280 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
280 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
ECUADOR
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 283,560 km2; land area: 276,840 km2; includes
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Galapagos Islands
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Nevada
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Land boundaries: 2,010 km total; Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
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Coastline: 2,237 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: claims continental shelf between mainland and
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Galapagos Islands;
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Territorial sea: 200 nm
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Disputes: two sections of the boundary with Peru are in dispute
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Climate: tropical along coast becoming cooler inland
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Terrain: coastal plain (Costa), inter-Andean central highlands
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(Sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (Oriente)
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Natural resources: petroleum, fish, timber
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Land use: arable land 6%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures
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17%; forest and woodland 51%; other 23% ; includes irrigated 2%
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Environment: subject to frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic
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activity; deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; periodic droughts
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Note: Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world
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PEOPLE
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Population: 10,751,648 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991)
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Birth rate: 30 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 60 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 68 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Ecuadorian(s); adjective--Ecuadorian
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Ethnic divisions: mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish) 55%, Indian
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25%, Spanish 10%, black 10%
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Religion: Roman Catholic 95%
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Language: Spanish (official); Indian languages, especially Quechua
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Literacy: 86% (male 88%, female 84%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 2,800,000; agriculture 35%, manufacturing 21%,
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commerce 16%, services and other activities 28% (1982)
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Organized labor: less than 15% of labor force
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Ecuador
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Type: republic
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Capital: Quito
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Administrative divisions: 21 provinces (provincias,
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singular--provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo,
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Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja,
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Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Pastaza, Pichincha,
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Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe
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Independence: 24 May 1822 (from Spain; Battle of Pichincha)
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Constitution: 10 August 1979
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Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted
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compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: Independence Day, 10 August (1809, independence
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of Quito)
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Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: unicameral National Congress (Congreso
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Nacional)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President Rodrigo BORJA
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Cevallos (since 10 August 1988); Vice President Luis PARODI Valverde
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(since 10 August 1988)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Right to center parties--
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Social Christian Party (PSC), former President Leon FEBRES Cordero
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Rivadeneira;
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Conservative Party (PC), Alberto DAHIK, leader;
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Radical Liberal Party (PLR), Blasco Manuel PENAHERRERA Padilla,
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director;
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Centrist parties--
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Concentration of Popular Forces (CFP), Averroes BUCARAM Saxida, director;
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Radical Alfarist Front (FRA), Cecilia CALDERON de Castro, leader;
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People, Change, and Democracy (PCD), Aquiles RIGAIL Santistevan,
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director;
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Revolutionary Nationalist Party (PNR), Carlos Julio AROSEMENA Monroy,
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leader;
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Center-left parties--
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Democratic Left (ID), President Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos, leader;
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Roldosist Party of Ecuador (PRE), Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director;
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Popular Democracy (DP), Vladimiro ALVAREZ, president;
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Christian Democratic (CD), Julio Cesar TRUJILLO;
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Democratic Party (PD), Francisco HUERTA Montalvo, leader;
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Far-left parties--
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Broad Leftist Front (FADI), Rene MAUGE Mosquera, director;
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Socialist Party (PSE), Victor GRANDA Aguilar, secretary general;
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Democratic Popular Movement (MPD), Jaime HURTADO Gonzalez, leader;
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Ecuadorian National Liberation (LN), Alfredo CASTILLO, president;
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Popular Revolutionary Action Party (APRE), Lt. Gen. Frank VARGAS Pazzos,
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leader
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Suffrage: universal at age 18; compulsory for literate persons ages
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18-65, optional for other eligible voters
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Elections:
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President--first round held 31 January 1988 and second round on
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8 May 1988 (next first round to be held May 1992 and second round
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June 1992);
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results--Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos (ID) 54%, Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz
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(PRE) 46%;
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Chamber of Representatives--last held 17 June 1990
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(next to be held June 1992);
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results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(72 total) PSC 16, ID 14, PRE 13, PSE 8, DP 7, CFP 3,
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PC 3, PLR 3, FADI 2, FRA 2, MPD 1
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Communists: Communist Party of Ecuador (PCE, pro-Moscow), Rene
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Mauge Mosquera, secretary general, 5,000 members; Communist Party of
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Ecuador/Marxist Leninist (PCMLE, Maoist), 3,000 members; Socialist
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Party of Ecuador (PSE, pro-Cuba), 5,000 members (est.); National
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Liberation Party (PLN, Communist), 5,000 members (est.)
