Ecuador

Capital: QuitoBy: Arman Galoyan

The colors of the Ecuadorian flag are yellow, blue, and red. Yellow represents the sun, blue represents the sky and the sea, and the red represents the blood shed for freedom.

In the Coat of Arms (the symbol in the middle of the picture), the Condor (the bird) on top of the shield represents Power and Strength. The snowy mountain represents the height or altitude of Ecuador. The river represents the beauty of its waters, the boat represents trade and navigation, the olive leaves represent peace and beauty, and the sun represents the God of our Ancestors.

• Quito – The capital of Ecuador, and it has an active volcano.

• Guayaquil – Home to over 3 million people, and the biggest city in Ecuador.

• Otavalo – Home to the largest and most spectacular indigenous market in the whole of South America.

• Tulcán – Highest city in Ecuador, at 2,950 meters above sea level.

• Ingapirca – Home to a building known as the temple of the sun. Carefully constructed so that on the solstices, at exactly the right time of day, sunlight would fall through the center of the doorway of the small chamber at the top of the temple. Most of this chamber has fallen down.

• In 1822, Spanish rule in Ecuador ended after the defeat of the Spaniards in the battle of Pichincha.

• In 1830, Ecuador became an independent country.

• In 1896, General Eloy Alfaro took control of the government ending the power of the Roman Catholic church over the government.

Ecuador’s main exports are petroleum, which is obtained from drilling for oil, bananas, and shrimp.

Ecuador actually uses the US dollar as their currency.

Some famous people from Ecuador are:

• Juan Jose Flores y Aramburu: He was a military general who became the first president of Ecuador.

• Eugenio Espejo: He was a pioneer in the field of science and literature.

• Fanny Carrion de Fierro: She is famous for her poetry, literacy citric, and essays.

• Luis Miranda: A famous painter.

To most people, some of the food eaten in Ecuador are truly disgusting, such as roasted cuy (guinea pig) or tronquito (bull penis soup). Although some of the foreign foods don’t look so appetizing maybe some of the chicken and potatoes will. A common food is an empanadas, which is made of a small amount of ground beef, chicken, potatoes, rice, onions, cheese, and spices in any combination, wrapped in dough and then baked or deep-fried.

• In March and/or April, people in Ecuador have a carnival with celebrations including water fights, and parades.

• On May 24th, people celebrate the day in 1822 when soldiers fought for their freedom from Spain, with parades.

I wasn’t able to find music with its roots in Ecuador, but I found that the people in Ecuador listen to Pasillo, which a genre of indigenous Latin music. It is extremely popular in Ecuador, and has lead to popular classical dances such as the waltz.

• Unemployment rates are increasing in Ecuador.

• Schools in Ecuador expose students to malnutrition and limit access to clean drinking water.

I couldn’t find any more problems.