Abstract
The Republic of Ecuador is a small democratic republic in South America, surrounded by Peru in the east and south, by Columbia in the North and the Pacific Ocean in the west. It has an area of 256,370 square kilometers, more than a third of the French area. Ecuador lies on the equator and its capital city is Quito, but the country's largest city is Guayaquil, with more than 3.3 million living in the metropolitan area of the city. Its total population is estimated at 13.6 million. It became independent in 1830 after having been part of the Spanish colonial Empire and the republic of Gran Colombia. It contains a lot of remnants of the old Inca Empire. It is a medium-income country with 38% of the people living below poverty line. Ecuador is one of the countries with the highest perceived rate of corruption.
