reflected in the very skewed income distribution, where the
poorest 10% receive only 0.9% of the total income,
Social security schemes are largely limited to urban wage workers and
employees of oil and banana companies. The various security schemes and the
public health system often overlap and are generally corrupt and
ineffective. President Sixto Durán Ballén's privatization and fiscal policy
provoked great dissatisfaction, and the period after 1992 has been marked by
labor struggles and by actions by the Native American section of the
population. Almost half of the population does not have access to clean water,
and housing conditions are particularly primitive in rural areas. Since the
1980's, Ecuador has been a major transit station in international cocaine
trafficking, reinforcing the already widespread corruption. Other crime is
particularly high in large cities, but generally less violent than in
neighboring Colombia and Peru.
Ecuador - health conditions
Life expectancy has increased from 53 years in 1960 to 76.5 years in 2006.
The mortality rate in the first year of life was 23 2006 in 2006, a decrease
from 100 ‰ in 1970. Fertility is declining and in 2006 22 children per. 1000
residents
Tropical diseases such as malaria, cholera and dengue fever occur frequently
in rural areas. Malnutrition is found in half of children under the age of
five. It is estimated that there is an underreporting of deaths of at least 30%,
but the general mortality is assumed to have halved from 1966 to
1991. Infectious diseases and violent death are the most common causes of death
with resp. 23% and 14%. In 1990, the country spent 4.1% of its GDP on health
care; of which came approximately 60% from the public sector. In 1990 there were 1.5
doctors and 1.6 hospital beds per. 1000 residents with a clearly skewed
distribution to the detriment of the rural areas, which have the biggest health
problems.
Ecuador - mass media
The mass media in Ecuador is largely controlled by seven families and
financial groups. The written press is especially aimed at the richest 10-15% of
the population. 36 daily newspapers are published with a total circulation of
688,000 (1992). The largest is El Universal (grdl. 1921) and the oldest the
liberal El Telégrafo (grdl. 1884), both in Guayaquil. In Quito, the conservative
El Comercio (grdl. 1906), the liberal Hoy (grdl. 1982) and the tabloid newspaper
Ultimas Noticias (grdl. 1938) are published.
Ecuador has denser radio coverage than most of Latin America with 380
stations and 3.4 million. radio receivers (1991). One of the most important
radio stations is the religious La Voz de los Andes ('Voice of the Andes'),
which was founded in 1931 and broadcasts to the entire Andean region in 17
languages, including Spanish, Quechua and English. Otherwise, most stations are
commercial.
Television was established in the 1970's, and with 13 predominantly commercial
channels and a total of 910,000 televisions, all major cities in the country are
covered.
Ecuador - architecture and visual arts
Since Quito's founding in 1534 as a colonial capital, the city has been
characterized by European builders and artists. In 1538, the Franciscans began
construction of the San Francisco convent in typical mudéjar style, mixed with
Flemish Mannerism. The Cathedral of Quito was begun in 1562, but rebuilt several
times until the mid-1900's. The Jesuit order church from 1605 is known for its
facade from the 1700's. in German-influenced baroque as well as for the rich
interior decoration, made by Hernando de la Cruz (1591-1646) and Nicolás
Javier de Goríbar (1665-1740).
The religious art of the 1600's is represented by the Native American sculptor
Caspicara as well as the most important painters of the era Miguel de Santiago
(1626-1706) and Gregório Vázques de Arce (1638-1711). After the country's
independence in 1830, a new generation of artists emerged with Joaquim Pinto
(1892-1906), José António Sales (1795-1860) and Rafael Troya (1845-1920), all
painting landscapes, portraits and folklore motifs. In the early 1900-t. a
French-inspired impressionism flourished, while social realism characterized the
painters Camilo Egas (1899-1962) and Oswaldo Guayasamin. Today, Oswaldo Viteri
(b. 1931) works with anthropological motifs, while Luigi Stornaiolo (b. 1956)
and Marcelo Aguirre (b. 1956) cultivate a neo-figurative form of expression.
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