The Pastaza River ( Spanish : Río Pastaza , formerly known as the Sumatara ) also known as the Patate, flowing in Ecuador and Peru is a large tributary to the Marañón River in the northwestern Amazon Basin of South America .
119-707: It has its headwaters in the Ecuadorian province of Cotopaxi , flowing off the northwestern slopes of the volcano Cotopaxi and known as the Patate River. The Patate flows south and in Tungurahua Province it is joined by the Chambo River just upstream from the town of Baños de Agua Santa just north of the volcano Mount Tungurahua and becomes the Pastaza. Seven kilometers east of Baños, it
238-473: A 2008 referendum , a new constitution implemented leftist reforms. In December 2008, Correa declared Ecuador's national debt illegitimate, based on the argument that it was odious debt contracted by prior corrupt and despotic regimes. He announced that the country would default on over $ 3 billion worth of bonds, and he succeeded in reducing the price of outstanding bonds by more than 60% by fighting creditors in international courts . He brought Ecuador into
357-618: A developing country whose economy is highly dependent on exports of commodities, primarily petroleum and agricultural products. The country is a founding member of the United Nations , Organization of American States , Mercosur , PROSUR , and the Non-Aligned Movement . According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research , between 2006 and 2016, poverty decreased from 36.7% to 22.5% and annual per capita GDP growth
476-507: A Plan to return to the constitutional system through universal elections. This plan enabled the new democratically elected president to assume the duties of the executive office. Elections were held on 29 April 1979, under a new constitution. Jaime Roldós Aguilera was elected president, garnering over one million votes, the most in Ecuadorian history. He took office on 10 August as the first constitutionally elected president, after nearly
595-678: A brief war erupted between Colombia and Peru, over Peru's claims to the Caquetá region, which ended with Peru reluctantly signing the Salomon-Lozano Treaty on 24 March 1922. Ecuador protested this secret treaty, since Colombia gave away Ecuadorian claimed land to Peru that Ecuador had given to Colombia in 1916. On 21 July 1924, the Ponce-Castro Oyanguren Protocol was signed between Ecuador and Peru where both agreed to hold direct negotiations and to resolve
714-408: A civil war. The army stationed north headed by Atahualpa marched south to Cuzco and massacred the royal family associated with his brother. In 1532, a small band of Spaniards headed by Francisco Pizarro reached Cajamarca and lured Atahualpa into a trap ( battle of Cajamarca ). Pizarro promised to release Atahualpa if he made good his promise of filling a room full of gold. But, after a mock trial,
833-538: A decade of civilian and military dictatorships. In 1980, he founded the Partido Pueblo, Cambio y Democracia (People, Change, and Democracy Party) after withdrawing from the Concentración de Fuerzas Populares (Popular Forces Concentration). He governed until 24 May 1981, when he died, along with his wife and the minister of defense Marco Subia Martinez , when his Air Force plane crashed in heavy rain near
952-460: A general amnesty and the promise to convene a new constituent assembly before the ten-year period established by the Constitution of Cúcuta, and Páez backed down and recognized Bolívar's authority. The reforms, however, never fully satisfied its different political factions, and no permanent consolidation was achieved. The instability of the state's structure was now apparent to all. In 1828,
1071-493: A rapid succession of rulers. The first president of Ecuador was the Venezuelan-born Juan José Flores , who was ultimately deposed. Leaders who followed him included Vicente Rocafuerte ; José Joaquín de Olmedo ; José María Urbina ; Diego Noboa ; Pedro José de Arteta ; Manuel de Ascásubi ; and Flores's own son, Antonio Flores Jijón , among others. The conservative Gabriel García Moreno unified
1190-545: A series of peaceful treaties, and Peru after a short war in which the Protocol of Rio de Janeiro was signed in 1942. During the struggle for independence , before Peru or Ecuador became independent, areas of the former Vice Royalty of New Granada declared themselves independent from Spain. A few months later, a part of the Peruvian liberation army of San Martín decided to occupy the independent cities of Tumbez and Jaén, with
1309-802: A serious threat to the unity of the country. In July and August, the municipal government of Guayaquil and a junta in Quito issued declarations of support for Páez's actions. Bolívar, for his part, used the developments to promote the conservative constitution he had just written for Bolivia , which found support among conservative Ecuadorians and the Venezuelan military officialdom, but was generally met with indifference or outright hostility among other sectors of society and, most importantly for future political developments, by vice-president Santander himself. In November two assemblies met in Venezuela to discuss
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#17327823508151428-766: A stretch of about 50 km; on the opposite bank, the number of tributaries is slightly lower. The major tributaries are the Chambo, Bobonaza, and Huasaga, also important are the Ambato, the Pindo, and the Puyo. There are no major fisheries on the Pastaza River - it is primarily used as a means of transport by canoe. Its rise and fall are rapid and uncertain, and it is shallow and full of sandbanks and snags. Flooding occurs seasonally. In Ecuador, there are very few bridges across
1547-493: Is Quito and its largest city is Guayaquil . The territories of modern-day Ecuador were once home to a variety of indigenous peoples that were gradually incorporated into the Inca Empire during the 15th century. The territory was colonized by Spanish Empire during the 16th century, achieving independence in 1820 as part of Gran Colombia , from which it emerged as a sovereign state in 1830. The legacy of both empires
1666-647: Is combined with agriculture and arboriculture . Many civilizations arose in Ecuador, such as the Valdivia Culture and Machalilla Culture on the coast, the Quitus (near present-day Quito), and the Cañari (near present-day Cuenca ). In the highland Andes mountains, where life was more sedentary, groups of tribes cooperated and formed villages; thus the first nations based on agricultural resources and
1785-458: Is dammed for the Agoyán hydroelectric project, which has created a silty lagoon by the village of La Cieniga. The Agoyán dam was placed in that location specifically to leave the famous Falls of Agoyán, about 5 km further downstream, intact. After the waterfall the river enters a gorge where there is very fast whitewater with class-4 rapids; it is often used for whitewater rafting although it
