Demographics of Ecuador
Encyclopedia
The Ethnography of Ecuador consists of a diverse collection of ethnic group
s, almost all related to another group in one way or another. The great majority of Ecuador
ans trace their origins to one or more of three geographical sources of Human migration
s: the pre-Hispanic indigenous Amerindians who settled the region over 15,000 years ago, the European
s (principally Spaniards) who arrived over 5 centuries ago, and ultimately the black
sub-Saharan Africa
ns whom they imported as slave labour during the same period. The mixing of two or more of these three groups established other mixed ethnic groups.
Mestizo
s, the multiracial group of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry, are by far the largest of all the ethnic groups, and comprise around 65 per cent of the current population. The second most numerous group are the indigenous Amerindians (in Spanish indígenas, amerindios, or more controversially, indios), who account for approximately 25% of the population. Whites
(in Spanish blancos) are estimated at 7%, and consists largely of those of unmixed or predominant European descent. Most White Ecuadorans are of colonial era Spanish origin, also known as criollos (literally meaning "local[-born Spaniards]", as opposed to "Peninsulares
", which were Spaniards born in the Iberian Peninsula
in Spain
). Criollos is one of many terms from the colonial era caste system. White Ecuadorans of European non-colonial non-Spanish origin are a minority within the White Ecuadoran group, and are simply termed white. They mainly include descendants of immigrants from Italy
, Germany
, and France
, as well as other countries. Afro-Ecuadorans make up most of the balance of the percentage, and include mulattos (mixed European and sub-Saharan African) and zambos (mixed Amerindian and sub-Saharan African).
Besides the above-mentioned ethnic groups, there are also non-European Caucasians
mostly of Levantine origine and East Asia
ns, mostly Chinese and Japanese.
See also: Lebanese people in Ecuador.
due to the economic crisis that seriously affected the economy of the country in the 1990s, over 400,000 Ecuadorans left for Spain
and Italy
, and around 100,000 for the United Kingdom while several hundred thousand Ecuadorans live in the US, (450,000 by some estimates) mostly in the city of Northeast corridor. Many other Ecuadorans have emigrated across Latin America
, thousands have gone to Japan
and to Australia
. One famous American of Ecuadoran descent is pop music vocalist Christina Aguilera
.
In Ecuador there are about 100,000 American and 30,000 European Union
expatriates. They move to Ecuador for business opportunities and as cheaper place for retirement.
As a result of the political conflict in Colombia and of the criminal gangs that had appeared in the areas of power vacuum a constant flow of refugees and asylum seekers had moved into Ecuadoran territory. Over the last decade a minimum of 45 000 persons are now residents in Ecuador and the government and international organizations are assisting them. According to the UNHCR 2009 report as many as 167,189 refugee
s and asylum seekers are temporary residents in Ecuador.
Following the migratory trend to Europe many of the jobs that those that left held in the country had been taken over by Peruvian economic migrants. Those jobs are mostly in agriculture and unskilled labor. There are no official statistics but some press reports estimate their number into the tens of thousands.
There is a diverse community of Middle Eastern Ecuadorans, numbering in the tens of thousands, mostly from Lebanese
, Syrian and Palestinian
descent; prominent in commerce and industry, and concentrated in the coastal cities of Guayaquil
, Quevedo
and Machala
. They are well assimilated into the local culture and are referred commonly as "turcos
" since the early migrants of these communities arrived with passports issued by the Ottoman Empire
in the beginning of the century.
See also: Lebanese people in Ecuador.
Ecuador is also home to communities of Basques, Italians, Germans
, Portuguese
, French
, Britons and Greek
-Ecuadorans. Ecuadoran Jews
, who number around 450 are mostly of German or Italian descent. There are 225,000 English speakers and 112,000 German speakers in Ecuador of which the great majority reside in Quito
, mainly all descendants of immigrants who arrived in the late 19th century and of retaired emigrees that returned to their terroir. Most of the descendants of European immigrants strive for the preservation of their heritage. Therefore some groups even have their own schools (e.g. German School Guayaquil
and German School Quito), Liceé La Condamine (French Heritage), Alberto Einstein (Jewish Heritage) and The British School of Quito
(Anglo-British), cultural and social organizations, churches and country clubs. Their contribution for the social, political and economical development of the country is immense, specially in relation to their percentage in the total population. Most of the families of European heritage belong to the Ecuadoran upper class and had married into the wealtiest families of the country.
