According to the latest data (in 2016), the population of Ecuador is 16 385 068 people. So many people live in this South American country at the equator. Ecuador is a unique country, which is washed by the Pacific Ocean in the west, bordered by Colombia and Peru. Ecuador owns the famous Galapagos Islands. Further - about everything in more detail.
about the country
The population of Ecuador lives in a country that the equator crosses 25 kilometers north of the capital city called Quito.
Ecuador has a diverse nature. Along the Pacific coast in the west lie the foothills of the Andes, and in the center are the Andes themselves, which consist of two parallel ridges with extinct and active volcanoes, which are infrequent, but periodically erupted. The eastern part of the state is located in the Amazon lowland.
Ecuador has long borders with Peru and Colombia, the whole country is covered by a dense network of rivers, most of them are tributaries of the Amazon. Evergreen forests, also called gileias, are replaced in the north by green forests, in the center by sparse forests and, finally, semi-deserts in the south-west.
Among the animals small deer, jaguars, wild pig bakers, anteaters, cougars, and armadillos predominate.
National composition
Mostly the population of Ecuador consists of three national groups. It should be noted that the boundaries between them are very arbitrary. The indigenous population of Ecuador is Quechua, and their population is approximately 39 percent. About 60 percent of white and dark-skinned Hispanic Ecuadorians live; one percent of the so-called “forest Indians” is still recorded. It is worth noting that in this case, the boundaries between them are very conditional.
The largest of the modern Indian peoples existing today is Quechua. About 30 percent of all Quechua live in Ecuador, a significant part of them also live in Bolivia and Peru. Quechua, who live in Ecuador, come from multilingual and diverse groups who have adopted the culture and language of Quechua over the past few centuries. They are mainly located in the southern regions of the country.
Forest Indians of Ecuador include all other Native American peoples who live in the country, excluding only the small Chibcha people, their representatives live in the mountains in the north of Ecuador. Forest Indians are located in evergreen tropical areas, maintaining tribal division. Forest Indians are divided into two largest groups. The first includes the hibaro (also called havaro). These include the tribes of Murato, Achuale, Malacata, Uambisa - they live in the south of the country. The second group includes the Yambo, Alamo tribes, who speak dialects and variations of the Quechua language, and live in the east of Ecuador. In the past few decades, Quechua has been actively assimilating the forest Indians.
Hispanic Ecuadorians are divided into several racial groups:
- These are mestizos, descendants of the Spaniards, who eventually mixed with the local Quechua, as well as other nations that make up the population of Ecuador. Most often, they carefully respect the customs of both Aboriginal and Spaniards, and many deliberately refuse a specific national definition. On the Pacific coast they are called Montubie, mainly they live in small towns or agricultural villages. Many mestizos and Montubians, who primarily move to cities, take part in rodeos and bullfights.
- Another racial group is the assimilated Indians, who also prefer to abandon national self-determination.
- Creoles are representatives of the white population, they are descendants of the Spanish-speaking whites, who call themselves Ecuadorians. Also included are the descendants of the small diasporas of other Europeans who retain their identity, but may eventually lose it. The descendants of the white Spaniards are located mainly on the northern coast of the province of Manabi, in the southern parts of the country and the city of Guayaquil.
- Mulattos, blacks and sambo define their racial identity as Afro-Ecuadorians. They live on the northern coast of Ecuador: in the city of Guayaquili and the province of Imbabura. At this point, they have almost completely assimilated due to the fact that they do not have their own language, mainly they speak Spanish with a certain accent. Afro-Ecuadorians who live on the coast call themselves Montubie. But at the same time they try to maintain their identity, standing out with their own food, music, holidays and national costumes, usually they are associated with a particular African nation.
Most Popular Race Groups
The most popular racial group among the population of Ecuador is the Mestizos. There are about 7/10 of the total population of the state. The fifth part is white, the tenth part is mulattos. Moreover, the latter are much larger than in other countries in the Andes region.
Afro-Ecuadorians are considered the direct descendants of Negro slaves who escaped from a slave ship in 1623, mingling with local Indian tribes. It is noteworthy that they lived separately for more than two hundred years, not recognizing the power of the Spanish colonial administration.
In addition to the already mentioned national groups, Colombians (up to 30 thousand), about five thousand Spaniards, Japanese and Italians, up to 15 thousand Germans, about two thousand Americans, as many Peruvians, at least three thousand Chinese and about one thousands of Jews.
Population density
The average population density of Ecuador is approximately 33 people per square kilometer. Moreover, throughout the territory it is distributed very unevenly. It is worth noting that this is one of the highest rates in all of South America. Higher only in Colombia, and on average the continent is home to about 21.5 people per square kilometer. Among outsiders for this indicator are French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana and Bolivia.
In Ecuador, the most populated are the mountainous and coastal areas, which are called Costa (coastal areas) and Sierra (Andes mountains). In these places, the population density is about 60 people per square kilometer.
But in the eastern part of the country, which is called Oriente, as well as in the central and eastern parts, which are covered with evergreen tropical forests, the density is less than one person per square kilometer. In these places, the population lives only in certain high places.
The population of Ecuador is more than 16 million people. Internal migration in Ecuador occurs from the western regions of the country to the eastern ones; they also massively leave villages to cities. But it is worth noting that both immigration and emigration are quite small, without significantly affecting the overall dynamics.
