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Ecuador is located in northwestern South America, bounded by Colombia on the north, by Peru on
the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. The country also includes the Galápagos
Islands (Archipelago de Colón) in the Pacific, about 965 kilometers (about 600 mi)
west of the mainland. Named after the Spanish word for equator, Ecuador straddles the equator
and has an area of 272,045 square kilometers(105,037 mi²).
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Ecuador's mainstream culture is defined by Ecuador's mestizo majority and, like their fascinating
ancestry, is a mixture of European and Amerindian influences infused with African elements inherited
from slave ancestors. Ecuador's indigenous communities are largely integrated into that mainstream
culture to varying degrees, but some may also practice their own autochthonous cultures, particularly
the more remote indigenous communities of the Amazon basin.
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The Galapagos Islands:
Perhaps more so than any other place in the world, the fauna of the Galapagos Islands, part
of Ecuador, are incredibly unique. The fascinating species found one these islands includes the
Galapagos land iguana, Blue-footed Booby, Galápagos Green Turtle, Sea cucumber, 13 endemic species
of finch, Galápagos Penguin, Flightless Cormorant, Galápagos Hawk, Sea lions
and various species. Charles Darwin's observations of this amazing wildlife, their remarkable adaption
to a hostile environment, and the subtle variations between races of the same species living on
different islands led directly to his theory of natural selection. We can look back at nearly
five centuries of human contact with the Galapagos and say that, without a doubt, the most important
event in the human history of the Galapagos was Darwin's visit in 1835. The Galapagos Archipelago
encompasses over 50 islands of volcanic origin that are spread out over an area of about 4,500
square kilometers.
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