Ecuador
is
a
gallery
of
stunning
landscapes.
From
snow-capped,
volcanic
mountains
and
long
stretches
of
unspoiled
coastline
to
Amazon
rainforests
and
the
bleak
splendor
of
the
Galapagos
Islands,
the
country
offers
the
visitor
a
breathtaking
spectrum
of
natural
wonders.
To
give
you
an
idea
of
its
diversity,
of
the
world's
32
denominated
"Life
zones",
26
are
found
here,
in
a
country
the
size
of
Nevada,
or
slightly
larger
than
the
United
Kingdom.
Including
the
Galapagos
Islands,
Ecuador
consists
of
four
contrasting
regions,
each
one
distinctly
different
from
the
others.
The
Galapagos
are
arid,
volcanic
outcrops
patterned
with
moon-like
lava
flows
and
twisted
rock
formations.
No
soft
Pacific
palms
fringe
their
rocky
shores.
Plants
and
creatures
here
that
have
adapted
to
these
harsh
conditions
are
tough
and
hardy
-
thick-skinned
iguanas,
giant
armor-plated
tortoises,
blubber-bound
sea
lions,
spiny
acacia,
spiky
cactuses,
saltbush
and
scalesia.
The
coastline
and
the
coastal
plain,
simply
called
La
Costa,
present
a
less
fierce
face
-
marshland,
mangrove
swamps
[or
what
is
left
of
them
after
the
invasion
of
shrimp
farms],
creeks,
estuaries
and
long
stretches
of
empty
beaches
swathed
with
palm
trees.
The
hot
and
humid
coastal
plains
were
thickly
forested
before
man
arrived
with
his
machete
to
create
banana,
cacao,
coffee,
sugar
cane
and
rice
plantations.
As
these
plantations
encroached
further
upon
the
forest,
Ecuador
became
a
full-fledged
banana
republic
and
still
ranks
among
the
world's
leading
exporters.
Upwards
and
eastwards,
the
flanks
of
the
Andes
are
clothed
in
mists
and
residual
areas
of
thick
cloud
forests
threaded
with
silvery
waterfalls.
In
the
highland
valleys,
the
Sierra,
the
face
of
the
landscape
takes
a
more
worn
and
hewn
look.
Tilled
and
re-tilled
for
centuries
before
the
Incas
and
the
Spanish
came
along,
the
ancient,
geometric
fields,
terraced
on
the
steeper
slopes,
transform
the
valleys
into
tapestries
woven
in
pastel
shades
of
brown
and
green.
Splashes
of
deep
red
on
the
ponchos
of
Indian
women
herding
sheep
provide
a
vivid
color
contrast,
while
lamas
grazing
by
high
mountain
lakes
embellish
the
pastoral
scenes.
Above
the
valleys
tower
snow-white
peaks,
stern
and
dangerous,
the
world's
tallest
active
volcanoes.
Over
the
other
side
of
the
mountains,
the
eastern
slopes
of
the
Andes
stretch
towards
the
great
Amazon
basin,
the
world's
largest
rainforest.
The
Ecuadorians
call
this
vast
area
of
their
country
El
Oriente,
The
East.
The
discovery
of
oil
in
the
Oriente
in
the
1970s
has
led
to
the
building
of
new
roads,
destruction
and
contamination
of
huge
tracts
of
virgin
forest
and
increasing
numbers
of
"colonists,"
as
well
as
new
diseases,
cultural
decimation
and
anger
within
the
local
indigenous
populations.
Rivers
flowing
down
the
Andes
and
through
their
tribal
lands
eventually
link
up
with
the
mighty
Amazon
River
on
its
3,200-km
[2,000-mile]
journey
across
Brazil
and
into
the
Atlantic
Ocean.
Last
Updated
24th
July
2006
(DLW)