There is also a small Asian-Ecuadoran (see Asian Latino
) community estimated in a range from 2,500 to 25,000, mainly consists of those having any amount of Chinese
Yunan
and Han
descent, and possibly 10,000 being Japanese
whose ancestors arrived as miners, farm hands and fishermen in the late 19th century. Guayaquil
has an East Asian community, mostly Chinese including Taiwanese
and Korea
ns.
and Yellow fever
in the coastal region until the end of the 19th century, the Ecuadoran population was most heavily concentrated in the Highlands and valleys of the "Sierra" region. Today's population is distributed more evenly between the "Sierra" and the "Costa" (the coastal lowlands)region. Migration towards the cities—particularly larger cities—in all regions has increased the urban population to about 55 percent.
The "Oriente" region, consisting of Amazonian lowlands to the East of the Andes and covering about half the country's land area, remains sparsely populated and contains only about 3% of the country's population, that for the most are indigenous peoples who maintain a wary distance from the recent mestizo and white settlers. The territories of the "Oriente" are home to as many as nine indigenous groups: Quichua, Shuar, Achuar, Huaorani
, Siona
, Secoya
, Shiwiar
, and Cofan
, all represented politically by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadoran Amazon, CONFENIAE
.
As a result of the oil exploration and the development of the infrastructure required for the exploitation of the oil fields in the eastern jungles during the seventies and early eighties, there was a wave of settlement in the region. The Majority of these wave of internal immigration came from the southern province of Loja as a result of a drought
that lasted three years and affected the southern provinces of the country. This boom of the petroleum industry has led to a mushrooming of the town of Lago Agrio (Nueva Loja) as well as substantial deforestation
and pollution
of wetlands and lakes.
See also Texaco
.
Population:
15,007,343 (July 2011 est.)
Age structure:
Median Age
Population growth rate
Birth rate
Death rate
Net migration rate
Sex ratio
Infant mortality rate
country comparison to the world: 101
Life expectancy at birth
country comparison to the world: 82
Total fertility rate
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS - deaths
Nationality
Ethnic groups
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and Spanish) 70%
Amerindian (mostly Quechua but including ten separate indigenous communities) 12%
Afro-Ecuadoran (mostly from Cimarron communities and Slave ship castaways) 3%
White (Spanish descendent) 10%
Religions
Languages
Spanish
(official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua
).
Achuar-Shiwiar - 2,000 Pastaza province. Alternate names: Achuar, Achual, Achuara, Achuale.
Chachi - 3,450 Esmeraldas Province, Cayapas River system. Alternate names: Cayapa, Cha' Palaachi.
Colorado - 2,300 Santo Domingo de los Colorados province. Alternate names: Tsachila, Tsafiki.
Quechua 9 separate dialocts are spoken in as many areas in the country with a combined population of 1'460,000.
Shuar
- 46,669 (2000 WCD). Morona-Santiago Province. Alternate names: Jivaro, Xivaro, Jibaro, Chiwaro, Shuara.
Waorani
- 1,650 (2004). Napo and Morona-Santiago provinces. Alternate names: Huaorani, Waodani, Huao.
Literacy
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
s, almost all related to another group in one way or another. The great majority of Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
ans trace their origins to one or more of three geographical sources of Human migration
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
s: the pre-Hispanic indigenous Amerindians who settled the region over 15,000 years ago, the European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
s (principally Spaniards) who arrived over 5 centuries ago, and ultimately the black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
ns whom they imported as slave labour during the same period. The mixing of two or more of these three groups established other mixed ethnic groups.
Mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
s, the multiracial group of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry, are by far the largest of all the ethnic groups, and comprise around 65 per cent of the current population. The second most numerous group are the indigenous Amerindians (in Spanish indígenas, amerindios, or more controversially, indios), who account for approximately 25% of the population. Whites
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
(in Spanish blancos) are estimated at 7%, and consists largely of those of unmixed or predominant European descent. Most White Ecuadorans are of colonial era Spanish origin, also known as criollos (literally meaning "local[-born Spaniards]", as opposed to "Peninsulares
Peninsulares
In the colonial caste system of Spanish America, a peninsular was a Spanish-born Spaniard or mainland Spaniard residing in the New World, as opposed to a person of full Spanish descent born in the Americas or Philippines...
", which were Spaniards born in the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
). Criollos is one of many terms from the colonial era caste system. White Ecuadorans of European non-colonial non-Spanish origin are a minority within the White Ecuadoran group, and are simply termed white. They mainly include descendants of immigrants from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, as well as other countries. Afro-Ecuadorans make up most of the balance of the percentage, and include mulattos (mixed European and sub-Saharan African) and zambos (mixed Amerindian and sub-Saharan African).
Besides the above-mentioned ethnic groups, there are also non-European Caucasians
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
mostly of Levantine origine and East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
ns, mostly Chinese and Japanese.
See also: Lebanese people in Ecuador.
Migration trends
In recent decades, there has been a high rate of emigrationEmigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
due to the economic crisis that seriously affected the economy of the country in the 1990s, over 400,000 Ecuadorans left for Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and around 100,000 for the United Kingdom while several hundred thousand Ecuadorans live in the US, (450,000 by some estimates) mostly in the city of Northeast corridor. Many other Ecuadorans have emigrated across Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, thousands have gone to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. One famous American of Ecuadoran descent is pop music vocalist Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
.
In Ecuador there are about 100,000 American and 30,000 European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
expatriates. They move to Ecuador for business opportunities and as cheaper place for retirement.
As a result of the political conflict in Colombia and of the criminal gangs that had appeared in the areas of power vacuum a constant flow of refugees and asylum seekers had moved into Ecuadoran territory. Over the last decade a minimum of 45 000 persons are now residents in Ecuador and the government and international organizations are assisting them. According to the UNHCR 2009 report as many as 167,189 refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s and asylum seekers are temporary residents in Ecuador.
Following the migratory trend to Europe many of the jobs that those that left held in the country had been taken over by Peruvian economic migrants. Those jobs are mostly in agriculture and unskilled labor. There are no official statistics but some press reports estimate their number into the tens of thousands.
There is a diverse community of Middle Eastern Ecuadorans, numbering in the tens of thousands, mostly from Lebanese
Lebanese people
The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
, Syrian and Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
descent; prominent in commerce and industry, and concentrated in the coastal cities of Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
, Quevedo
Quevedo
Quevedo is a Spanish surname. It most frequently refers to:*Francisco de Quevedo, the leading baroque poet of Spain's Siglo de Oro Other uses of Quevedo include:;Places*Quevedo, Ecuador;People...
and Machala
Machala
Machala is a city in south-west Ecuador. It is the capital of the El Oro Province and located near the Gulf of Guayaquil on fertile lowlands. Machala has a population of 230,901 , making it the fourth biggest city of the country; it has been referred to as the Banana Capital of the...
. They are well assimilated into the local culture and are referred commonly as "turcos
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
" since the early migrants of these communities arrived with passports issued by the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in the beginning of the century.
See also: Lebanese people in Ecuador.
Ecuador is also home to communities of Basques, Italians, Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, Portuguese
Portuguese
Portuguese is an adjective referring to matters related to Portugal. It may refer to:* Portuguese language, natively spoken in Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, East Timor and other countries**including Portuguese dialects...
