Flag and Facts
The flag of Ecuador consists of three stripes of color with a coat of arms in the center. The three colors, yellow, blue, and red, are the original colors of the flag of Gran Colombia, the republic that Ecuador withdrew from in 1830. Yellow represents sunshine, grain, and mineral wealth, blue represents the sky, the sea, and rivers, and red represents the blood of patriots spilled in the revolution and struggle for justice. The coat of arms usually appears on the flag when used abroad or when used for official purposes, to distinguish it from the flag of Colombia, which uses the same three stripe design as Ecuador. The coat of arms includes an Andean Condor sitting atop an oval shield. In the shield, there is an image of a steamship on a river with snowcapped mountains and a sun in the background.
Drawn Flag
Ecuadorian Flag
Economics
Ecuador is a country with many resources and an enormous amount of economic potential. The development in Ecuador has focused on agricultural, marine, and mineral resources, with industry being a smaller part. Agriculture has traditionally employed a large part of the population, and many farmers grow for themselves and their families. Production of tropical crops like bananas, cacao, and coffee have provided much-needed foreign exchange for the country. Coastal residences are made of native bamboo plants and in the highlands, pine and eucalyptus plantations offer fuel and construction materials. The major marine product is shrimp, which are raised in large ponds built in coastal mangrove swampland. Ecuador’s major resource is its soil, which allows for a huge variety of agricultural production. The full mineral potential of Ecuador is still being determined, as it has gold deposits throughout the country, large deposits of natural gas in the Gulf of Guayaquil, large deposits of low-grade copper ore in the west of Cuenca, and many more smaller deposits of minerals. The Andes mountains show potential for hydroelectric power, but hydroelectric power projects in the past have presented serious siltation problems. Oil and gold are Ecuador's most valuable extraction products. The major exports include crude oil and derivatives, shrimp, bananas, coffee, cocoa, and Panama hats. The main export locations are the United States, Peru, China, Chile, and Panama. The service section makes up for about half of Ecuador’s gross domestic product, with transportation and tourism accounting for most of the industry. About three fifths of Ecuador’s labor force works in the service industry. The currency of the country is the US Dollar, from 2000, when austerity measures were put in place to try to fix the economic crisis. Overall, although the country has suffered due to depressions and a drop in oil prices, Ecuador has many resources and great amounts of economic possibility.
The. “Galapagos Islands | Location, Animals, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Mar. 1999, www.britannica.com/place/Galapagos-Islands. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.