ECUADOR & GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacifc Ocean on the west. The country also includes the Galápagos Islands (Archipiélago de Colón) in the Pacifc, about 965 kilometers (600 miles) west of the mainland. Ecuador straddles the equator, from which it takes its name, and has an area of 256,370 square kilometers (98,985 mi²). Its capital city is Quito; its largest city is Guayaquil.