1904-617: Is not considered to be of the same quality as the Tena River and is therefore less popular for the sport. From the junction with the Chambo, the Pastaza flows almost due east for about 275 kilometres (171 mi) where it then turns south-east, as it is joined by the Topo River. The Troncal Amazonas highway parallels the river from Baños to Puyo, passing through seven tunnels, and four major waterfalls that are touristic destinations for many Ecuadorians (Agoyán and Pailón del Diablo being
2023-438: Is reflected in Ecuador's ethnically diverse population, with most of its 17.8 million people being mestizos , followed by large minorities of Europeans , Native American , African , and Asian descendants. Spanish is the official language spoken by a majority of the population, although 13 native languages are also recognized, including Quechua and Shuar . Ecuador is a representative democratic presidential republic and
2142-555: Is that Ecuador and Venezuela separated from the Gran Colombian Federation and inherited all of the treaty obligations that Gran Colombia had assumed, at least to the extent that they apply to their respective territories. There are indications that Colombia itself maintained this position; Gran Colombia and its successor state, the Republic of Colombia, shared a capital city, a subset of the same territory, and much
2261-528: The 20 km walk . Ecuador adopted the United States dollar on 13 April 2000 as its national currency and on 11 September, the country eliminated the Ecuadorian sucre , in order to stabilize the country's economy . The US Dollar has been the only official currency of Ecuador since then. The emergence of the Amerindian population as an active constituency has added to the democratic volatility of
2380-571: The Axis Powers in World War II favoring Peru with the territory they occupied at the time the war came to an end. The 1944 Glorious May Revolution followed a military-civilian rebellion and a subsequent civic strike which successfully removed Carlos Arroyo del Río as a dictator from Ecuador's government. However, a post-Second World War recession and popular unrest led to a return to populist politics and domestic military interventions in
2499-659: The Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas in June 2009. Correa's administration reduced the high levels of poverty and unemployment in Ecuador. Correa's three consecutive terms (from 2007 to 2017) were followed by his former Vice President Lenín Moreno 's four years as president (2017–21). After being elected in 2017, President Moreno's government adopted economically liberal policies, such as reduction of public spending , trade liberalization , and flexibility of
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#17327823508152618-683: The Cayapas of Coastal Ecuador were the only groups to resist both Inca and Spanish domination, maintaining their languages and cultures well into the 21st century. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Inca Empire was involved in a civil war . The untimely death of both the heir Ninan Cuyochi and the Emperor Huayna Capac, from a European disease that spread into Ecuador, created a power vacuum between two factions and led to
2737-495: The Constitution of Cúcuta . Gran Colombia was constituted as a unitary centralist state. Its existence was marked by a struggle between those who supported a centralized government with a strong presidency and those who supported a decentralized, federal form of government . At the same time, another political division emerged between those who supported the Constitution of Cúcuta and two groups who sought to do away with
2856-571: The Presidency of Quito (which was still under Spanish rule in 1821). Since the new country was proclaimed soon after Bolívar's unexpected victory in New Granada , its government was temporarily set up as a federal republic, made up of three departments headed by a vice-president and with capitals in the cities of Bogotá ( Cundinamarca Department ), Caracas ( Venezuela Department ), and Quito ( Quito Department ). In that year, none of
2975-532: The Republic of Colombia ( Spanish : República de Colombia ), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern North America (aka southern Central America ) from 1819 to 1831. It included present-day Colombia , mainland Ecuador (i.e. excluding the Galápagos Islands ), Panama , and Venezuela , along with parts of northern Peru , northwestern Brazil , and claimed
3094-744: The Spanish Empire and the Portuguese Empire . Moreover, to add legitimacy to his claims, on 16 February 1840, Flores signed a treaty with Spain, whereby Flores convinced Spain to officially recognize Ecuadorian independence and its sole rights to colonial titles over Spain's former colonial territory known anciently to Spain as the Kingdom and Presidency of Quito. Ecuador during its long and turbulent history has lost most of its contested territories to each of its more powerful neighbors, such as Colombia in 1832 and 1916, Brazil in 1904 through
3213-772: The Treaty of Guayaquil (1829) which Peru reluctantly signed, after the overwhelmingly outnumbered Gran Colombian force led by Antonio José de Sucre defeated President and General La Mar's Peruvian invasion force in the Battle of Tarqui . In addition, Ecuador's eastern border with the Portuguese colony of Brazil in the Amazon Basin was modified before the Wars of Independence by the First Treaty of San Ildefonso (1777) between
3332-532: The United States of Colombia , and in 1886, adopted its present-day name: the Republic of Colombia. Panama, which voluntarily became part of it in 1821, remained a department of the Republic of Colombia until 1903 when, in great part as a consequence of the Thousand Days War of 1899–1902, it became independent under intense American pressure. The United States wanted territorial rights in the future Panama Canal Zone , which Colombia had refused. With
3451-477: The Viceroyalty of Peru and later the Viceroyalty of New Granada . The 1797 Riobamba earthquake , which caused up to 40,000 casualties, was studied by Alexander von Humboldt , when he visited the area in 1801–1802. After nearly 300 years of Spanish rule, Quito still remained small with a population of 10,000 people. On 10 August 1809, the city's criollos called for independence from Spain (first among
3570-591: The 1960s, while foreign companies developed oil resources in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In 1972, construction of the Andean pipeline was completed. The pipeline brought oil from the east side of the Andes to the coast, making Ecuador South America's second largest oil exporter. In 1978, the city of Quito and the Galápagos Islands were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites , making the first two properties in
