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: ' ...
. It is the seat of the
Esmeraldas Canton
Esmeraldas Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Esmeraldas Province. Its capital is the town of Esmeraldas. Its population at the 2001 census was 157,792.
Demographics
Ethnic groups as of the Ecuadorian census of 2010:
*Afro-Ecuadoria ...
and capital of the
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%
...
. It has an international sea
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
and a small airport ( IATA location identifier: ESM). Esmeraldas is the major seaport of northwestern Ecuador, and it lies on the Pacific coast at the mouth of the
Esmeraldas River
The Esmeraldas River is a river in northwestern Ecuador that flows into the Pacific Ocean at the city of Esmeraldas. Among its tributaries is the Guayllabamba River which drains Quito. Charles Marie de la Condamine sailed up it and then climbed ...
Padang, Indonesia
Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. ...
. The city is the principal trading hub for the region's agricultural and lumber resources, and is the terminus of the 313-mile (504-km) Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline from the oil fields in northeastern Ecuador.
Esmeraldas is well known around Latin America given the large number of locals that have historically played in the
Ecuador national football team
The Ecuador national football team ( es, Selección de fútbol de Ecuador) represents Ecuador in men's international football and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF). They joined FIFA in 1926 and CONMEBOL a year later.
D ...
.
The main activities of the city are commerce, industry and agriculture. It offers beautiful beaches with landscapes and a warm climate, which make it one of the most visited tourist destinations in the area.
On 19 December 2016, a 5.8 Richter scale earthquake shook the city of Esmeraldas.
Economy
The port of Esmeraldas is economically important for the northern part of Ecuador, and the port of
Balao
Balao is a town located in southern Guayas, Ecuador, near Azuay and El Oro provinces. It is the seat of Balao Canton, created in 1987.
As of the census of 2001, there are 17,262 people residing within canton limits. The city is communicated w ...
is an important oil processing facility. Here wood and wood chips are mainly exported; bananas and other agricultural products are also exported.
Agriculture and livestock
The soil allows the production of rice, maize, African Palm, albacá and a variety of tropical fruits. Among the main forest species are: chanul, raft,
laurel
Laurel may refer to:
Plants
* Lauraceae, the laurel family
* Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel
People
* Laurel (given name), people with the given name
* Laurel (surname), people with the surname
* Laurel (mus ...
, sande,
guayacán
''Guaiacum'' (''OED'' 2nd edition, 1989.Entry "guaiacum" in tangaré. Cattle and pig rearing are also important. The fishing industry is also an important economic indicator of the region, and includes species like
corvina
Corvina is an Italian wine grape variety that is sometimes also referred to as Corvina Veronese or Cruina. The total global wine-growing area in 2010 was , all of which is grown in the Veneto region of northeast Italy, except for planted in Ar ...
, snapper, lisa and
tuna
A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max len ...
.
Industry
Industry in Esmeraldas consists of manufacturing, timber, chemicals and oil. Concerns exist about forest management and
deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...
in the Chaco rainforest.
The trans-Andean pipeline was completed in August 1972, connecting the Oriente reserves to refining facilities in Esmeraldas, and the oil industry is the largest employer. In 1987, the refinery was expanded for the first time to . The second expansion, to , occurred in 1995. The plant is currently running at 80 percent capacity with hopes to return to full capacity by 2014. The petrol produced there is used for mixtures because of its high
aromaticity
In chemistry, aromaticity is a chemical property of cyclic ( ring-shaped), ''typically'' planar (flat) molecular structures with pi bonds in resonance (those containing delocalized electrons) that gives increased stability compared to satur ...
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''BSh'') with a
wet season
The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...
from January to April, a
dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...
from May to December, and consistently very warm to hot and cloudy weather due to fog from the Humboldt Current.
Tourism
Tourist attractions include beaches, virgin forests, the culture of the indigenous Cayapas people, marimba and Afro-Ecuadorian music and the La Tolita archaeological zone. Other attractions include Atacames, famous for the "crazy coconut" (coco-loco, traditional drink made with coconut water) and its handicrafts in black and red coral. Same, an area of large palms and serene blue waters;
Muisne
Muisne is a coastal town in the southwest of the province of Esmeraldas in northwestern Ecuador, with 5,925 inhabitants in the last Ecuadorian census in 2010. It is the seat of the namesake canton.
The town is located on the northern tip of the ...
, with pristine beaches of warm sand inhabited by red crabs in a tropical atmosphere; Quinindé, with vast African palm trees and guadúa houses; and Tonsupa, famous for its beautiful sunsets.
The U.S. State Department advises not to travel to the northern border region of Ecuador, including the northern part of Esmeraldas, due to crime.
Infrastructure
The main road runs along the coast by joining La Tola, Lagarto, Montalvo, Rocafuerte, Río Verde, Camarones, Tachina y San Mateo. Other routes are: Esmeraldas - Atacames - Súa - La Unión - Muisne - Esmeraldas - Quinindé (Rosa Zarate) that lead to Santo Domingo and Quito. The Quito - San Lorenzo rail network is still in use.
The ''Carlos Concha Torres'' International Airport has offered both national and international services to
Cali, Colombia
Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...
.
Notable people
*
Pervis Estupiñán
Pervis Josué Estupiñán Tenorio (born 21 January 1998) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for club Brighton & Hove Albion and the Ecuador national team.
Club career
Born in Esmeraldas, Estupiñán joined LDU ...
(born 1998), footballer for
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
Enner Valencia
Enner Remberto Valencia Lastra (born 4 November 1989) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe and captains the Ecuador national team.
He previously played for Emelec in Ecuador, where ...