Portoviejo
Encyclopedia
Portoviejo is a city in Ecuador
, and the capital the Province
of Manabí
30 km from the Pacific coast. (Population: about 250,000). Also known as the city of the "Royal Tamarind
Trees" for the beautiful trees found in the area. Portoviejo is the main political and economical centre of the Portoviejo River
valley, which also includes the cantons of Santa Ana and Rocafuerte, where about 110 square kilometers are cultivated every year. The valley is rich in the production of tomatoes, onions, peppers, bananas, mangoes and other tropical fruits. The city, which was affected by economic crisis in the eighties and nineties, is now recovering but severe budget limitations and a huge unemployment rate present difficulties for local authorities. Portoviejo is a large commercial center for the province, where there are two shopping malls, one with a large hypermarket, 8 movie theaters, food court, and other stores. There is a large flea market in downtown. Locals are very friendly and very well educated. The city is home of the cancer treatment hospital "Dr Julio Villacreses Colmont" serving the provinces of Manabí
and Esmeraldas
. Portoviejo is the perfect place to enjoy traditional Manabí cuisine, of great fame in Ecuador, usually at country side restaurants located on the side of the Portoviejo-Crucita roadway. The local airport is used for domestic flights.
This large city is the capital of Manabí Province and is important for coffee, cattle and fishing. Founded on March 12, 1535, it is one of the oldest cities in Ecuador and is the sixth largest.
Portoviejo has a thriving agricultural-processing industry and is an important commercial center, with good road connections to Quito
and Guayaquil
.
This city houses close to 200,000 inhabitants and is the capital of Manabi province as well as the main center for commercial activity such as coffee production, fishing and cattle ranching. It also is infamous for kapok mattresses and pillows made from the ceibo seed case and is a good place to buy hammock
s. You can stroll around the city easily by foot and visit the Parque Eloy Alfaro which faces the local cathedral. An interesting nearby village to visit is Sosote just a few minutes from Portoviejo, it's worth visiting because of its tagua
workshops. The main street has several stalls selling tagua figures.
One of the greatest poets to come from Portoviejo was Vicente Amador Flor, who wrote many poems about the city.
In this city was born Miss Ecuador 2009 Sandra Vinces
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...
, and the capital the Province
Provinces of Ecuador
Ecuador is divided into 24 provinces . The provinces of Ecuador and their capitals are:1 Population as per the census carried out on 2001-11-25In addition, there are three areas within Ecuador that are non-delimited...
of 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...
30 km from the Pacific coast. (Population: about 250,000). Also known as the city of the "Royal Tamarind
Tamarind
Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...
Trees" for the beautiful trees found in the area. Portoviejo is the main political and economical centre of the Portoviejo River
Portoviejo River
-References:* Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993.* *...
valley, which also includes the cantons of Santa Ana and Rocafuerte, where about 110 square kilometers are cultivated every year. The valley is rich in the production of tomatoes, onions, peppers, bananas, mangoes and other tropical fruits. The city, which was affected by economic crisis in the eighties and nineties, is now recovering but severe budget limitations and a huge unemployment rate present difficulties for local authorities. Portoviejo is a large commercial center for the province, where there are two shopping malls, one with a large hypermarket, 8 movie theaters, food court, and other stores. There is a large flea market in downtown. Locals are very friendly and very well educated. The city is home of the cancer treatment hospital "Dr Julio Villacreses Colmont" serving the provinces of 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...
and Esmeraldas
Esmeraldas Province
Esmeraldas is a province in northwestern Ecuador. The capital is Esmeraldas.The province is home to the Afro-Ecuadorian culture.- Cantons :The province is divided into 8 cantons...
. Portoviejo is the perfect place to enjoy traditional Manabí cuisine, of great fame in Ecuador, usually at country side restaurants located on the side of the Portoviejo-Crucita roadway. The local airport is used for domestic flights.
This large city is the capital of Manabí Province and is important for coffee, cattle and fishing. Founded on March 12, 1535, it is one of the oldest cities in Ecuador and is the sixth largest.
Portoviejo has a thriving agricultural-processing industry and is an important commercial center, with good road connections to 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...
and 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 city houses close to 200,000 inhabitants and is the capital of Manabi province as well as the main center for commercial activity such as coffee production, fishing and cattle ranching. It also is infamous for kapok mattresses and pillows made from the ceibo seed case and is a good place to buy hammock
Hammock
A hammock is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a woven network of twine or thin rope stretched with ropes between two firm anchor points such as trees or posts....
s. You can stroll around the city easily by foot and visit the Parque Eloy Alfaro which faces the local cathedral. An interesting nearby village to visit is Sosote just a few minutes from Portoviejo, it's worth visiting because of its tagua
Phytelephas
Phytelephas is a genus containing six species of palms , occurring from southern Panama along the Andes to Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. They are commonly known as ivory palms, ivory-nut palms or tagua palms; their scientific name means "plant elephant"...
workshops. The main street has several stalls selling tagua figures.
History
Founded March 12, 1535 by the Spanish captain Francisco Pacheco as "Villa Nueva de San Gregorio de Portoviejo".One of the greatest poets to come from Portoviejo was Vicente Amador Flor, who wrote many poems about the city.
In this city was born Miss Ecuador 2009 Sandra Vinces
Sandra Vinces
Sandra Vinces was born in Portoviejo, Ecuador in May 24, 1990. She is 5'11 tall. She was Miss Ecuador 2009. She was elected from 21 contestants, representing the province of Manabi. The pageant was held in Manta, Ecuador. Vinces has studied painting, singing, theater and professional modeling....