{"id":38915,"date":"2013-08-11T05:40:13","date_gmt":"2013-08-11T09:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=38915"},"modified":"2020-09-15T10:11:01","modified_gmt":"2020-09-15T15:11:01","slug":"ecuador-at-a-glance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/ecuador-at-a-glance\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecuador at a glance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moving To Ecuador\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Located on the northwestern portion of the South American subcontinent, right\u00a0around the equator \u2013 hence the name. Ecuador at a glance is generally envisioned as a tropical\u00a0paradise by many. While this is definitely the case, with locales such as the world-famous\u00a0Galapagos Islands some 1,000 km off the coast, expats moving to Ecuador should\u00a0be aware that Ecuador\u2019s biosphere is much more richly diverse than at first glance.<\/p>\n

The mainland of Ecuador is split up into three distinct sections \u2013 Costa, Sierra, and Oriente, based on their geographic features. Most expats moving to Ecuador, however,settle in either the Costa or Sierra regions, as the main cities are located there.\u00a0 The sections are characterized as follows:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Costa<\/strong>:<\/h2>\n

This is the coastal area of Ecuador, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Andes in the east. The ongoing interest of Ecuadorians and foreigners in moving to Ecuador\u2019s westernmost part is the reason why half the population lives on a quarter of the nation\u2019s area. The Costa is particularly interesting for expats moving to Ecuador, as it is not only home to the nation\u2019s largest city, Guayaquil, but also to various economic free trade zones.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sierra<\/strong>:<\/h2>\n

The portion of Ecuador which is entirely located in the Andes. Once the heart of the nation, today, the Sierra\u2019s biggest draws for newcomers who want to move to Ecuador are the capital, Quito, and Cuenca. About a third of the population lives in this area.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Oriente<\/strong>:<\/h2>\n

the easternmost part of the country, and also the least densely\u00a0populated. This is not at all surprising, seeing how it is mainly covered by\u00a0rainforest. If you are not planning on doing scientific research or working in the\u00a0crude oil production sector, there is probably little reason to move to Ecuador\u2019s\u00a0share of the Amazon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Moving to Ecuador: Quito<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Oftentimes, relocating straight to a nation\u2019s capital is not the worst idea for expats,\u00a0and moving to Ecuador makes no exception in this regard. Quito, unquestionedcenter of Ecuador and dwarfed in size only by Guayaquil, is by far the largest\u00a0expat magnet in the entire country. Most national companies have their\u00a0headquarters in the city and many multinational corporations, who want to make\u00a0the move to Ecuador\u2019s markets, also opt to establish branches here. Even if you\u00a0are not moving to Ecuador\u2019s capital, you have to pay Quito a visit at least once!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Moving to Ecuador: Guayaquil<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Guayaquil is both the largest city in Ecuador, with a population of more than 2.6\u00a0million, and the nation\u2019s most important seaport. As the economy of the country is\u00a0highly dependent on foreign trade, this makes it one of the cornerstones of economic growth, thus offering many incentives and opportunities for expats moving to Ecuador, seeking career opportunities. Guayaquil is also a significant city for the financial sector and offers diverse opportunities in this arena, as well. Furthermore, moving to Ecuador\u2019s largest conurbation has long been one of the first options for Ecuadorians from rural parts of the country who are looking for a new life in the city.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Moving to Ecuador: Cuenca<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Moving to Ecuador\u2019s cultural center, a distinction Cuenca has definitely earned for\u00a0a number of reasons, is also particularly popular with expats, even if the other main\u00a0cities in Ecuador simply have more employment possibilities. Nevertheless, the\u00a0Parque Industrial has prompted a fair number of expats to move to Ecuador\u2019s third\u00a0largest city. Apart from having been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site due\u00a0to its beautiful historic architecture in the city center, Cuenca has made a name for\u00a0itself with the many traditional crafts that come from this city. Anyone moving to\u00a0Ecuador, no matter what region, should definitely pay Cuenca a visit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Moving to Ecuador: Salinas<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Many find the call of mother ocean enticing and alluring.\u00a0 For those that do, Ecuador\u2019s premiere beach resort community, Salinas, beckons with open arms, soothing sunshine and a year-round cooling ocean breeze.\u00a0 Exquisitely located on a jutting peninsula, which enjoys the distinction of terminating at the furtherest point west on the western hemisphere continental mainland, Salinas enjoys a location surrounded by water…water…everywhere.\u00a0 Sunning, boating, fishing, jet skiing and just plain sipping a pi\u00f1a colada underneath the shade of an old palm tree will soak up your lazy days in Salinas.\u00a0 At night, simple oceanfront restaurants and sidewalk cafes dot the Salinas Malec\u00f3n (boardwalk), for your enjoyment.\u00a0 Sit long enough and a strolling Ecuadorian version of a mariachi group may perform table side at your request.\u00a0 If you still have fuel in the tank, Salinas offers a variety of nightspots with dancing, music and a sumptuous variation of frothy beverages.\u00a0 Wherever you may choose to live in Ecuador, chances are you will vacation in Salinas!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fun Facts – Ecuador At A Glance<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Official Name: The Republic of Ecuador<\/p>\n

