Ecuador – A Tropical Mystery Of South America

Along the middle of the world in South America, a country full of bananas, exotic animals, and much scientific intrigue can be found. This country with a name much like one of its best-known features, is Ecuador. A relatively small Hispanic country, Ecuador is hardly known among the American population. Though it may not be known by many, those who do know, acknowledge it as a tropical mystery.

This tropical mystery can be found in South America at 1.8312°S, 78.1834°W. For those of us who are unable to recall a world map off the top of their head, that’s east of the Pacific Ocean along the equator. Still not enough? How about south west of Columbia and North West of Peru. It seems that was descriptive enough for you to locate it. It’s a part of a few different regions. It is contained in the formal region of the continent South America and is also a part of the Andes functional region. As for perceptual regions it isn’t referred to as anything by Ecuadorians themselves, but many southern North Americans consider it part of the tropics.

Although it may seem much like other South American countries it’s quite unique. What makes Ecuador the unique place it is? For one, it is incredibly diverse geographically. It’s coastal, mountainous, connected to the Amazon, and home to many dormant volcanoes. It also happens to be the most biodiverse country in the world as well, with approximately over 700 species of animals native to the country (not even counting the thousands to ten thousands of insects that are still being discovered). Now that may have sounded a tad bland, that was just the physical characteristics. The Ecuadorian culture tied together into human characteristics is one driven by family love and enjoying life. In this culture there is a very popular way to both enjoy life and spend quality family time, food!

Whereas most Americans tend to eat around three meals a day with one big breakfast, a medium sized lunch, and a small dinner, Ecuadorians typically eat around 5 meals. Breakfast, a brunch-like in between meal, lunch, afternoon snack, and 2dinner. For both breakfast and lunch families will eat together in multi course meals, sounds kind of like American meals, right? Wrong, as you probably pictured around 4 or 5 people sitting around a kitchen table full of food. Family in Ecuador does not mean just your direct relatives, it means every family member in the area. Families will gather and set up what would look to Americans something like a family reunion. This occurs as often as they can get everyone together, and even then, as many people that can go will go. Some food that can be expected would be arroz con pollo, ceviche, and occasionally cuy or iguana (Rice with chicken, Raw seafood with meat “cooked” in lime, and roasted Guinea Pig).

Ecuadorians interact with their environments in many ways besides food. How? Well they modify their environment around them by building cities and infrastructure. In further detail the homes that are made depend on the individual regions within Ecuador. Wooden homes are built around the jungle, whereas the coastal and mountain regions are modified with brick/cement houses. They adapt to their environment with more breathable clothing and 24hr electricity and water in their homes. Now even though they may seem to be masters of their environment, they actually depend on their home quite a bit. Ecuador is the largest banana exporter in the world. With an income of 3 billion dollars’ worth of bananas in 2017 alone. They also depend off of the fishing done on the west coast off the Pacific Ocean. The fish caught this way are then sold in the Manta Fish Market, which is one of the world’s most popular fish markets. The city of Manta itself revolves and grew around the fish market into a sizeable urban community of its own.

After all this, it may be noticed that this is not the last paragraph, but I have already gone over the 4 elements of geography I have been assigned. This paragraph is dedicated to the random and strange things Ecuador has to offer. To start off strong, there has been a recent 3discovery of a new frog species names “Punk-Rocker frog”. It was named this after being the only amphibian to have an incredibly strange talent. This particular species can change the texture of their skin from smooth to spiked quickly. This may seem like a joke or some type of fictional concept, but it is quite real. This is the only species of vertebrate that has this ability.

Now this next fact is not quite as awe inspiring but is an amusing piece of trivia. The hat style known as a Panama Hat is Ecuadorian as well. They are usually hand woven and have become quite the summer luxury accessory starting from the 20th century. They are typically lighter in color and wide-brimmed, as well as falsely advertised for being called a “Panama” hat. It may seem Ecuador takes a large advantage from their natural resources, and yet they are known for their lush and thriving wildlife, why is that? Perhaps it could be partially from the fact that in 2008 Ecuador legally stated that nature itself has constitutional rights and is protected by the same rules that protect us. This was stated in the Rights of Nature amendment. Amendment? Constitution? That sounds awfully American, however a little-known fact is even more American than their political documents. Ecuador uses US currency. Though they do not use paper money, so stop getting out your wallet and planning your trip. They use US currency in coins. They have coin currency for dollar as well as cent amounts. Now this brings up the question on how they keep their change. Both the men and women carry coin purses, just as Americans and Most Europeans carry wallets.

Now that a small amount of the mysteries of Ecuador have been unveiled, it is also time to state that although there is a lot of information about Ecuador, there is even more countless things left unknown. However, some of this may never be discovered as the world is dying and places like Ecuador are taking the brunt of it. Deforestation, illegal dumping and poaching, as well as intense natural disasters are leading many species to endangerment and extinction. So, consider the beauty of lands unknown before you make wasteful choices and consider joining a strong and just cause. After all, it is just natural.