:''The following article is about the Loja Canton. For the Loja Province, see
Loja Province
Loja Province () is one of 24 provinces in Ecuador and shares its southern border on the west with El Oro Province, on the north with El Azuay, and on the east with Zamora-Chinchipe. Founded on its present site in 1548 by Captain Alonso de Mer ...
and for the city, see
Loja, Ecuador
Loja (), formerly Loxa and fully City of the Immaculate Conception of Loja ( es, Ciudad de la Inmaculada Concepción de Loja), is the capital of Ecuador's Loja Province. It is located in the Cuxibamba valley in the south of the country, sharin ...
.''
Loja Canton is located in the southeast of the
Province of Loja bordering the
Podocarpus National Park
Podocarpus National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Podocarpus) is a national park located in the provinces of Zamora Chinchipe and Loja Province, Loja, in the south-east of Ecuador. It was created in 1982.
It covers 1462.80 km2, from two spur ...
and the
Province of Zamora-Chinchipe in the east and south, and the cantons of Saraguro in the north, Catamayo, Gonzanama, and Quilanga in the west. The principal city is
Loja which is also the provincial capital. It is also home to
Vilcabamba, the "Valley of Longevity."
Demographics
Ethnic groups as of the
Ecuadorian census The Ecuadorian census is conducted by the governmental institution known as ''INEC'', ''Instituto Nacional de Estadisticas y Censos'' (National Institute of Statistics and Census).INEC The census in Ecuador is conducted every 10 years, and its obj ...
of 2010:
*
Mestizo
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
90.2%
*
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 on ...
3.5%
*
Indigenous 2.6%
*
Afro-Ecuadorian
Afro-Ecuadorians or Afroecuatorianos (Spanish), are Ecuadorians of predominantly Sub-Saharan African descent.
History and background
Most Afro-Ecuadorians are the descendants of enslaved Africans who were transported by Spanish slavers to Ecuad ...
2.5%
*Montubio 1.1%
*Other 0.1%
Sights
* City of
Loja
* National Shrine of Our Lady of
El Cisne
El Cisne is a city in the southern region of Ecuador, in Loja province, about from the city of Loja, Ecuador, Loja.
The city is known for the much venerated Marian National Shrine of Our Lady of El Cisne.
History
The inhabitants of El Cisne re ...
.
* Reynaldo Espinoza Botanical Gardens (one of the world's highest-altitude botanical gardens, at 2100m)
* The Incan ruins of de Ciudadela, Quinara, Taranza, and Llano Grande.
Traditional celebrations
* Border Integration Fair, September 8
* Province Day, September 18
* Independence of Loja, November 18
* Founding of Loja, December 8
References
Cantons of Loja Province
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