![Atardecer en Balsas, la ciudad vergel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Atardecer_en_Balsas%2C_la_ciudad_vergel.jpg)
Balsas is a
canton in
El Oro Province
El Oro (; ''oro'' = gold) is the southernmost of Ecuador's coastal provinces. It was named for its historically important gold production. Today it is one of the world's major exporters of bananas. The capital is Machala.
History
The area was s ...
,
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
. Its seat is
Balsas.
It is the location of one of three official border crossings into Peru. The name, Balsas, refers to the balsa wood rafts that travellers used to take over the river to make the crossing, though there is now a bridge spanning the river. This is the least used of the Ecuador:Peru border crossings, but is recommended as an adventurous option in Lonely Planet's South America On A Shoestring.
Population: 6861
Demographics
Ethnic groups as of the
Ecuadorian census of 2010:
*
Mestizo 86.2%
*
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
6.2%
*Montubio 4.7%
*
Afro-Ecuadorian 2.8%
*
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
0.0%
*Other 0.1%
References
Cantons of El Oro Province
{{Cantons of Ecuador