The Land and Location

Chimborazo is one of Ecuador's many volcanoes.

It also is the highest point in Ecuador at 20,561 feet

      
Ecuador is located on the equator and is named for it. It is surrounded by Peru and Columbia. It is on the Pacific side (west) of South America . South America is a continent right below North America.

On the map to the left, Ecuador is the country in the ugly yellow-ish brown. It is the tiny one beside the forest-green country (Columbia) and neon green one( Peru).
   





     The landforms vary but they are all amazing. There are mountains, volcanoes, beaches, mangrove forests ,and plateaus. I would like to see them all one day.

     In this mix of land there is The Sierra, a mountain range including The Avenue of the Volcanoes! The most famous of the volcanoes are:

A Rain Forest

• Chimborazo (20,561 Feet!The highest point in Ecuador.)  
•  Cotopaxi (19,614 feet The highest active volcano in the world.)
• Cayambe ( 18,992 feet Snow capped and right on the equator.)

There are about 22 mountains in the Sierra that have peaks in the 14,000 to 20,000 range.


      The Oriente is about 46,332 square miles of rain forest.  It has gentle slopes and vast valleys.  There are more than 600 species of fish and 250 species of amphibians and reptiles. It is hot and humid in the Oriente like in all the other rain forests. In the Oriente there are wildlife reserves and national parks to save animals and trees.
          
     The Costa (coast) despite it's name has three main land types: tropical rainforests, tropical savannas and dry forests. Along the coast there are many resorts for tourists and travelers as well as small fishing villages and shrimp farms. Ecuador's largest city is located in the Costa region, it is named Guayaquil.  The Costa is also home to the world's largest Mangrove forest!

     The Galapagos are volcanic islands with tons of rare exotic animals. About 1,900 species are only found here. Those animals are only found on the Galapagos because the islands are so isolated. However the animals aren't that lonely because the islands are big tourist attraction. They are part of the 8 million acres of National Parks and Reserves of Ecuador.  These islands are a national treasure!
       

plateau :  A flat  piece of raised land.
savanna: A long flat expanse of land with tough patches of grass and occasional clumps of trees.