, French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
, Britons and Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
-Ecuadorans. Ecuadoran Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, who number around 450 are mostly of German or Italian descent. There are 225,000 English speakers and 112,000 German speakers in Ecuador of which the great majority reside in Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
, mainly all descendants of immigrants who arrived in the late 19th century and of retaired emigrees that returned to their terroir. Most of the descendants of European immigrants strive for the preservation of their heritage. Therefore some groups even have their own schools (e.g. German School Guayaquil
German School Guayaquil
The German School of Guayaquil is a multilingual school in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It was founded in 1957 by Renate Lemke to meet the necessities of the German immigrants in the city....
and German School Quito), Liceé La Condamine (French Heritage), Alberto Einstein (Jewish Heritage) and The British School of Quito
The British School of Quito
The British School Quito is an international secondary school in Quito, Ecuador. It was founded by Gloria Hooper, Baroness Hooper and the former British Ambassador in Ecuador Richard Lavers in 1995....
(Anglo-British), cultural and social organizations, churches and country clubs. Their contribution for the social, political and economical development of the country is immense, specially in relation to their percentage in the total population. Most of the families of European heritage belong to the Ecuadoran upper class and had married into the wealtiest families of the country.
There is also a small Asian-Ecuadoran (see Asian Latino
Asian Latino
Asian Latin Americans are Latin Americans of East Asian, Southeast Asian or South Asian descent. Asian Latin Americans have a centuries-long history in the region, starting with Filipinos in the 16th century. The heyday of Asian immigration occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries, however...
) community estimated in a range from 2,500 to 25,000, mainly consists of those having any amount of Chinese
Ethnic Chinese
Ethnic Chinese may refer to:*Han Chinese, the dominant ethnic group in the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macao, the Republic of China and Singapore....
Yunan
Yunan
Yunan may refer to:in fictional characters* King Yunan, a character in One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk talesin places...
and Han
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
descent, and possibly 10,000 being Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
whose ancestors arrived as miners, farm hands and fishermen in the late 19th century. Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
has an East Asian community, mostly Chinese including Taiwanese
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
ns.
Geography
Due to the prevalence of MalariaMalaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and Yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
in the coastal region until the end of the 19th century, the Ecuadoran population was most heavily concentrated in the Highlands and valleys of the "Sierra" region. Today's population is distributed more evenly between the "Sierra" and the "Costa" (the coastal lowlands)region. Migration towards the cities—particularly larger cities—in all regions has increased the urban population to about 55 percent.
The "Oriente" region, consisting of Amazonian lowlands to the East of the Andes and covering about half the country's land area, remains sparsely populated and contains only about 3% of the country's population, that for the most are indigenous peoples who maintain a wary distance from the recent mestizo and white settlers. The territories of the "Oriente" are home to as many as nine indigenous groups: Quichua, Shuar, Achuar, Huaorani
Huaorani
The Huaorani, Waorani or Waodani, also known as the Waos, are native Amerindians from the Amazonian Region of Ecuador who have marked differences from other ethnic groups from Ecuador. The alternate name Auca is a pejorative exonym used by the neighboring Quechua Indians, and commonly adopted by...
, Siona
Siona people
The Siona people are an indigenous ethnic group living in the Ecuadorian Amazon or Oriente , and in Colombia...
, Secoya
Siona people
The Siona people are an indigenous ethnic group living in the Ecuadorian Amazon or Oriente , and in Colombia...
, Shiwiar
Shiwiar
Shiwiar, also known as Achuar, Jivaro, Maina, is a Jivaroan language spoken along the Pastaza and Bobonaza rivers in Ecuador.-External links:**...
, and Cofan
Cofán
The Cofán people are an indigenous people native to Napo Province northeast Ecuador and to southern Colombia, between the Guamués River and the Aguaricó River...
, all represented politically by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadoran Amazon, CONFENIAE
CONFENIAE
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon or CONFENIAE is the regional organization of indigenous peoples in the Ecuadorian Amazon or Oriente region. Nine indigenous peoples present in the region — Quichua, Shuar, Achuar, Huaorani, Siona, Secoya, Shiwiar, Záparo, and...
.
As a result of the oil exploration and the development of the infrastructure required for the exploitation of the oil fields in the eastern jungles during the seventies and early eighties, there was a wave of settlement in the region. The Majority of these wave of internal immigration came from the southern province of Loja as a result of a drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
that lasted three years and affected the southern provinces of the country. This boom of the petroleum industry has led to a mushrooming of the town of Lago Agrio (Nueva Loja) as well as substantial deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
and pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
of wetlands and lakes.