3689-562: The Amazonian floodplain. After cutting through Ecuador, the Pastaza passes into Peru at the village of Hito Zoilaluz on Isla Zoilaluz and flows south into the Marañón River near Puerto Industrial. The Pastaza has numerous tributaries, both above and below the hydroelectric dam. These contribute to its rapid flow and to its tendency to flood. On the highway side of the Pastaza, a tributary river occurs about every 3–4 km for
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3808-594: The Americas if the new states accepted monarchs from European dynasties. In addition, Colombia and the international powers disagreed over the extension of the Colombian territory and its boundaries. Gran Colombia was proclaimed through the Fundamental Law of the Republic of Colombia, issued during the Congress of Angostura (1819), but did not come into being until the Congress of Cúcuta (1821) promulgated
3927-688: The Caqueta river and the Marañon-Amazon river. Peru ignored these protests and created the Department of Loreto in 1853 with its capital in Iquitos. Peru briefly occupied Guayaquil again in 1860, since Peru thought that Ecuador was selling some of the disputed land for development to British bond holders, but returned Guayaquil after a few months. The border dispute was then submitted to Spain for arbitration from 1880 to 1910, but to no avail. In
4046-582: The Caquetá river. Later, Ecuador contended that the Republic of Colombia, while reorganizing its government, unlawfully made its eastern border provisional and that Colombia extended its claims south to the Napo River because it said that the Government of Popayán extended its control all the way to the Napo River. When Ecuador seceded from the Gran Colombia, Peru contested Ecuador's claims with
4165-545: The Cedula of 1802 an ecclesiastical instrument, which had nothing to do with political borders. Peru began its de facto occupation of disputed Amazonian territories, after it signed a secret 1851 peace treaty in favor of Brazil. This treaty disregarded Spanish rights that were confirmed during colonial times by a Spanish-Portuguese treaty over the Amazon regarding territories held by illegal Portuguese settlers. Peru began occupying
4284-737: The Colombian government's representatives an agreement was reached and the Muñoz Vernaza-Suarez Treaty was signed 15 July 1916, in which Colombian rights to the Putumayo river were recognized as well as Ecuador's rights to the Napo river and the new border was a line that ran midpoint between those two rivers. In this way, Ecuador gave up the claims it had to the Amazonian territories between the Caquetá River and Napo River to Colombia, thus cutting itself off from Brazil. Later,
4403-503: The Congress who formerly had been ardent federalists now came to believe that centralism was necessary to successfully manage the war against the royalists . To break up regionalist tendencies and to set up efficient central control of local administration, a new territorial division was implemented in 1824. The departments of Venezuela, Cundinamarca, and Quito were split into smaller departments, each governed by an intendant appointed by
4522-506: The Constitution, either in favor of breaking up the country into smaller republics or maintaining the union but creating an even stronger presidency. The faction that favored constitutional rule coalesced around Vice-President Francisco de Paula Santander , while those who supported the creation of a stronger presidency were led by President Simón Bolívar . The two of them had been allies in the war against Spanish rule, but by 1825, their differences had become public and were an important part of
4641-648: The District of the South as far back as April 1830. Moreover, the Cauca region, throughout its long history, had very strong economic and cultural ties with the people of Ecuador. Also, the Cauca region, which included such cities as Pasto , Popayán , and Buenaventura , had always been dependent on the Presidencia or Audiencia of Quito. Fruitless negotiations continued between the governments of Bogotá and Quito, where
4760-578: The Ecuadorian border troops. Finally, on 23 July 1941, the Peruvians launched a major invasion, crossing the Zarumilla river in force and advancing into the Ecuadorian province of El Oro . During the course of the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War , Peru gained control over part of the disputed territory and some parts of the province of El Oro, and some parts of the province of Loja , demanding that
4879-605: The Ecuadorian government give up its territorial claims. The Peruvian Navy blocked the port of Guayaquil , almost cutting all supplies to the Ecuadorian troops. After a few weeks of war and under pressure by the United States and several Latin American nations, all fighting came to a stop. Ecuador and Peru came to an accord formalized in the Rio Protocol , signed on 29 January 1942, in favor of hemispheric unity against
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4998-490: The Ecuadorian military shot down Peruvian aircraft and helicopters and Peruvian infantry marched into southern Ecuador. Each country blamed the other for the onset of hostilities, known as the Cenepa War . Sixto Durán Ballén , the Ecuadorian president, famously declared that he would not give up a single centimeter of Ecuador. Popular sentiment in Ecuador became strongly nationalistic against Peru: graffiti could be seen on
5117-562: The Essequibo region. The terms Gran Colombia and Greater Colombia are used historiographically to distinguish it from the current Republic of Colombia , which is also the official name of the former state. However, international recognition of the legitimacy of the Gran Colombian state ran afoul of European opposition to the independence of states in the Americas. Austria , France , and Russia only recognized independence in
5236-503: The Fundamental Law of the Republic of Colombia during the Congress of Angostura (1819). The territory it claimed loosely corresponded to the former territories of the Viceroyalty of New Granada (1739–1777), which it claimed under the legal principle of uti possidetis . It united the territories of the former Third Republic of Venezuela , the United Provinces of New Granada , the former Royal Audiencia of Panama , and
5355-490: The Gran Colombian federation on 13 May 1830. After Ecuador's separation, the Department of Cauca voluntarily decided to unite itself with Ecuador due to instability in the central government of Bogota. The Venezuelan born President of Ecuador, the general Juan José Flores , with the approval of the Ecuadorian congress annexed the Department of Cauca on 20 December 1830, since the government of Cauca had called for union with
