Guayas Province
Encyclopedia
Guayas is a coastal province in 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...

. It is bordered to the west by Manabí
Manabí Province
Manabí is a province in Ecuador. Its capital is Portoviejo. The province is named after the Manabí people.-Economy:Manabí's economy is based heavily on natural resources such as cacao, bananas, cotton, etc. It's industrial sector is based on Tuna canning, tobacco, and alcoholic beverage production...

, Santa Elena
Santa Elena Province, Ecuador
The Province of Santa Elena is a province of Ecuador in the coastal region. Created in 2007 from territory that belonged to the Guayas Province, it is one of the two newest provinces of Ecuador, along with Santo Domingo de Los Tsáchilas. Its capital city is Santa Elena, from which the province...

, and the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

 (as the Gulf of Guayaquil
Gulf of Guayaquil
The Gulf of Guayaquil is a large body of water of the Pacific Ocean in western South America. Its northern limit is the city of Salinas, in Ecuador, and its southern limit is Punta Pariñas, in Peru.The gulf takes its name from the city of Guayaquil...

); to the east by Los Ríos
Los Ríos Province
Los Ríos is a province in Ecuador. The capital is Babahoyo. The province was founded on September 30, 1948 under legistative decree. Its capital Babahoyo was founded October, 6, 1860...

, Bolívar, Chimborazo
Chimborazo Province
Chimborazo is a province in Ecuador, located in the central Ecuadorian Andes, containing a section of Sangay National Park. The capital is Riobamba. The province contains Chimborazo , Ecuador's highest mountain.- Cantons :...

, Cañar
Cañar Province
Cañar is a province in Ecuador. The capital is Azogues. At the time of census 2005 the province had a population of 221,045. It contains the 16th-century ruins of Ingapirca, the best-known Inca settlement in Ecuador and a product of their conquest of the indigenous Cañari.- Cantons :The province...

, and Azuay
Azuay Province
Azuay is a province of Ecuador, created 25 June 1824. It encompasses an area of . Its capital is Cuenca. It is located in the south center of Ecuador in the highlands. Its mountains reach above sea level in the national park of El Cajas....

; to the north by Los Ríos
Los Ríos Province
Los Ríos is a province in Ecuador. The capital is Babahoyo. The province was founded on September 30, 1948 under legistative decree. Its capital Babahoyo was founded October, 6, 1860...

 and Bolívar; and to the south by El Oro
El Oro Province
El Oro province is the southernmost of Ecuador's coastal provinces. It was named for its historically important gold production. Today it is one of the world's major exporters of bananas. The capital is Machala.-Geography:To the north and east the province has borders with the provinces Guayas,...

 and the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

.

With a population of over 3 million people, it is the most populous province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...

 in Ecuador. It is the fourth largest province in the country in terms of area. The largest city of Ecuador, 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...

, is located within the province.

Geography

Guayas' natural terrain is very diverse. The province has no elevations, except for the Coastal Range
Coastal range
Coast Range or Coastal range may refer to:*North American examples are the coastal ranges of Canada, Mexico and the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, and California, and Alaska, referred to as the Pacific Coast Ranges...

, which starts in Guayaquil and goes to Manabí
Manabí Province
Manabí is a province in Ecuador. Its capital is Portoviejo. The province is named after the Manabí people.-Economy:Manabí's economy is based heavily on natural resources such as cacao, bananas, cotton, etc. It's industrial sector is based on Tuna canning, tobacco, and alcoholic beverage production...

. The areas west of the Coastal Range are desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...

ic, with an average temperature of 23°C. The areas east of the range belong to the Guayas
Guayas River
The Guayas River is a river in western Ecuador. It gives name to the Guayas Province, and it is the most important river in South America that does not flow into the Atlantic Ocean or any of its seas. Its total length, including the Daule River, is 389 km.-Course:The Guayas River has one of...

 Watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

. They are quite humid and fertile
Fertile
The term fertile describes a condition whereby organisms are able to produce physically healthy offspring.Fertile may also refer to:...

, especially in the north of the province, with an average temperature of 30°C in the humid season
Season
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...

 (December–May) and 25°C in the dry season (June–November).

Hydrography

The most important river in the province is the Daule River
Daule River
The Daule River is a river in Ecuador, in Guayas Province. At Guayaquil, it joins the Babahoyo River; from that point the confluence becomes the Guayas River.-Cities along the River:*Pichincha, Ecuador*Balzar*Colimes*Palestina*Santa Lucía*Daule...

