Last updated on October 28th, 2022
39. Forty percent of the adults in Ecuador don’t have access to a bank account.
40. There are more mobile phones than people in Ecuador. The government sees this as an opportunity to test the use of digital currency.
41. Ecuador has a military base in Peru on one perpetually leased square kilometer of their territory.
42. In Quito water boils at 90°C instead of 100°C. This is a direct effect of altitudes.
43. Members of fifteen percent of the bird species in the world can be found in Ecuador. That means that more than 1600 different bird species live in the country.
44. There are more than 25,000 plant species growing in Ecuador and a minimum of 317 documented mammal species native to the country.
Also read: Interesting facts about Paraguay
With beautiful scenery, tremendous biodiversity, and native cultures with their original languages, customs, and handcrafts, Ecuador is a fascinating place to visit.
About the flag of Ecuador
1. Design and Symbolism
Ecuador is a South American country that lies on the equator, hence the name. Its flag features primary colors in three horizontal bands: yellow, blue, and red. The large yellow bar covers half the height and symbolizes the crops from the fertile soil. Meanwhile, the blue band signifies the ocean and clear skies. Red is the blood spilled by heroes.
The Ecuadorian coat of arms lies at the center. Look closely to see an oval shield depicting the sun and four zodiac signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer. These coincide with the months of the 1845 Revolution. Beneath is the Chimborazo mountain, the highest peak in the Andes range. A river and a steamship represent navigation and commerce.
Above the shield is an outstretched condor, showing the greatness and strength of Ecuador. It also protects against foreign attacks, according to folklore. Below is a bundle of wooden rods representing republican dignity. The sides have the national flag on spears. Branches of palm and laurel jut out of the flags, symbolizing the freedom fighters and their victory.
2. Adoption
Ecuador adopted the tricolor flag on September 26, 1860. The coat of arms appeared in 1900, and the current proportion became official in 2009.
3. Technical Details
The flag dimensions follow a ratio of 2:3. The official width and height are 1.47m and 2.20m. In the RGB color scheme, the flag has HEX values of FFDD00, 034EA2, and ED1C24.
4. History
Did you know that the Ecuadorian flag has a Venezuelan origin? General Francisco de Miranda created the tricolor design, inspired by the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. At a party, Goethe predicted his destiny: to make a flag with undistorted primary colors for his homeland. He went back to Venezuela to liberate it from Spain. As the poet suggested, he used a yellow-blue-red flag aboard the warship Leander.
Meanwhile, rebels in Ecuador were also calling for independence. They initially used a plain red flag, then shifted to a pale blue flag with stars. In 1820, a liberated Ecuador became part of Gran Colombia – a republic that also included the likes of Panama, Venezuela, and Peru. Goethe’s prediction came true. Miranda’s triband flag with primary colors surfaced as the regional banner.
In 1830, Ecuador broke away from Gran Colombia to become an independent state. It retained the Miranda design but used an Ecuadorian coat of arms. After a brief hiatus, the primary colors returned on September 26, 1860, when Gabriel Garcia Moreno became president. This flag featured an expanded yellow field and a new emblem. The country celebrates the occasion as Dia de la Bandera or National Flag Day.
5. Flag Facts
Look-alike Flags
Due to historical ties, the triband flag of Ecuador looks nearly identical to those of Colombia and Venezuela. How to distinguish them? The former is missing a coat of arms, while the latter has an arc of stars.
Rare Design Quirk
Only four nations have flags within flags in their design. They include Haiti, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador. Zoom in to see clearly within the central emblem.
Ecuador – country at a glance
| Independence | 24 May 1822 (from Spain) |
|---|---|
| Capital City | Quito (00°9′S 78°21′W) |
| Largest City (by population) | Guayaquil |
| Area | total: 283,561 sq km land: 276,841 sq km water: 6,720 sq km |
| Population | 17,289,554 (2022 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18-65 years of age, universal and compulsory; 16-18, over 65, and other eligible voters, voluntary |
| Literacy rate | 93.6% |
| Official Language | Spanish |
| Demonym | Ecuadorian |
| Borders | Land: Colombia and Peru Meritime: Costa Rica |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic 74%, Evangelical 10.4%, Jehovah's Witness 1.2%, other 6.4% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78 years (2022) Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life. |
| Government type | presidential republic |
| President | Guillermo Lasso |
| Vice President | Alfredo Borrero |
| National anthem | "Salve, Oh Patria!" (We Salute You, Our Homeland) |
| Natural resources | petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower |
| National symbol | Andean condor |
| National colors | yellow, blue, red |
| Climate | tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands |
| Terrain | coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente) |
| Agricultural land | 29.7% |
| Highest point | Chimborazo 6,267 |
| Lowest point | Pacific Ocean 0 m |
| Mean elevation | 1,117 m |
| Birth rate | 16.45 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Death rate | 5.17 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Sex ratio | 0.98 male(s)/female (2022 est.) |
| Industries | petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals |
| Exports | $22.23 billion (2020 est.) crude petroleum, crustaceans, bananas, fish, refined petroleum (2019) |
| Imports | $19.89 billion (2020 est.) refined petroleum, coal tar oil, cars, packaged medicines, soybean products (2019) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | $10,300 (2020 est.) |
| Time Zone | ECT / GALT (UTC−5 / −6) |
| Internet country code | .ec |
| Calling Code | +593 |
| Drives on the | Right |
| Table last updated | August 6, 2022 |