Ecuador is a relatively small country but fact tells nothing of the immense excitement you can discover during your stay in this country.
- Ecuador is named after the Equator
We will kick start out journey of exploring Ecuador from this exciting fact. Ecuador is the only country in the world that is named after a geographical feature. Its official name, República del Ecuador, literally means “the Republic of the Equator”. The equator runs through the country. Just north of the capital Quito, you can find the popular monument and at this point you can literally stand with both feet apart and in separate hemispheres.
Mt_Chimborazo,_Ecuador is the highest point in the center of the earth
- The Lofty heights On Top of the World: Mt. Chimborazo
Mt Chimborazo has an elevation of 6,263 m (20,548 ft). Obviously there are many more mountains higher than this. The interesting fact here is that the top of Mt. Chimborazo in Quito is as far as you can ever get from the center of the earth atop of a mountain. Chimborazo is an Andean stratovolcano that lies at the centre of the earth. This means that Ecuador is the closest country to space.
famous panama hat
- The Panama hat is actually from Ecuador.
These woven hats are made from toquilla straw plants. These historic hats are actually produced in Ecuador but later shipped to the Panama Canal for further distribution. The final labels however showed Panama to be the source of production and hence lots of people actually put on this hats without knowing they were rocking a piece of Ecuador.
- Ecuador is home to the World’s first and second UNESCO World Heritage Sites
32 historic sites were on the first UNESCO World Heritage list as far back as 1978. Each of the UNESCO World Heritage has a unique number to identify it with. Guess what, site #1 is the Galapagos Islands and #2 is the City of Quito and both of these sites lie within the borders of Ecuador.
- The World’s largest exporter of bananas.
Ecuador is undeniably the world’s largest exporter of bananas, exporting about 2.7 billion worth of bananas every year. That figure is about 22% of the total banana exports around the world.
- An array of beautiful languages
Spanish is the official language spoken in Ecuador but a visit to this South American Paradise will allow you to experience at least 13 other beautiful local languages spoken across Ecuador.
- Soil, Sky and Blood
The colour of Ecuador’s flag are yellow, blue and red. The significance behind this colours is the Yellow stands for the country’s rich soil and crops, the blue represents the sky and vast ocean, and finally the red represents the blood of all who fought for Ecuador’s independence. The flag is also not complete without the image of the Condor which is crested at the top. The Andean condor is a South American bird in the vulture family Cathartidae and is the only member of the genus Vultur. This endangered species is thelargest flying bird in the world
- Ecuador was once part of the nation of Gran Columbia.
Between 1822 and 1830 Ecuador was joined with Colombia and Venezuela. Ecuador joined the nation of Gran Columbia after its independence from Spain. This however did not last and Ecuador left in 1830 and eventually became a Republic like it is known today.
The galagapos islands is hotspot of biodiversity and prompted the birth of Darwin’s theory of evolution
- The theories born in the Galapagos Islands
We all know that Charles Darwin’s theory of human evolution is based on discoveries from the Galapagos Islands but I bet you did not know the Darwin’s theory of Coral atoll development was also developed in the Galapagos Islands.
local delicacy cuy
- Cuy will leave you asking for more.
Cuy are a local delicacy across Ecuador. Cuy are whole roasted guinea pigs. If you ever find yourself in Ecuador, you have to definitely try Cuy out. The distinct meat and sultry spices will leave you asking for more.
Experience all of this and more studying abroad in Ecuador. Czech College offers affordable British accredited programs in the beautiful city of Quito.
Find more about the programs available at the Quito Campus: BBA – Bachelor of Business Administration