Ecuador

a republic of South America, situated under the equator, whence it takes its name, between Peru and Colombia. It is of triangular shape; area, about 120,000 square miles, or including the Galapagos Islands, 122,950 square miles. Between Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia there have been for some time boundary disputes, at present unsettled. The chief towns are Quito, the capital (pop. 80,000); Riobamba (12,000) and Cuenca (25,000), all situated at a height of 9,000 feet or more above the sea. The chief port of Ecuador is Guayaquil (pop. 50,000). The most considerable rivers, the Tigre, Napo, Pastaza, etc., belong to the basin of the Amazon; and some of them, notably the Napo, are navigable for long distances. On the W. slope of the Andes the chief rivers are the Hsmeraldas and the Guayaquil. In the higher regions ft is rough and cold, but in — ig Fe eles vated valleys, as that of Quito, have a delightful climate. Here the chief productions are potatoes, barley, wheat, and fruits. In the lower re gions are grown all the food products of tropical climates, cacao, coffee, sugar, etc. Ecuador is comparatively = in mammal i a, though various inds of deer as well as tapirs and —< are found in the forests. arrots and humming-birds are also numerous, but perhaps the most remarkable of the birds is the condor, which dwells on the slopes of the Andes.