Recently, there has been a significant increase in the population of Ecuador, the mortality rate is constantly decreasing with high birth rates. For example, only from 1950 to 1983 the population more than doubled, and if we talk exclusively about the urban population, it grew four and a half times.
Main languages
In Ecuador, the photo of the inhabitants of which is in this article, the official language is Spanish. At the same time, a significant part of the country is bilingual.
About eight percent of the population speak two languages. So, almost all Quechua speak Spanish, which is mixed with individual words from their language. In some areas of Ecuador, the Quechua language is taught in secondary schools, separate books are published on it, and radio and television broadcasts on Quechua are broadcast.
All this is part of the state policy for the preservation of local peoples, although because of this, many descendants of the Spanish Métis and Spaniards abandon their Spanish roots. For example, there are problems celebrating the day of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.
Religion
Most of the population of Ecuador is Catholic. Quechua are also mainly Catholics. But at the same time, many of them retain elements of their former religion, which is associated with the cult of the sun. This belief is also known as Zoroastrianism. It is believed that this is one of the most ancient religions of the world, which originates in the revelations of the prophet Spitama Zarathustra.
The basis of his teachings is the free moral choice of good thoughts that a person makes, as well as good deeds and words. In the ancient world and the early Middle Ages, Zoroastrianism was very common in the territory of Greater Iran, this is a historical district, which is located on the site of modern Iran.
In Zoroastrianism there are dualistic and monotheistic features. In our time, Zoroastrianism has almost everywhere been replaced by religions that have become more popular. This is mainly Islam.
Small communities of Zoroastrians persist in India and Iran, as well as in some countries of Western Europe and the states of the former USSR, mainly in Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. Separate features of Zoroastrianism are also present in Ecuadorian Quechua.
Forest Indians retain tribal beliefs.
Statistical indicators
Considering that Ecuador has a population of 16.3 million, an annual increase of one and a half percent looks substantial, making it one of the fastest growing states in South America.
Fertility is more than 20 people per thousand population, and mortality is only five people per thousand. The level of emigration in quantitative indicators is very low. 0.8 people per thousand inhabitants.
A characteristic of the population of Ecuador is a high life expectancy. For men, it is 72.4 years, and for women - 78.4 years.
In recent years, an important indicator is the level of infection with immunodeficiency (HIV), in Ecuador it is 0.3 percent. Ethnic-racial composition is as follows:
- 65 percent of the population are mestizos;
- 25 percent are Indians;
- 7 percent are white;
- 3 percent are blacks.
92 percent of men and 90 percent of the population are literate. Catholics in Ecuador are 95 percent, the remaining religions are about five percent.
Dynamics
In Ecuador, the population is growing, in a historical perspective, this is especially noticeable. In 1500, about two million people lived in the country, then a fall began: to one million inhabitants in 1600, to 350 thousand in 1750.
Then growth began again. By 1900, one million 400 thousand people were already living in Ecuador. In 1930, almost two million inhabitants began to live again.
The mark of three million Ecuador overcame in 1950, in 1990 the country's population was already more than ten million inhabitants. According to perspective forecasts, by 2030 almost 19 million people will live in the country, by 2050 - more than 23 million, and then a recession is planned. By 2100, according to researchers, the population will decline to 15 million 600 thousand people.
Life benefits
The standard of living of the population of Ecuador depends on the large number of advantages that are in this country. It is a diverse and pure nature. There are four climatic zones in the country - these are mountains, the Pacific coast, the jungle and the Galapagos Islands. The weather is good in the country all year round, very friendly relations with foreigners.
Many people in Ecuador are attracted to the diverse and all kinds of fauna and flora. There are many national parks with unique animals and plants. There is high security: there are no terrorist acts recorded in the country, the government carefully monitors environmental safety, and Ecuador has no dangerous industrial production. At the same time, it’s easy to start your own business, start your own small business, for example, in tourism or trade.
Almost all year round in Ecuador, you can find a variety of delicious vegetables and fruits, life expectancy is higher than in Russia, people smoke a little, there are dedicated lanes for public transport, so even in large cities there are practically no traffic jams.
In Ecuador, there are many paid schools with a high level of education. The currency is the American dollar. The minimum wage is $ 425 (26, 800 rubles), a high level of insurance medicine.
Most of the residents lead a measured lifestyle, there are practically no flies and mosquitoes in the mountains, the work of state and municipal employees is highly appreciated, the communication of officials with visitors is polite and courteous, this is noted by many visiting foreigners, especially from Russia. The country has excellent roads.
Tourists in Ecuador are attracted by the ocean, unique miniature hummingbirds, responsive and good-natured people, who are the absolute majority. There are no problems with mobile communications in the country, now they are launching a 4.5G network, in large and medium-sized cities the Internet is delivered via fiber optic, and satellite TV is widespread.
The city of Cuenca, which is considered one of the most comfortable and safe in the country, is very popular with American tourists and pensioners, so a large number of elderly people come here annually to spend a vacation or live a couple of months in an attractive climate. In Ecuador, a diverse cuisine that has absorbed the features of several nationalities at once, but, above all, Spanish. Here you can often find fresh seafood and seafood on the table.
Many people like colonial architecture, which in the cities has been preserved almost in its original form.