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Member of: AG, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
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ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU,
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LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
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UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jaime MONCAYO; Chancery at
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2535 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 234-7200;
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there are Ecuadorian Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles,
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Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco, and a Consulate in San
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Diego;
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US--Ambassador Paul C. LAMBERT; Embassy at Avenida Patria
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120, on the corner of Avenida 12 de Octubre, Quito (mailing address is
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P. O. Box 538, Quito, or APO Miami 34039); telephone 593 (2) 562-890;
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there is a US Consulate General in Guayaquil
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Flag: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue,
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and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag;
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similar to the flag of Colombia which is shorter and does not bear a coat
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of arms
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Ecuador has substantial oil resources and rich
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agricultural areas. Growth has been uneven because of natural disasters
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(e.g., a major earthquake in 1987), fluctuations in global oil prices,
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and government policies designed to curb inflation. The government has
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not taken a supportive attitude toward either domestic or foreign
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investment, although its agreement to enter the Andean free trade zone
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is an encouraging move.
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GDP: $10.6 billion, per capita $1,010; real growth rate 1.5% (1990)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 49.5% (1990)
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Unemployment rate: 8.0% (1990)
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Budget: revenues $2.2 billion; expenditures $2.2 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $375 million (1991)
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Exports: $2.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--petroleum 47%, coffee, bananas, cocoa products,
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shrimp, fish products;
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partners--US 60%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC countries
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Imports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--transport equipment, vehicles, machinery, chemicals;
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partners--US 34%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC, Japan
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External debt: $11.8 billion (December 1990)
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Industrial production: growth rate - 3.8% (1989); accounts for
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almost 40% of GDP, including petroleum
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Electricity: 1,983,000 kW capacity; 6,011 million kWh produced,
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570 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, metal works, paper
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products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fishing, timber
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Agriculture: accounts for 18% of GDP and 35% of labor force
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(including fishing and forestry); leading producer and exporter of
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bananas and balsawood; other exports--coffee, cocoa, fish, shrimp; crop
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production--rice, potatoes, manioc, plantains, sugarcane; livestock
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sector--cattle, sheep, hogs, beef, pork, dairy products; net importer
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of foodgrains, dairy products, and sugar
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Illicit drugs: relatively small producer of coca following the
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successful eradication campaign of 1985-87; significant transit country,
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however, for derivatives of coca originating in Colombia, Bolivia, and
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Peru
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $498
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $1.7 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $64 million
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Currency: sucre (plural--sucres); 1 sucre (S/) = 100 centavos
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Exchange rates: sucres (S/) per US$1--869.54 (December 1990),
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767.75 (1990), 526.35 (1989), 301.61 (1988), 170.46 (1987), 122.78
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(1986), 69.56 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 965 km total; all 1.067-meter-gauge single track
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Highways: 28,000 km total; 3,600 km paved, 17,400 km gravel and
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improved earth, 7,000 km unimproved earth
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Inland waterways: 1,500 km
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Pipelines: crude oil, 800 km; refined products, 1,358 km
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Ports: Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, Esmeraldas
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Merchant marine: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 342,411
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GRT/495,482 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 8 cargo, 17 refrigerated cargo,
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2 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 16 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
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(POL) tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 bulk
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Civil air: 44 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 153 total, 151 usable; 46 with permanent-surface runways;
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1 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 23 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: domestic facilities generally adequate; 318,000
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telephones; stations--272 AM, no FM, 33 TV, 39 shortwave; 1 Atlantic
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Ocean INTELSAT earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army (Ejercito Ecuatoriano), Navy (Armada Ecuatoriana),
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Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana), National Police
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,716,919; 1,840,296 fit for
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military service; 117,113 reach military age (20) annually
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Defense expenditures: $176 million, 1.6% of GDP (1990 est.)
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