Ecuador is divided into three completely distinct geographical
areas: Costa, the Sierra and Direct, without forgetting the
Galapagos islands. All these confused areas cover a total
surface of 270.670 km2.
To the
west, the low plain côtiere, commonly called "Costa",
skirts the Andes cordillera and extends in edge from the Pacific
Ocean over the entire length from country, covering a surface
of 70.000 km2 landscape changing and various végetations
taking into account the climatic fluctuations. The width of
this coastal plain varies from 30 km to 200 km.
Comprising
two assembly lines parallel (cordillière Occidentales
and Royale cordillera) which crosses the country of north
to the south, the Sierra gathers approximately 60% of the
Ecuadorian population and is marked out of more than 30 extremely
impressive volcanos which culminates with more 5.000m, in
particular Cotopaxi (5.578m), Chimborazo (6.300m). These volcanos
are surrounded of many other tops of less importance and form
a known volcanic solid mass under the name of avenue of the
volcanos.
Lhas area
of Oriente, located at the East of the cordilllère
Royale, fact part of the Amazonien basin. Although this area
occupies more half of the Ecuadorian territory, this one counts
less than 10% of the total population of the country. Small
villages are connected between them by a vast river system
where small boats sail easily. Touefois, the discovery of
oil with Lago Agrío in 1967 required the construction
of a road which crosses the Sierra until Quito.
Rendu
célébre by research of the British biologist
Charles Darwin, the archipelago of Galápagos bathes
in water of the Pacific Ocean to some 1.000 km in the West
of the Ecuadorian coasts, and is composed of 15 islands and
40 small islands of volcanic origin sheltering of nobreuses
animal and vegetable extremely intèressantes and attractive
species, several of them being single in the world.
