Ecuador_update.qxd

Big Things in Little Packages 13

Quick Facts: The Geography of Ecuador

Location: Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the equator, between Colombia and Peru Area 1 : (slightly smaller than Nevada) total: 109,483 square miles (283,560 sq km) land: 106,888 square miles (276,840 sq km) water: 2,595 square miles (6,720 sq km) Borders: Colombia, 367 miles (590 km); Peru, 882 miles (1,420 km) Climate: tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; trop- ical in Amazonian jungle lowlands

Terrain: coastal plain (Costa), inter-Andean central highlands (Sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (Oriente) Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean—0 feet highest point: Chimborazo—20,561 feet (6,267 meters) Natural hazards: frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts

1 Includes Galápagos Islands. Source: CIA World Factbook 2015.

altitude dominate the Andean ranges of the Sierra region. The Oriente

Approximately 46,332 square miles (119,954 sq km) in area, the Oriente is bordered to the west by the Andes Mountains. Peru lies to its south and east and Colombia to its north. The Oriente’s extensive rain forest covers about one-half of the country. It is part of South America’s huge Amazon rain forest. The terrain of the Oriente is composed of gentle slopes and flat valleys. Many tributaries of the Amazon River run through the Oriente. In certain sections of this jungle, more than 100 different species of trees