|  Despite
its small size, Ecuador is one of the worlds most varied Countries.
Ecuador is bordered by Colombia to the north and Peru to the south
and east with the Pacific coast of South America to the west with
the equator passing though Ecuador. Mainland Ecuador has three
regions. The western coastal lowlands, central highlands and eastern
Amazonian lowlands.
Please note
that additional info (prices, activities, etc) are found to the
right of this pages. 
Western pacific lowlands
The western coastal lowlands used to be heavily
forested, but most of the natural vegetation is now destroyed
for agriculture and the mangroves have been hacked and replaced
with shrimp ponds. This region is made up of fertile plains, rolling
hills, and sedimentary basins traversed by a plethora of rivers
that rush from the heights of the Andes to the Pacific Ocean.
The nations most important and beautiful rivers can be seen here.
The western provinces of Los Rios, Manabi and El Oro are the most
intensively farmed in Ecuador.
The Highlands - The Andes mountain range
 The
Andean mountain Range runs from north to south, splitting the
country into the western coastal lowlands and the eastern jungles
and rainforests of the upper Amazonian basin. Chimborazo is the
highest peak of the Andean mountains, which is composed of two
volcanic mountain ranges, about 400 km long, with a valley nestled
between. The valley houses Quito, the capital of Ecuador. This
is the region with the highest population density in the country.
The Amazon Region
 The
eastern lowlands of the Oriente still retain much of their virgin
rainforest, but Oil exploitation and colonization are threatening
this habitat. The population of the Oriente has more than tripled
since the late 1970s.
Galapagos Islands
In addition to the mainland, Ecuador owns the
Galapagos Islands (Archipelago of Colón) , which also straddle
the equator, about 1000 km west of the coast. They are an isolated
group of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean. They consist of
13 major islands, 6 small islands and scores of islets many of
which have not been named as yet. Apart from its beautiful beaches
and unique and varied ecosystems, the Galapagos Islands are home
to towering active volcanoes.
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