Ecuador Highway 15 (E15) is the main coastal
trunk highway of mainland
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: ' ...
.
Route description
Esmeraldas Province
E15 starts on the border with
Colombia on a bridge over the
Mataje River
The Mataje River is a South American river belonging to the Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on ...
, in
Esmeraldas Province
Esmeraldas () is a province in northwestern Ecuador. The capital is Esmeraldas.
The province is home to the Afro-Ecuadorian culture.
Demographics
Ethnic groups as of the Ecuadorian census of 2010:
* Mestizo 44.7%
* Afro-Ecuadorian 43.9%
...
. This section of the route is not near the coast. Near San Lorenzo, there is a connection with E10, which leads east towards Ibarra.
Passing the San Lorenzo area, the trunk begins to skirt the coast through the city of
Esmeraldas and the towns of
Atacames and Sua. In Esmeraldas, the route links with the start of the Northern Transverse (
E20), which connects with Santo Domingo in the Province of
Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and the capital,
Quito, in the province of Pichincha. At the height of the town of Shua, take the road heading south away momentarily from the coast to the town of
Pedernales in the province of Manabi.
Manabi Province
From
Cojimíes, in the province of Manabi, E15 returns to skirt the coast through the coastal town of Jama and the coastal cities of Bahia de Caraquez and Manta. In Manta, the backbone connects to the Central Cross (E30) linking it to
Portoviejo
Portoviejo (), also known as San Gregorio de Portoviejo, is a city in Ecuador, and the capital of the Provinces of Ecuador, Province of Manabí Province, Manabí from the Pacific coast. It is still known as the city of the "Royal Tamarind Trees" ...
, Manabi and
Latacunga
Latacunga (; Quechua: Latakunga) is a plateau town of Ecuador, capital of the Cotopaxi Province, south of Quito, near the confluence of the Alaquez and Cutuchi rivers to form the Patate, the headstream of the Pastaza. At the time of census 2 ...
, Cotopaxi, the two east. South of Manta the path of the Core Pacific (E15) leads through the towns of Puerto Cayo Manabi and Puerto Lopez.
Santa Elena Province
Once in the Province of Santa Elena, E15 passes through a number of villages and seaside resorts of high attraction as Ayampe, Olon, Montañita, Ayangue Ballenita, etc. At the height of the city of Santa Elena, the trunk meets the Southern Cross (E40). The combined route, which carries the designation E15 / E40, extends southwest direction, culminating in the city of Salinas in the west of the Punta de Santa Elena (Point westernmost end Ecuador continental).
015
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