Machala is a city in south-west Ecuador. It is the capital of the El Oro Province, and is located near the Gulf of Guayaquil on fertile lowlands. Machala has a population of 288,072 ; it is the sixth-biggest city in the country, and the second-most important port. It has been referred to as the Banana Capital of the World.
Santa Ana de los Cuatro Ríos de Cuenca, commonly referred to as Cuenca, is the capital and largest city of the Azuay Province of Ecuador. Cuenca is located in the highlands of Ecuador at about 2,560 metres above sea level, with an urban population of 361,524 and a population of 596,101 in the Cuenca Canton.
Ecuador is a multicultural and multiethnic nation, with the majority of its population is descended from a mixture of both European and Amerindian ancestry. The other 10% of Ecuador's population originate east of the Atlantic Ocean, predominantly from Spain, Italy, Lebanon, France and Germany. Around the Esmeraldas and Chota regions, the African influence would be strong among the small population of Afro-Ecuadorians that account for no more than 10%. Close to 80% of Ecuadorians are Roman Catholic, although the indigenous population blend Christian beliefs with ancient indigenous customs. The racial makeup of Ecuador is 70% mestizo, 7% Amerindian 7%, 12% White, and 11% Black.
El Oro is the southernmost of Ecuador's coastal provinces. It was named for its historically important gold production. Today it is one of the world's major exporters of bananas. The capital is Machala.
Loja Province is one of 24 provinces in Ecuador and shares its southern border on the west with El Oro Province, on the north with El Azuay, and on the east with Zamora-Chinchipe. Founded on its present site in 1548 by Captain Alonso de Mercadillo (Spanish), the site had been previously moved and rebuilt from La Toma due to earthquakes. It also is named as "Cuxibamba Valley", from the Quichua language, which means the "Smiley Valley".
Zamora Chinchipe, Province of Zamora Chinchipe is a province of the Republic of Ecuador, located at the southeastern end of the Amazon Basin, which shares borders with the Ecuadorian provinces of Azuay and Morona Santiago to the north, Loja and Azuay to the west, and with Peru to the east and south. The province comprises an area of approximately 10,559 km² and is covered with a uniquely mountainous topography which markedly distinguishes it from the surrounding Amazonian provinces. Zamora-Chinchipe is characterized and largely identified by its mining industry; indigenous ethnic groups with a rich archaeological legacy; its biodiversity; and its niche and tourist attractions, which include a number of waterfalls well-noted for their beauty. The province takes its name from the bureaucratic fusion of the Zamora and Chinchipe cantons. The provincial capital is the city of Zamora.
Loja, formerly Loxa and fully City of the Immaculate Conception of Loja, is the capital of Ecuador's Loja Province. It is located in the Cuxibamba valley in the south of the country, sharing borders with the provinces of Zamora-Chinchipe and other cantons of the province of Loja. Loja holds a rich tradition in the arts, and for this reason is known as the Music and Cultural Capital of Ecuador. The city is home to two major universities.
The Ecuadorian–Peruvian War, known locally as the War of '41, was a South American border war fought between 5–31 July 1941. It was the first of three military conflicts between Ecuador and Peru during the 20th century.
Matilde Hidalgo de Procel was an Ecuadorian physician, poet, and activist. Matilde Hidalgo was the first woman to exercise the right to vote in Ecuador, and also the first to receive a Doctorate in Medicine. Hidalgo fought for the recognition of women's rights and is now known as one of the most important women in Ecuadorian history. At her young age, She mastered reading and writing skills as well as the piano. In 1973 she was paralyzed by a stroke, and she died in Guayaquil on February 20, 1974.
Piñas is a canton in the El Oro Province, Ecuador. Its seat is Piñas. It is also known as the "Orchid of The Andes" because of the many orchids grown nearby. The town was named Piñas by Juan de Loayza, in honor of his homeland Piñas in Spain. It is located 1,126 metres (3,694 ft) above sea level.
Gualaceo, nicknamed “El Jardin del Azuay”, is a canton in the sierra region of Ecuador in the Azuay Province. It is located 35 km east from the city of Cuenca and is one of the biggest cities in Azuay.
Alamor is the head of the Puyango canton, province of Loja, Ecuador.
The Guabo is a canton in the province of El Oro in Ecuador. Its capital is the city cantonal Guabo. Its population in the 2010 census was 50,009 inhabitants. The date of canton of El Guabo was September 7, 1978. The mayor for the period 2009-2014 was John Franco Aguilar.
Machala Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of Machala. Its population at the 2001 census was 217,696.
Zaruma Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of Zaruma. Its population at the 2001 census was 23,407.
Marcel Jacobo Laniado de Wind was an Ecuadorian agricultural engineer and banker who held a number of important public and private positions in Ecuador. He was a humanist, and a public figure in Ecuador for his efforts to improve the country.
The history of the Jews in Ecuador dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries, when Sephardic Jews began arriving from Spain and Portugal as a result of the Spanish Inquisition. Ecuadorian Jews are members of a small Jewish community in the territory of today's Ecuador, and they form one of the smallest Jewish communities in South America.
Octavio Cordero Palacios was an Ecuadorian writer, playwright, poet, mathematician, lawyer, professor and inventor.
The Battle of Zarumilla was a military confrontation between Peru and Ecuador that took place from July 23 to 31 during the 1941 Ecuadorian–Peruvian War.