5474-412: The Pacific Ocean coastline. Even though their languages were unrelated, these groups developed similar groups of cultures, each based in different environments. The people of the coast combined agriculture with fishing, hunting, and gathering; the people of the highland Andes developed a sedentary agricultural way of life; and peoples of the Amazon basin relied on hunting and gathering; in some cases, this
5593-572: The Pacific Ocean known as Tumbes . In Ecuador's southern Andes Mountain region where the Marañon cuts across, Ecuador had claims to an area it called Jaén de Bracamoros . These areas were included as part of the territory of Gran Colombia by Bolivar on 17 December 1819, during the Congress of Angostura when the Republic of Gran Colombia was created. Tumbes declared itself independent from Spain on 17 January 1821, and Jaén de Bracamoros on 17 June 1821, without any outside help from revolutionary armies. However, that same year, Peruvian forces participating in
5712-405: The Pastaza. The most significant ones are in Tungurahua province - namely a large span over the exact point of headwaters, just north of Baños, and the secondary span created by the Agoyán dam. After this, bridges tend to be of the suspension type, suitable for foot or small vehicle passage only. However, it is notable that the Pastaza can be forded during the dry season in a 4x4 truck, going across
5831-427: The Peruvian border. Many people believe that he was assassinated by the CIA, given the multiple death threats against him because of his reformist agenda, the deaths in automobile crashes of two key witnesses before they could testify during the investigation, and the sometimes contradictory accounts of the incident. Roldos was immediately succeeded by Vice President Osvaldo Hurtado. In 1984, León Febres Cordero from
5950-403: The Putomayo and Marañon Rivers. In July 1941, troops were mobilized in both countries. Peru had an army of 11,681 troops who faced a poorly supplied and inadequately armed Ecuadorian force of 2,300, of which only 1,300 were deployed in the southern provinces. Hostilities erupted on 5 July 1941, when Peruvian forces crossed the Zarumilla river at several locations, testing the strength and resolve of
6069-473: The Social Christian Party was elected president. Rodrigo Borja Cevallos of the Democratic Left (Izquierda Democrática, or ID) party won the presidency in 1988, winning the runoff election against Abdalá Bucaram (brother in law of Jaime Roldos and founder of the Ecuadorian Roldosist Party). His government was committed to improving human rights protection and carried out some reforms, notably an opening of Ecuador to foreign trade. The Borja government negotiated
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#17327823508156188-445: The Spaniards executed Atahualpa by strangulation. New infectious diseases such as smallpox , endemic to the Europeans, caused high fatalities among the Amerindian population during the first decades of Spanish rule, as they had no immunity . At the same time, the natives were forced into the encomienda labor system for the Spanish. In 1563, Quito became the seat of a real audiencia (administrative district) of Spain and part of
6307-418: The Spanish Royalist forces at the Battle of Pichincha , near Quito . Following the battle, Ecuador joined Simón Bolívar 's Republic of Gran Colombia , also including modern-day Colombia , Venezuela , and Panama . In 1830, Ecuador separated from Gran Colombia and became an independent republic. Two years later, it annexed the Galapagos Islands . The 19th century was marked by instability for Ecuador with
6426-450: The Trujillo revolution occupied both Jaén and Tumbes. Peruvian generals, without any legal titles backing them up and with Ecuador still federated with the Gran Colombia, had the desire to annex Ecuador to the Republic of Peru at the expense of the Gran Colombia, feeling that Ecuador was once part of the Inca Empire. On 28 July 1821, Peruvian independence was proclaimed in Lima by San Martín, and Tumbes and Jaén, which were included as part of
6545-437: The United States of America) ruled that the border of the undelineated zone was to be set at the line of the Cordillera del Cóndor . While Ecuador had to give up its decades-old territorial claims to the eastern slopes of the Cordillera, as well as to the entire western area of Cenepa headwaters, Peru was compelled to give to Ecuador, in perpetual lease but without sovereignty, 1 km (0.39 sq mi) of its territory, in
6664-399: The Zarumilla River, war broke out with Peru. Peru claimed that Ecuador's military presence in Peruvian-claimed territory was an invasion; Ecuador, for its part, claimed that Peru had recently invaded Ecuador around the Zarumilla River and that Peru since Ecuador's independence from Spain has systematically occupied Tumbez, Jaén, and most of the disputed territories in the Amazonian Basin between
6783-422: The area where the Ecuadorian base of Tiwinza – focal point of the war – had been located within Peruvian soil and which the Ecuadorian Army held during the conflict. The final border demarcation came into effect on 13 May 1999, and the multi-national MOMEP (Military Observer Mission for Ecuador and Peru) troop deployment withdrew on 17 June 1999. In 1972, a "revolutionary and nationalist" military junta overthrew
6902-418: The central government, with the same powers that Bourbon intendants had. Realizing that not all of the provinces were represented at Cúcuta because many areas of the country remained in royalist hands, the congress called for a new constitutional convention to meet in ten years. In its first years, it helped other provinces still at war with Spain to become independent: all of Venezuela except Puerto Cabello
7021-423: The central government. Support for Páez and his revolt—which came to be known as the Cosiata (a Venezuelan colloquialism of the time meaning "the insignificant thing") in Venezuelan history—spread throughout Venezuela, aided by the fact that it did not explicitly stand for anything, except defiance to the central government. Nevertheless, the support Páez received from across the Venezuelan political spectrum posed
7140-511: The confusion would not arise. The word " Colombia " is the Castilian version of the eighteenth-century Neo-Latin word " Columbia " which derives from the family name of the Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus . It was the term proposed by the Venezuelan revolutionary Francisco de Miranda to denote the New World region of the Western Hemisphere , especially to all American territories and colonies under Spanish colonial rule . He used an improvised, quasi-Greek adjectival version of