, which flows from the north to join the Babahoyo River
Babahoyo River
The Babahoyo River is a river in western Ecuador, fed by tributaries rising in the Andes Mountains. It takes its name from the town of Babahoyo in Los Ríos. At Durán, it joins the Daule River to form the Guayas River, which continues to the Pacific Ocean....

 to form the Guayas river. The province is part of the largest river basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 west of the Andes Mountains.

Roads

Guayas has its own system for numbering roads. However, this system is unknown for most residents, so it is not regularly used.

The inter-provincial roads are also numbered with the national system. Even routes travel north-south; odd routes travel east-west. The inter-provincial roads that cross the province are the following:
  • Ecuador Highway 15 (Vía del Pacífico; Pacific Way)
  • Ecuador Highway 25 (Troncal de la Costa; Coastal Main Way)
  • Ecuador Highway 40 (Transversal Austral; Austral Crossing Way)

Pre-Hispanic cultures

The native culture living in Guayas is the Huancavilca Culture. Exactly before the European discovery of America, the Huancavilca Culture was living in the province. They are the ancestors of a large part of the population of the province.

Spanish conquest and independence

Guayaquil was founded on August 14, 1534 (its foundation is celebrated on July 25). During the Spanish
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...

 conquest
Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire
The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. This historic process of military conquest was made by Spanish conquistadores and their native allies....

, Guayaquil became one of the most important port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....

s in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

. The city became free
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....

 on October 9, 1820, and the Guayaquil Department
Department (subnational entity)
Department is the name given to the administrative and political subdivisions of many countries.As a territorial unit, "department" was first used by the French Revolutionary governments, apparently to emphasize that each territory was simply an administrative sub-division of the united sovereign...

 (one of the original subdivisions of Ecuador) was founded soon afterwards. It consisted on the Manabí Province
Manabí Province
Manabí is a province in Ecuador. Its capital is Portoviejo. The province is named after the Manabí people.-Economy:Manabí's economy is based heavily on natural resources such as cacao, bananas, cotton, etc. It's industrial sector is based on Tuna canning, tobacco, and alcoholic beverage production...

, and the Guayaquil Province, which was later renamed Guayas. The Guayaquil Province included territory of what now is Peruvian Tumbes
Tumbes Province
Tumbes is a province in Peru, located in the region of the same name. It borders the Pacific Ocean on the north, the Zarumilla Province on the east, the Piura Region and Ecuador on the south and the Contralmirante Villar Province on the west...

, and today's Los Ríos
Los Ríos
Los Ríos may refer to:*Los Ríos Region in Chile*Los Ríos Province in Ecuador*Los Rios historic district in San Juan Capistrano, California* Los Rios Community College District...

 and El Oro
El Oro Province
El Oro province is the southernmost of Ecuador's coastal provinces. It was named for its historically important gold production. Today it is one of the world's major exporters of bananas. The capital is Machala.-Geography:To the north and east the province has borders with the provinces Guayas,...

. The provinces were separated from Guayas in 1860 and 1884, respectively.

Urbanization

Guayas is the most populous province in the country. In recent decades, there has been a massive exit from rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...

 areas to the main cities (especially 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...

). This has created a problem in Guayaquil, as most of the migrants move to municipal areas, creating shantytowns, with no service
Public services
Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly or by financing private provision of services. The term is associated with a social consensus that certain services should be available to all, regardless of income...

s like water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...

 or electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...

.

Demographics

Guayas is the most populous province in the country. The estimated population of the province in 2003 was about 3,360,000 people. A large percentage of the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 are 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
, i.e. descendants of both Spanish
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...

 and indigenous
Indigenous peoples in Ecuador
Indigenous peoples in Ecuador are the groups of people who were present in what became the South American nation of Ecuador when Europeans arrived. The term also includes their descendants from the time of the Spanish conquest to the present...

 peoples, there are also big communities of people that descend from Italians
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...

, 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....

 and German
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....

 people.

Political divisions

The province is divided into 25 cantons. The following table lists each with its population as of the 2001 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, its area in square kilometres (km²), and the name of the canton seat or capital.
Canton Pop. (2001) Area (km²) Seat/Capital
Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno
Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno Canton
Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno is a canton of the province of Guayas in the Republic of Ecuador. Its official name was given in honor of Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno , who served three times as the president of Ecuador. It is also known as Jujan, a name which came from a regional plant. The canton covers an...

