Ecuador
Located on the western side of South America and right on the equator, Ecuador was one of the
three countries that emerged when the old Gran Colombia collapsed in 1830.
It is 283,560 sq km
making it one of the smaller South American countries, its capital Quito located at approximately
2500 metres high in the Andes, and it borders Colombia and Peru.
The country, for its size contains some of the largest amount of biodiversity found on the planet. Comprising of the Amazon jungle, the Andes Mountains, The Coastal region and the Galapagos islands, Ecuador is a very varied geographical country. Ecuador contains the highest active volcano in the world, Cotopaxi with the summit at 5911 meters above sea level, which last erupted in 1904.
Due to the recent discovery of large oil reserves under the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador, many petroleum companies have moved in and pose a serious threat to the ecosystem of the rainforest, but is a vital part of the Ecuadorian economy.