7259-436: The constitution, either in favor of breaking up the country into smaller republics or maintaining the union but creating an even stronger presidency. The faction that favored constitutional rule and a federal state coalesced around vice-president Francisco de Paula Santander , while those who supported the creation of a stronger presidency and national unity were led by President Simón Bolívar . The two of them had been allies in
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#17327823508157378-410: The country in recent years. The population has been motivated by government failures to deliver on promises of land reform, lower unemployment and provision of social services, and the historical exploitation by the land-holding elite. Their movement, along with the continuing destabilizing efforts by both the elite and leftist movements, has led to a deterioration of the executive office. The populace and
7497-435: The country in the 1860s with the support of the Roman Catholic Church. In the late 19th century, world demand for cocoa tied the economy to commodity exports and led to migrations from the highlands to the agricultural frontier on the coast. Ecuador abolished slavery in 1851. The descendants of enslaved Ecuadorians are among today's Afro-Ecuadorian population. The Liberal Revolution of 1895 under Eloy Alfaro reduced
7616-433: The country was divided into twelve departments each governed by an intendant . Departments were further divided into thirty-six provinces, each headed by a governor, who had overlapping powers with the intendant. Military affairs at the department level were overseen by a commandant general , who could also be the intendant. All three offices were appointed by the central government. The central government, which temporarily
7735-521: The department and republic, is located only about 40 kilometers (25 mi), 1 ⁄ 4 of a degree , south of the equator. Various peoples had settled in the area of future Ecuador before the arrival of the Incas . The archeological evidence suggests that the Paleo-Indians ' first dispersal into the Americas occurred near the end of the last glacial period , around 16,500–13,000 years ago. The first people who reached Ecuador may have journeyed by land from North and Central America or by boat down
7854-459: The disbanding of the small terrorist group, " ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo! " ("Alfaro Lives, Dammit!"), named after Eloy Alfaro . However, continuing economic problems undermined the popularity of the ID party, and opposition parties gained control of Congress in 1999. A notable event was the Cenepa War fought between Ecuador and Peru in 1995. Ecuador won its first Olympic medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta when Jefferson Pérez won gold in
7973-469: The dispute in an equitable manner and to submit the differing points of the dispute to the United States for arbitration. Negotiations between the Ecuadorian and Peruvian representatives began in Washington on 30 September 1935. The negotiations turned into arguments during the next 7 months and finally on 29 September 1937, the Peruvian representatives decided to break off the negotiations. In 1941, amid fast-growing tensions within disputed territories around
8092-410: The domestication of animals formed. Eventually, through wars and marriage alliances of their leaders , groups of nations formed confederations. When the Incas arrived, they found that these confederations were so developed that it took the Incas two generations of rulers— Topa Inca Yupanqui and Huayna Capac —to absorb them into the Inca Empire . People belonging to the confederations that gave them
8211-412: The early part of the 20th century, Ecuador made an effort to peacefully define its eastern Amazonian borders with its neighbours through negotiation. On 6 May 1904, Ecuador signed the Tobar-Rio Branco Treaty recognizing Brazil's claims to the Amazon in recognition of Ecuador's claim to be an Amazonian country to counter Peru's earlier Treaty with Brazil back on 23 October 1851. Then after a few meetings with
8330-485: The end of the eighteenth century, its textile industry had suffered because cheaper textiles were being imported. After independence, it adopted a low-tariff policy, which benefited agricultural regions such as Venezuela. Moreover, from 1820 to 1825, the area was ruled directly by Bolívar because of the extraordinary powers granted to him. His top priority was the war in Peru against the royalists, not solving Ecuador's economic problems. Having been incorporated later, Ecuador
8449-462: The environment and indigenous people more hostile. Moreover, when the Incas tried to subdue them, these indigenous people withdrew to the interior and resorted to guerrilla tactics. As a result, Inca expansion into the Amazon Basin and the Pacific coast of Ecuador was hampered. The indigenous people of the Amazon jungle and coastal Ecuador remained relatively autonomous until the Spanish soldiers and missionaries arrived in force. The Amazonian people and
8568-407: The exception of Panama (which, as mentioned, achieved independence seven decades later), the countries that were created have similar flags, reminiscent of the flag of Gran Colombia: Before a new constitution could be written by the 1821 Congress of Cúcuta , the 1819 Congress of Angostura appointed Bolívar and Santander president and vice president, respectively. Under the Constitution of Cúcuta ,
8687-562: The failure of Bolívar's vision. The former republic was replaced by the republics of Venezuela, Ecuador, and New Granada. The former Department of Cundinamarca (as established in 1819 at the Congress of Angostura ) became a new country, the Republic of New Granada . In 1858, New Granada was replaced by the Granadine Confederation . Later in 1863, the Granadine Confederation changed its name officially to
8806-519: The floodplains below the town of Mera. Ecuador Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador , is a country in northwestern South America , bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 1,000 kilometers (621 mi) west of the mainland. The country's capital
8925-429: The formation of new nation-states. The significance of this view is that the treaties Peru had signed with Gran Colombia became void when the countersignatory ceased to exist. The three new states, the Republic of New Granada (which later changed its name to Republic of Colombia ), the Republic of Venezuela , and the Republic of Ecuador , in the Peruvian view, started with a clean diplomatic slate. An alternative view
