Trip for traces
Hola, this is Luis!Paul is preparing for his trip to Ecuador, so I will tell you a little bit about this country.
As most of you probably know, Ecuador is located in South America and borders Colombia and Peru. The area was first inhabited by various indigenous groups until it was conquered by the Incas at the end of the 15th century and shortly afterwards by the Spaniards. From the beginning of the 16th century, the country was a Spanish colony until it was finally led to independence by Simón Bolívar and Antonio José de Sucre in 1821. Then it first joined Greater Colombia, from which it renounced again in 1830.
Today Ecuador has about 16 million inhabitants. With 2.2 million residents, the capital Quito is the second largest city in the country after the port city of Guayaquil (over 3 million). It lies at an altitude of 2850 meters and is thus the highest capital of the world. For comparison: Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze, has a height of 2962 meters.
Ecuador is also a very colourful country. This is true for the people as well as for the animals. The population is a mixture of indigenous peoples and immigrants from all over the world and a total of about 23 different languages are spoken. Despite its size, Ecuador is considered one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. It has large rainforest areas and a large number of protected areas, which offer a home to the numerous animals. There are more than 4,500 species of butterflies and 1,600 species of birds alone.
Ecuador is also a fascinating country in other respects, both in history and in the present.
So long, your Luis!
Text: Paul Grünefeld