See also Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
.
CIA World Factbook demographic statistics
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.Population:
15,007,343 (July 2011 est.)
Age structure:
- 0-14 years: 34.9% (male 2,430,303; female 2,351,166)
- 15-64 years: 60.6% (male 4,116,289; female 4,198,667)
- 65 years and over: 4.5% (male 284,082; female 329,727) (2003 est.)
- 0-14 years: 31.1% (male 2,312,610/female 2,220,378)
- 15-64 years: 62.7% (male 4,506,908/female 4,636,703)
- 65 years and over: 6.2% (male 432,144/female 464,358) (2009 est.)
Median Age
- Total: 25.7 years
- Male: 25 years
- Female: 26.3 years (2011 est.)
Population growth rate
- 1.443% (2011 est.)
Birth rate
Birth rate
Crude birth rate is the nativity or childbirths per 1,000 people per year . Another word used interchangeably with "birth rate" is "natality". When the crude birth rate is subtracted from the crude death rate, it reveals the rate of natural increase...
- 24.94 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
- 20.77 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Death rate
- 5.29 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
- 4.99 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
Net migration rate
- -0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
- -0.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
- total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate
- Total: 31.97 deaths/1,000 live births
- Female: 26.39 deaths/1,000 live births
- Male: 37.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
- Total: 20.9 deaths/1,000 live births
- Female: 17.24 deaths/1,000 live births
- Male: 24.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 71.89 years
- male: 69.06 years
- female: 74.86 years (2003 est.)
- total population: 75.3 years
- male: 72.37 years
- female:78.37 years (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
Total fertility rate
- 2.99 children born/woman (2003 est.)
- 2.51 children born/woman (2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
- 0.3% (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
- 26,000 (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
- 1,400 (2007 est.)
Nationality
- noun: Ecuadoran(s)
- adjective: Ecuadoran
Ethnic groups
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and Spanish) 70%
Amerindian (mostly Quechua but including ten separate indigenous communities) 12%
Afro-Ecuadoran (mostly from Cimarron communities and Slave ship castaways) 3%
White (Spanish descendent) 10%
Religions
- Roman Catholic: approximately 95%
- Protestant: approximately 4%
- Jewish: below 0.002%
- Eastern Orthodox: under 0.2%
- MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
: (Suni) approximately 0.001% - BuddhismBuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
: under 0.15% - AnimismAnimismAnimism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
: beliefs under 0.5% - Atheist: and agnostics: 1%
Languages
Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
(official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
).
Achuar-Shiwiar - 2,000 Pastaza province. Alternate names: Achuar, Achual, Achuara, Achuale.
Chachi - 3,450 Esmeraldas Province, Cayapas River system. Alternate names: Cayapa, Cha' Palaachi.
Colorado - 2,300 Santo Domingo de los Colorados province. Alternate names: Tsachila, Tsafiki.
Quechua 9 separate dialocts are spoken in as many areas in the country with a combined population of 1'460,000.
Shuar
Shuar language
Shuar, also known as Chiwaro, Jibaro, Jivaro, Shuara, or Xivaro, is a Jivaroan language spoken in the Southeastern jungle of the Morona-Santiago Province in Ecuador....
- 46,669 (2000 WCD). Morona-Santiago Province. Alternate names: Jivaro, Xivaro, Jibaro, Chiwaro, Shuara.
Waorani
Huaorani language
The Huaorani language, commonly known as Sabela is a language isolate spoken by the Huaorani people, an indigenous group living in the Amazon Rainforest between the Napo and Curaray Rivers...
- 1,650 (2004). Napo and Morona-Santiago provinces. Alternate names: Huaorani, Waodani, Huao.
Literacy
- definition: age 15 and over can read and write
- total population: 91%
- male: 92,3%
- female: 89,7% (2003 est.)
See also
Ecuador CensusEcuador Census
The Ecuadorian population census is conducted by the governmental institution called INEC Instituto Nacional de Estadisticas y Censos . The census in Ecuador is conducted every ten years. Its objective is to obtain the number of people residing within its borders...