9044-467: The future of the region, but no formal independence was declared at either. That same month, skirmishes broke out between the supporters of Páez and Bolívar in the east and south of Venezuela. By the end of the year, Bolívar was in Maracaibo preparing to march into Venezuela with an army, if necessary. Ultimately, political compromises prevented this. In January, Bolívar offered the rebellious Venezuelans
9163-693: The government of Bogotá did not recognize the separation of Ecuador or that of Cauca from the Gran Colombia until war broke out in May 1832. In five months, New Granada defeated Ecuador due to the fact that the majority of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces were composed of rebellious angry unpaid veterans from Venezuela and Colombia that did not want to fight against their fellow countrymen. Seeing that his officers were rebelling, mutinying, and changing sides, President Flores had no option but to reluctantly make peace with New Granada. The Treaty of Pasto of 1832
9282-717: The government of Velasco Ibarra. The coup d'état was led by General Guillermo Rodríguez and executed by navy commander Jorge Queirolo G. The new president exiled José María Velasco to Argentina. He remained in power until 1976, when he was removed by another military government. That military junta was led by Admiral Alfredo Poveda , who was declared chairman of the Supreme Council. The Supreme Council included two other members: General Guillermo Durán Arcentales and General Luis Pintado. The civil society more and more insistently called for democratic elections. Colonel Richelieu Levoyer , Government Minister, proposed and implemented
9401-425: The government restored fuel subsidies and withdrew an austerity package, which ended nearly two weeks of protests. In the 11 April 2021 election , conservative former banker Guillermo Lasso took 52.4% of the vote, compared to 47.6% for left-wing economist Andrés Aráuz , who was supported by exiled former president Correa. Lasso had finished second in the 2013 and 2017 presidential elections. On 24 May 2021, Lasso
9520-576: The government waived the right to tax increases in raw material prices and foreign exchange repatriations. In October 2018, Moreno cut diplomatic relations with the Maduro administration of Venezuela, a close ally of Correa. The relations with the United States improved significantly under Moreno. In June 2019, Ecuador agreed to allow US military planes to operate from an airport on the Galapagos Islands. In February 2020, his visit to Washington
9639-506: The intention of using them as springboards to occupy the independent city of Guayaquil and then liberate the rest of the Audiencia de Quito (Ecuador). It was common knowledge among officers of the liberation army from the south that their leader San Martín wished to liberate present-day Ecuador and add it to the future republic of Peru, since it had been part of the Inca Empire before the Spaniards conquered it. However, Bolívar 's intention
9758-484: The labour code. Ecuador also left the left-wing Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (Alba) in August 2018. The Productive Development Act introduced an austerity policy, and reduced the previous development and redistribution policies. Regarding taxes, the authorities aimed to "encourage the return of investors" by granting amnesty to fraudsters and proposing measures to reduce tax rates for large companies . In addition,
9877-588: The missionary villages in the Mainas or Maynas region, which it began calling Loreto, with its capital in Iquitos . During its negotiations with Brazil, Peru claimed Amazonian Basin territories up to Caqueta River in the north and toward the Andes Mountain range. Colombia protested stating that its claims extended south toward the Napo and Amazon Rivers. Ecuador protested that it claimed the Amazon Basin between
9996-439: The most popular.) Just past the town of Santa Inez, the Pastaza River crosses into the province of Pastaza , where it forms the boundary between that province and Morona-Santiago . At the town of Mera , shortly before reaching Puyo, the river exits the mountains and flows into a wide valley, becoming wider and shallower. After Shell the river becomes braided and meanders , leaving oxbows and sloughs along its route across
10115-482: The most problems were deported to distant areas of Peru, Bolivia, and north Argentina. Similarly, a number of loyal Inca subjects from Peru and Bolivia were brought to Ecuador to prevent rebellion. Thus, the region of highland Ecuador became part of the Inca Empire in 1463 sharing the same language. In contrast, when the Incas made incursions into coastal Ecuador and the eastern Amazon jungles of Ecuador, they found both
10234-462: The name, "Colombia", to mean papers and things "relating to Colombia", as the title of the archive of his revolutionary activities. Simón Bolívar and other Spanish American revolutionaries also used the word "Colombia" in the continental sense. The 1819 proclamation of a country with the name "Colombia" by the Congress of Angostura gave the term a specific geographic and political reference. The total population of Gran Colombia after independence
10353-434: The national congress in 1826. Gran Colombia was constituted as a unitary centralist state. Its history was marked by a struggle between those who supported a centralized government with a strong presidency and those who supported a decentralized, federal form of government . At the same time, another political division emerged between those who supported the Constitution of Cúcuta and two groups who sought to do away with
10472-530: The new constituent assembly, the Convention of Ocaña, began its sessions. At its opening, Bolívar again proposed a new constitution based on the Bolivian one, but this suggestion continued to be unpopular. The convention fell apart when pro-Bolívar delegates walked out rather than sign a federalist constitution. After this failure, Bolívar believed that by centralizing his constitutional powers he could prevent
10591-541: The newly discovered Real Cedula of 1802, by which Peru claims the King of Spain had transferred these lands from the Viceroyalty of New Granada to the Viceroyalty of Peru. During colonial times this was to halt the ever-expanding Portuguese settlements into Spanish domains, which were left vacant and in disorder after the expulsion of Jesuit missionaries from their bases along the Amazon Basin. Ecuador countered by labeling
10710-537: The original jurisdiction of the former Viceroyalty of New Granada , it also claimed the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, the Mosquito Coast , as well as most of Esequiba . Its proclaimed name was the Republic of Colombia. Historians have adopted the term "Gran Colombia" to distinguish this republic from the present-day Republic of Colombia, which began using the name in 1863, although many use Colombia where
