The world / Ecuador
Ecuador
Capital: Quito
- The Galápagos Islands sit about 1,000 km west of the mainland and count 127 islands, islets and rocks.
- Ecuador takes its name from the Spanish word for equator, and its capital Quito sits almost on that line.
- Ecuador has used the US dollar as its only official currency since 2000, when it replaced the sucre.
- Despite its small size, Ecuador is one of 17 megadiverse countries, rich in plant and animal life.
- Quito's historic centre, listed in 1978, was one of the first two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, along with Kraków.