| 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: 5.85%
permanent crops: 4.93%
other: 89.22% (2001) |
| Irrigated Land : |
8,650 sq km (1998 est.) |
| 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. |