10829-558: The other branches of government give the president very little political capital, as illustrated by the most recent removal of President Lucio Gutiérrez from office by Congress in April 2005. Vice President Alfredo Palacio took his place In the election of 2006 , Rafael Correa gained the presidency. In January 2007, several left-wing political leaders of Latin America, his future allies, attended his swearing-in ceremony. Endorsed in
10948-458: The peoples of Latin America). They were led by Juan Pío Montúfar, Quiroga, Salinas, and Bishop Cuero y Caicedo. Quito's nickname, " Luz de América " ("Light of America"), is based on its leading role in trying to secure an independent, local government. Although the new government lasted no more than two months, it had important repercussions and was an inspiration for the independence movement of
11067-436: The political instability from that year onward. Gran Colombia was dissolved in 1831 due to the political differences that existed between supporters of federalism and centralism, as well as regional tensions among the peoples that made up the republic. It broke into the successor states of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela; Panama was separated from Colombia in 1903. Since Gran Colombia's territory corresponded more or less to
11186-433: The power of the clergy and the conservative land owners. This liberal wing retained power until the military "Julian Revolution" of 1925. The 1930s and 1940s were marked by instability and emergence of populist politicians, such as five-time President José María Velasco Ibarra . Brasilia Presidential Act After Ecuador's separation from Colombia on 13 May 1830, its first President, General Juan José Flores , laid claim to
11305-567: The presidency and the country to accept him. The federation finally dissolved in the closing months of 1830 and was formally abolished in 1831. Venezuela, Ecuador, and New Granada came to exist as independent states. On 3 June 1828 Bolívar declared war on Peru over Gran Colombian claims on the Peruvian territories of Jaén and Maynas . The war ended in the Treaty of Guayaquil, which was signed on 22 September 1829 and went into effect on 27 October 1829. The dissolution of Gran Colombia represented
11424-414: The president. Since President Bolívar was absent from Gran Colombia for the early years of its existence, executive power was wielded by the vice president, Santander. The vote was given to persons who owned 100 pesos in landed property or had an equivalent income from a profession. Elections were indirect . In Peru, the dissolution of Gran Colombia is seen as a country ceasing to exist, giving way to
11543-485: The provinces of Quito, nor many in Venezuela and New Granada, were free yet. The Constitution of Cúcuta was drafted in 1821 at the Congress of Cúcuta , establishing the republic's capital in Bogotá. Bolívar and Santander were appointed by the Congress as the country's president and vice-president. A great degree of centralization was established by the assembly at Cúcuta since several New Granadan and Venezuelan deputies of
11662-505: The rest of Spanish America. Today, 10 August is celebrated as Independence Day, a national holiday . On 9 October 1820, the Department of Guayaquil became the first territory in Ecuador to gain its independence from Spain, and it spawned most of the Ecuadorian coastal provinces, establishing itself as an independent state. Its inhabitants celebrated what is now Ecuador's official Independence Day on 24 May 1822. The rest of Ecuador gained its independence after Antonio José de Sucre defeated
11781-417: The revolution of Trujillo by the Peruvian occupying force, had the whole region swear allegiance to the new Peruvian flag and incorporated itself into Peru. Gran Colombia had always protested Peru for the return of Jaén and Tumbes for almost a decade, then finally Bolivar after long and futile discussion over the return of Jaén, Tumbes, and part of Mainas, declared war. President and General José de La Mar , who
11900-492: The same citizenry. It would be unnatural to disavow their common histories. The question of the status of treaties and accords dating to the revolutionary period (1809–1819) and Gran Colombia period (1819–1830) has a profound effect on international relations to the present day. There have been attempts at the reunification of Gran Colombia since the separation of Panama from Colombia in 1903. People in favor of reunification are called "unionistas" or unionists. In 2008,
12019-685: The separatists (the New Granadians represented mainly by Francisco de Paula Santander and José María Obando , and the Venezuelans by José Antonio Páez ) from bringing down the union. He ultimately failed to do so. As the collapse of the country became evident in 1830, Bolívar resigned from the presidency. Internal political strife between the different regions intensified even as General Rafael Urdaneta temporarily took power in Bogotá, attempting to use his authority to ostensibly restore order, but actually hoping to convince Bolívar to return to
12138-664: The signing of the Treaty of Guayaquil in September 1829, whereby Peru and its Congress recognized Gran Colombian rights over Tumbes, Jaén, and Maynas. Through meetings between Peru and Gran Colombia, the border was set as Tumbes river in the west, and in the east, the Maranon and Amazon rivers were to be followed toward Brazil as the most natural borders between them. According to the peace negotiations Peru agreed to return Guayaquil, Tumbez, and Jaén; despite this, Peru returned Guayaquil, but failed to return Tumbes and Jaén, alleging that it
12257-570: The territory that had belonged to the Real Audiencia of Quito , also referred to as the Presidencia of Quito. He supported his claims with Spanish Royal decrees, or real cedulas , that delineated the borders of Spain's former overseas colonies. In the case of Ecuador, Flores based Ecuador's de jure claims on the Real Cedulas of 1563, 1739, and 1740; with modifications in the Amazon Basin and Andes Mountains that were introduced through
12376-632: The walls of Quito referring to Peru as the " Cain de Latinoamérica ", a reference to the murder of Abel by his brother Cain in the Book of Genesis . Ecuador and Peru signed the Brasilia Presidential Act peace agreement on 26 October 1998, which ended hostilities, and effectively put an end to the Western Hemisphere's longest running territorial dispute. The Guarantors of the Rio Protocol (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and
