Ecuador
True to its national motto: El Ecuador ha sido, es y será país Amazónico (Spanish: Ecuador has been, is, and will always be an Amazonian country),Ecuador boasts one of the biologically richest natural environments in the world thanks to the Amazon rainforest comprising 50% of the country. You will be able to explore that beauty yourselves as part of the CCID Troika program to Ecuador!
Here are a few facts that provide a very brief introduction to the country. We hope you’ll do more learning 
on your own too!
- After nearly 300 years of Spanish colonization, the country won its independence from Spain on May 24, 1822 after which they shortly joined Colombia, only to regain the independence in 1830. The official language is Spanish but the official currency is a USD (since 2000).
- Ecuador is a member of the United Nations (and most of its specialized agencies) and also is a member of many regional groups, including the Rio Group, the Latin American Economic System, the Latin American Energy Organization, the Latin American Integration Association, and The Andean Pact.
- In 1972, a nationalist military regime seized power and used the new oil wealth and foreign borrowing to pay for a program of industrialization, land reform, and subsidies for urban consumers. With the oil boom fading, Ecuador returned to democracy in 1979, which continues until the present time. However, the economic performance remains at low levels.
- Ecuador has substantial petroleum resources and rich agricultural areas. Because the country exports primary products such as oil, bananas, and shrimp, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. For example, 70% of the population lives below the poverty line.
- The largest ethnic group is comprised of Mestizos, the mixed descendants of Spanish colonists and indigenous Amerindians (25%), who constitute just over 65% of the population. Whites are criollos, primarily of Spanish descent, and account for 7%.
- Around 94% of Ecuadorians are Roman Catholic. Ecuador's mainstream culture is defined by Ecuador's mestizo majority and, like their ancestry, is a mixture of European and Amerindian influences infused with African elements inherited from slave ancestors.
- UNESCO reports that only 87% of the primary school teachers and 72% of high school teachers have received training. The public education system is tuition-free, and attendance is mandatory from ages five to fourteen. In rural areas, only 10% of the youngsters go on to high school.
- Ecuador has three main geographic regions, plus an insular region in the Pacific Ocean: Costa (Pacific coastline), Sierra (Andes), Oriente (Amazon rainforest), and Región Insular (the Galápagos Islands).
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecuador
Country General Info