Orellana () is an inland
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
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: ' ...
. The capital is
Puerto Francisco de Orellana (also known as Coca). It was created on July 30, 1998, from part of
Napo Province
Napo () is a province in Ecuador. Its capital is Tena. The province contains the Napo River. The province is low developed without much industrial presence. The thick rainforest is home to many natives that remain isolated by preference, descenda ...
.
The name of the province derives from the explorer
Francisco de Orellana
Francisco de Orellana Bejarano Pizarro y Torres de Altamirano (; 1511 – November 1546) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. In one of the most improbably successful voyages in known history, Orellana managed to sail the length of the Amaz ...
who it is told to have sailed from somewhere near the town to the Atlantic Ocean. He did this trip several times looking for the gold city of El Dorado and in search of a rumored Nutmeg forest which at the time was a very expensive spice. During his voyages he met a ferocious tribe of Indians who attacked his ships and many among them were women. This led to the naming of the river as the Amazon river.
The province is divided in four cantons.
Cantons
The province is divided into four
cantons. The following table lists each with its population at the 2001
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
, its area in square kilometres (km²), and the name of the
canton seat
A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, th ...
or
capital.
Demographics
Ethnic groups as of the
Ecuadorian census of 2010:
*
Mestizo 57.5%
*
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 ...
31.8%
*
Afro-Ecuadorian 4.9%
*
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 ...
4.4%
*Montubio 1.2%
*Other 0.2%
Economy
Jungle composes most of the province's territory, forcing it to rely primarily on exports of crude oil, and timber. Its second most important source of income is tourism, offering jungle exploration, indigenous encounters, and rivers. Mining is the third reliable source of income.
Places of interest
*
Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve
See also
*
Cantons of Ecuador
References
{{Coord, 0, 56, S, 75, 40, W, type:adm1st_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title
Provinces of Ecuador