12495-525: The war against Spanish rule, but by 1825, their differences had become public and were an important part of the political instability from that year onward. As the war against Spain came to an end in the mid-1820s, federalist and regionalist sentiments that had been suppressed for the sake of the war arose once again. There were calls for a modification of the political division, and related economic and commercial disputes between regions reappeared. Ecuador had important economic and political grievances. Since
12614-623: The world to become listed sites. The Rio Protocol failed to precisely resolve the border along a little river in the remote Cordillera del Cóndor region in southern Ecuador. This caused a long-simmering dispute between Ecuador and Peru, which ultimately led to fighting between the two countries; first a border skirmish in January–February 1981 known as the Paquisha Incident , and ultimately full-scale warfare in January 1995 where
12733-584: The world to recognize legally enforceable rights of nature . The country's name means " Equator " in Spanish, truncated from the Spanish official name, República del Ecuador ( lit. "Republic of the Equator"), derived from the former Ecuador Department of Gran Colombia established in 1824 as a division of the former territory of the Royal Audience of Quito . Quito, which remained the capital of
12852-407: Was 1.5 percent (as compared to 0.6 percent over the prior two decades). At the same time, the country's Gini index of economic inequality improved from 0.55 to 0.47. One of 17 megadiverse countries in the world, Ecuador hosts many endemic plants and animals, such as those of the Galápagos Islands . In recognition of its unique ecological heritage, the new constitution of 2008 is the first in
12971-447: Was 2,583,799, lower than the 2,900,000 population of the territory before independence with Indians numbering 1,200,000 people or 50% of the population. However in the modern-day territory of Colombia, the population was 1,327,000. Including 700,000 Indians which made up 53% of the population of the territory of Colombia. It was proclaimed by the Congress of Cúcuta in 1821 in the Constitution of Cúcuta and had been promulgated through
13090-452: Was also underrepresented in all branches of the central government, and Ecuadorians had little opportunity to rise to command positions in its army. Even local political offices were often staffed by Venezuelans and New Granadans. No outright separatist movement emerged in Ecuador, but these problems were never resolved in the ten-year existence of the country. The strongest calls for a federal arrangement instead came from Venezuela, where there
13209-512: Was born in Ecuador, believing his opportunity had come to annex the District of Ecuador to Peru, personally, with a Peruvian force, invaded and occupied Guayaquil and a few cities in the Loja region of southern Ecuador on 28 November 1828. The war ended when an outnumbered southern Gran Colombian army at Battle of Tarqui on 27 February 1829, led by Antonio José de Sucre , defeated the Peruvian invasion force led by President La Mar. This defeat led to
13328-459: Was liberated at the Battle of Carabobo , Panama joined the federation in November 1821, and the provinces of Pasto , Guayaquil and Quito in 1822. That year Colombia became the first Spanish American republic recognized by the United States, due to the efforts of diplomat Manuel Torres . Its army later consolidated the independence of Peru in 1824. Bolívar and Santander were re-appointed by
13447-532: Was not obligated to follow the agreements, since the Gran Colombia ceased to exist when it divided itself into three different nations – Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. The Central District of the Gran Colombia, known as Cundinamarca or New Granada (modern Colombia) with its capital in Bogota, did not recognize the separation of the Southern District of the Gran Colombia, with its capital in Quito, from
13566-595: Was signed by which the Department of Cauca was turned over to New Granada (modern Colombia), the government of Bogotá recognized Ecuador as an independent country and the border was to follow the Ley de División Territorial de la República de Colombia (Law of the Division of Territory of the Gran Colombia) passed on 25 June 1824. This law set the border at the river Carchi and the eastern border that stretched to Brazil at
13685-528: Was strong federalist sentiment among the region's liberals , many of whom had not fought in the war of independence but had supported Spanish liberalism in the previous decade and who now allied themselves with the conservative Commandant General of the Department of Venezuela, José Antonio Páez , against the central government. In 1826, Venezuela came close to seceding . That year, Congress began impeachment proceedings against Páez, who resigned his post on April 28 but reassumed it two days later in defiance of
13804-718: Was sworn in, becoming the country's first right-wing leader in 14 years. Lasso's party CREO Movement, and its ally the Social Christian Party (PSC) won only 31 parliamentary seats out of 137, while Aráuz's Union for Hope (UNES) won 49 seats, which meant Lasso needed support from the Izquierda Democrática and the indigenist Pachakutik parties to push through his legislative agenda. Gran Colombia Gran Colombia ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈɡɾaŋ koˈlombja] , "Great Colombia "), also known as Greater Colombia and officially
13923-408: Was the first meeting between an Ecuadorian and U.S. president in 17 years. A series of protests began on 3 October 2019 against the end of fuel subsidies and austerity measures adopted by Moreno. On 10 October, protesters overran Quito, the capital, causing the Government of Ecuador to relocate temporarily to Guayaquil . The government eventually returned to Quito in 2019. On 14 October 2019,
14042-489: Was to form a new republic known as the Gran Colombia , out of the liberated Spanish territory of New Granada which consisted of Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. San Martín's plans were thwarted when Bolívar, descended from the Andes mountains and occupied Guayaquil; they also annexed the newly liberated Audiencia de Quito to the Republic of Gran Colombia. In the south, Ecuador had claims to a small piece of land beside
14161-530: Was to reside in Bogotá , consisted of a presidency, a bicameral congress, and a high court (the Alta Corte ). The president was the head of the executive branch of both the central and local governments. The president could be granted extraordinary powers in military fronts , such as the area that became Ecuador. The vice-president assumed the presidency in case of the absence, death, demotion, or illness of
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