 (Jujan)
19,982 216 Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno
Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno (town)
Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno is a town located in Guayas province in Ecuador. It lies along the boundary between Guayas and Los Ríos provinces. Its official name was given in honor of Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno , who served three times as the president of Ecuador. It is also known as Juján, a name is...

 (a.k.a. Jujan
Jujan
Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno is a town located in Guayas province in Ecuador. It lies along the boundary between Guayas and Los Ríos provinces. Its official name was given in honor of Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno , who served three times as the president of Ecuador. It is also known as Juján, a name is...

)
Balao
Balao Canton
Balao Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Balao. Its population at the 2001 census was 17,262....

 
17,262 465 Balao
Balao
Balao is a town located in southern Guayas, Ecuador, near Azuay and El Oro provinces. It is the seat of Balao Canton, created in 1987.As of the census of 2001, there are 17,262 people residing within canton limits. The city is communicated with Guayaquil and Machala. It has an airstrip.The city and...

Balzar
Balzar Canton
Balzar Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Balzar. Its population at the 2001 census was 48,470....

 (San Jacinto de Balzar)
48,470 1,173 Balzar
Balzar
Balzar is a city located in northern Guayas Province, Ecuador, on the Daule River, near Los Ríos Province. It is the seat of Balzar Canton, and the agricultural center in northern Guayas....

Colimes
Colimes Canton
Colimes Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Colimes. Its population at the 2001 census was 21,049....

 
21,049 758 Colimes
Colimes
Colimes is a town located in northern Guayas, Ecuador, on the Daule River. It is the seat of Colimes Canton.As of the census of 2001, there are 21,049 people residing within canton limits. Its most important crops are: rice, cocoa, and coffee....

Coronel Marcelino Maridueña
Coronel Marcelino Maridueña Canton
Coronel Marcelino Maridueña Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Coronel Marcelino Maridueña. Its population at the 2001 census was 11,054....

 
11,054 255 Coronel Marcelino Maridueña
Coronel Marcelino Maridueña
Coronel Marcelino Maridueña is a town located in eastern Guayas, Ecuador. It is the seat of Coronel Marcelino Maridueña Canton.At the 2001 census there were 10,697 people living within canton limits. The most important crop is sugar cane, but bananas and tropical fruits are also grown...

Daule
Daule Canton
Daule, also known as Villa Daule, is a canton located in the Guayas province in Ecuador. Created in 1820, it is one of the most important cites of Guayas thanks to its rice production and other products such as corn and eggs....

 
85,148 462 Daule
Durán
Durán Canton
Durán Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Durán. Its population at the 2001 census was 178,714....

 
178,714 339 Durán
Durán, Ecuador
Durán, also known as Eloy Alfaro, is a city located in the province of Guayas, Ecuador, near the junction between the Daule & Babahoyo rivers, and where the Guayas River forms. This town is the capital of the Durán canton, which was created in 1986 by a local government decree...

El Empalme
El Empalme Canton
El Empalme Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of El Empalme. Its population at the 2001 census was 64,789....

 
64,789 711 El Empalme
El Empalme
El Empalme is a town located in Guayas, Ecuador, near Los Ríos and Manabí provinces. It is the seat of El Empalme Canton, the northernmost canton in Guayas, created in 1971....

 (a.k.a. Velasco Ibarra
Velasco Ibarra
Velasco Ibarra may refer to:* José María Velasco Ibarra, Ecuadorian ex-president* El Empalme, known officially as Velasco Ibarra, a city in Guayas, Ecuador...

El Triunfo
El Triunfo Canton
El Triunfo Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of El Triunfo. Its population at the 2001 census was 34,117....

 
34,117 389 El Triunfo
General Antonio Elizalde
General Antonio Elizalde Canton
General Antonio Elizalde Canton or Bucay Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of General Antonio Elizalde or Bucay. Its population at the 2001 census was 8,696....

 (Bucay)
8,696 152 General Antonio Elizalde (a.k.a. Bucay
Bucay
Bucay is a town located on the eastern edge of Guayas, Ecuador, near the Chimborazo province. It is the seat of General Antonio Elizalde Canton . As of the census of 2001, there are 8,690 people residing within canton limits. This canton is one of the newest in Guayas, as it was created in 1995....

)
Guayaquil  2,039,789 5,237 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...

Isidro Ayora
Isidro Ayora Canton
Isidro Ayora Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Isidro Ayora. Its population at the 2001 census was 8,226....

 
8,226 492 Isidro Ayora
Lomas de Sargentillo
Lomas de Sargentillo Canton
Lomas de Sargentillo Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Lomas de Sargentillo. Its population at the 2001 census was 14,194....

