50 Things you Didn't Know About Ecuador

Ecuador remains one of the most unique countries I have ever visited. The diverse ecosystem and culture allow each city to be astonishingly different from the next. I learned a lot about Ecuador while I backpacked there for a month, and even more when I returned home and researched what I had seen! Here are 50 things about Ecuador you didn’t know.

Ecuador’s Geography

1. Ecuador is home to the closest point on the Earth to space (Mount Chimborazo)

2. Ecuador has four distinct ecosystems: The Amazon rainforest, The Coast, The Mountains, and The Galápagos Islands

3. Ecuador has 24 provinces

4. The Galápagos Islands were the very first UNESCO Heritage site…

5. …and Quito was the second!

6. Ecuador means “equator” in Spanish and the country sits right on it

Standing with one foot on either side of the equator!

7. Because it sits on the equator, Ecuador’s weather and daylight hours are virtually the same throughout the year

8. Quito is the world’s second-tallest capital city

9. Quito’s historic center is the best-preserved in the Americas

10. “Galápago” means “tortoise” in Spanish

11. Ecuador is the smallest Andean country

12. Although there are 7 major cities in The Amazon in Ecuador, there are still uninhabited areas of the rainforest

13. The Amazon River was discovered in Ecuador

Ecuador’s Wildlife and Biodiversity

14. Ecuador has the largest snake in the world: the Green Anaconda

15. And the largest bird! The Andean Condor

16. Yasuni Park is one of the most biodiverse destinations on the planet

17. Ecuador is more biodiverse per square kilometer than any other country in the world

18. Ecuador is home to the most orchids in the world…

19. …and the most hummingbirds!

20. The Galápagos penguin is the most endangered penguin in the world

A Galápagos penguin and a blue-footed boobie sitting on a rock

Galápagos penguin (left) and a Blue-Footed Boobie (right)

21. 19 species of monkey live in the Amazon in Ecuador

22. A whopping 15% of the world’s bird species lives in Ecuador

23. A shape-shifting frog lives in Ecuador’s rainforest and was recently discovered

24. The Andean Bear was the inspiration for Paddington

25. Ecuador’s section of The Amazon Rainforest supports the highest number of tree species in the world

26. In fact, there are more tree and bush species in one hectare of Ecuador’s Amazon than in all of North America

27. Over 70,000 species of insect can be found per acre in The Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

28. The Amazon’s Giant River Otter was the inspiration for The Princess Bride’s R.O.U.S.’s

Ecuador’s Culture

29. The Galápagos Islands inspired Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

30. Each of Ecuador’s four regions has distinct food, languages, and culture

31. There are 13 distinct indigenous languages in Ecuador…

32. …and 9 different indigenous cultures!

33. The official currency in Ecuador is the US dollar

34. Chocolate has been grown and consumed in Ecuador for more than 5,000 years

a tray of chocolate for a Quito chocolate tasting

A chocolate tasting in Quito

35. Trashcans throughout central Ecuador look like clowns

36. They love shredded cheese on their ice cream!

37. “Cuy” is a very popular food in Central Ecuador…roasted guinea pig!

38. Ecuador is very culturally diverse and has some of the friendliest locals

39. The Constitution of Ecuador recognized nature as its own entity in 2008 with the “right to exist, persist, maintain, and generate its vital cycles.”

40. Ecuador is the world’s largest exporter of bananas

41. …but its highest export is crude oil (mostly to the United States)

42. The famous Panama hat was actually invented in Ecuador

43. One of Ecuador’s biggest holidays is Independence Day, celebrated on August 10th

44. Ecuador’s New Years Eve tradition includes men dressing in drag as widows

45. Otavalo’s Saturday market is the largest outdoor market in South America