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Ecuador is a country in western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, for which the country is named.Ecuador encompasses a wide range of natural formations and climates, from the desert-like southern coast to the snowcapped peaks of the Andes mountain range to the plains of the Amazon Basin.
Much of Ecuador is underlain by Precambrian igneous and metamorphic crystalline basement rocks. The Piedras Group rocks date to the period and outcrop in El Oro Province on the western Andean slope in the southwest of the country and includes greenschist and amphibolite with small intercalations of quartz-sericite schist and quartzite, dated to 743 million years ago in the Proterozoic.
The rivers of Ecuador are an important part of the nation's geography and economy. Most of the over 2,000 rivers and streams [ 1 ] have headwaters in the Andes mountain range, flowing therefrom either westward toward the Pacific Ocean or eastward toward the Amazon River . [ 2 ]
It is the second highest summit in Ecuador (after Chimborazo), reaching a height of 5,897 m (19,347 ft). Cotopaxi is among the highest active volcanoes in the world . Cotopaxi is known to have erupted 87 times, resulting in the creation of numerous valleys formed by lahars (mudflows) around the volcano. [ 2 ]
Ecuador has a developing economy that is highly dependent on commodities, namely petroleum and agricultural products. The country is classified as an upper-middle-income country. Ecuador's economy is the eighth largest in Latin America and experienced an average growth of 4.6% between 2000 and 2006.
A strong magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador late on Saturday the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
Mountains in Ecuador Name Elevation m Range Notes Chimborazo: 6,310 Cordillera Occidental: Ecuador's highest mountain Cotopaxi [1] 5,897 Cordillera Oriental: Active Volcano Cayambe: 5,790 Cordillera Oriental Active Volcano Antisana: 5,758 Cordillera Oriental Active Volcano El Altar/Capac-Urcu 5,319 Cordillera Oriental Iliniza Sur: 5,248 ...
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