 
14,194 67 Lomas de Sargentillo
Lomas de Sargentillo
Lomas de Sargentillo is a town located in Guayas, Ecuador. It is the seat of Lomas de Sargentillo Canton, created in 1992.Lomas de Sargentillo Canton is one of the smallest cantons in Guayas. Its area is 67 km². As of the 2001 census, there were 14,194 people residing within canton limits....

Milagro
Milagro Canton
Milagro Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Milagro. Its population at the 2001 census was 140,103....

 
140,103 401 Milagro
Milagro, Ecuador
Milagro is a city located in Guayas, Ecuador. It is the seat of Milagro Canton.Milagro is the second largest city in the province of Guayas. As of the census of 2007, there were 180,103 people residing within the canton limits. Milagro is known for its impressive progress in agriculture,...

Naranjal  53,482 2,015 Naranjal
Naranjal, Ecuador
Naranjal is a city located in southern Guayas, Ecuador, near Azuay province. It is the seat of Naranjal Canton, created in 1960.As of the census of 2001, there are 53,482 people residing within canton limits. The city is communicated with Guayaquil and Machala....

Naranjito
Naranjito Canton
Naranjito Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Naranjito. Its population at the 2001 census was 31,756....

 
31,756 226 Naranjito
Nobol
Nobol Canton
Nobol Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Nobol. Its population at the 2001 census was 14,753....

 
14,753 128 Nobol
Nobol
Nobol is a town located in central Guayas, Ecuador. It is the seat of Nobol Canton, created in 1992.As of the census of 2001, there are 14,753 people residing within the canton limits. The town is situated about 38.5 kilometres north of Guayaquil...

 (a.k.a. Narcisa de Jesús)
Palestina
Palestina Canton
Palestina Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Palestina. Its population at the 2001 census was 14,067....

 
14,067 194 Palestina
Pedro Carbo
Pedro Carbo Canton
Pedro Carbo Canton is a land-locked coastal canton located in Guayas Province in Ecuador, near Manabí Province. Its capital is the town of Pedro Carbo. It is located at the 63 kilometer marker on the road from Guayaquil to Manabí. It is the seat of Pedro Carbo Cantón, founded in 1984. As of the...

 
36,711 927 Pedro Carbo
Pedro Carbo
Pedro Carbo is a town located in the coastal Guayas, Ecuador, near Manabí province. It is the seat of Pedro Carbo Canton It is located at the 63 kilometer marker on the road from Guayaquil to Manabí. It is the seat of Pedro Carbo Cantón, founded in 1984. As of the census of 2001, there are 36,711...

Playas
Playas Canton
General Villamil, also known as Playas, is a Guayas canton in Ecuador. The Playas canton is located at the south western area of the Guayas Province. Its Canton Capital is General José de Villamil, also known as Playas. Its located at 96 kilómeters from the capital of the Guayas Province, Guayaquil...

 (General Villamil Playas)
30,045 269 Playas (a.k.a. General Villamil Playas)
Salitre
Salitre Canton
Salitre Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of El Salitre. Its population at the 2001 census was 50,379....

 (was Urbina Jado)
50,379 390 El Salitre
El Salitre
El Salitre is a town in the municipality of San Martín de Hidalgo in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. It has a population of 2,434 inhabitants.-External links:*...

Samborondón
Samborondón Canton
Samborondón Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Samborondón. Its population at the 2001 census was 45,476....

 
45,476 388 Samborondón
Samborondón
Samborondón is a suburb of Guayaquil and one of the cantons of Guayas province in Ecuador. It is one of the most exclusive residential and entertainment districts in Ecuador, boasting many Gated Communities and several retail developments are located in the suburb...

Santa Lucía
Santa Lucía Canton
Santa Lucía Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Santa Lucía. Its population at the 2001 census was 33,868.-References:...

 
33,868 348 Santa Lucía
Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar Canton
Simón Bolívar Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Simón Bolívar. Its population at the 2001 census was 20,385.-References:...

 
20,385 289 Simón Bolívar
Yaguachi
Yaguachi Canton
Yaguachi Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Guayas Province. Its capital is the town of Yaguachi. Its population at the 2001 census was 47,630....

 
47,630 512 Yaguachi
Yaguachi
Yaguachi is a town in the Guayas province of Ecuador.The town is best known for its cheese, thought to be made from a special breed of goat that can only survive in the exact climate of this region.- Sources :*...

(San Jacinto de Yaguachi)

External links

Gobierno Provincial del Guayas, official website
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