Capitol CIty: Quito (declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO)<\/p>\n

Government: Republic, with an elected President, serving a four-year term. \u00a0Re-election for a second, consecutive four-year term is possible.\u00a0Next Presidential election 2017<\/p>\n

Current President:\u00a0Rafael Correa Delgado<\/p>\n

Geographic Locale: Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean, at the equator. Bound by Colombia on the north, Peru on the south and the east, with the Pacific Ocean to the west. Galapagos Islands lie in the Pacific, approx. 1,000 km (620 mi.) west of the mainland.<\/p>\n

Prominent Cities: Guayaquil, Quito, Cuenca, Portoviejo, Machala, Manta, Ambato, Loja, Eloy Alfaro, Riobamba, Salinas<\/p>\n

Area: 283,581 km2<\/p>\n

Population: 14,790,608 (As of July 2010)<\/p>\n

Population Growth: 1.466% (July 2010)<\/p>\n

Population Density: 53.8 inhabitants per km2<\/p>\n

Religion: Roman \u00a0Catholic 95%, other 5%<\/p>\n

Unemployment: 7.6% (2010 official)<\/p>\n

Currency: United States Dollar (USD)<\/p>\n

GDP per Capita: $7,800 (2010)<\/p>\n

External Debt: $14.71 billion USD (As of 12\/31\/2010)<\/p>\n

GDP by Sector: Agriculture – 6.8, \u00a0 Industry – 32.9%,\u00a0\u00a0Services – 60.3%<\/p>\n

Employment: Agriculture – 8.3%,\u00a0\u00a0Industry – 21.2%,\u00a0Services – 70.5%<\/p>\n

Official Language: Spanish, Amerindian languages (esp. Quechua)<\/p>\n

Time Difference: UTC-5<\/p>\n

Climate: Tropical in the Amazonian region and select cities, such as Guayaquil. Lowlands temperate in the Sierra. Arid and warm on the southern coast. Humid and warm on the northern coast. Due to its location on the equator, the amount of daylight does not vary throughout the year.<\/p>\n

Vaccinations: None required<\/p>\n

Visas: Vary from country to country.\u00a0 Check with your local Ecuadorian \u00a0embassy or consulate for current details.<\/p>\n

I hope you really enjoyed this article on Moving to Ecuador. If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call our office HERE.<\/a>\u00a0 I would also like to offer you some light reading, more on Ecuador, Enjoy!<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Case For Immigrating To Ecuador <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Economic Opportunities in Ecuador\u00a0 <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Path to Ecuadorian Residency <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

6 Reasons You Should Move To Ecuador <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ecuador at a glance – a brief overview of this beautiful country and its richly diverse biosphere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":308,"featured_media":38917,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[32523,1721,7731,32521,27261,32519,32531,7852,7831,32533,14113,2459,11512,32522,12705,32520,27085,31835,7830,7822],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Ecuador-At-A-Glance.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38915"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/308"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38915"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38915\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44330,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38915\/revisions\/44330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38915"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=38915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}