Ecuador is a country in South America, one of the 14 entries this site files under that subregion. The long form of the name is Republic of Ecuador. The capital is Quito.
Its territory runs to 276,841 km², which ranks it 75th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Italy and just ahead of Burkina Faso. Put next to a country most people can picture, it is almost exactly the same size as New Zealand.
Some 18.1 million people call it home, placing it 71st of 250 by population — between Guatemala above it and the Netherlands below. Within South America alone it is the 9th largest of 14 and the 7th most populous.
Where Ecuador is and what surrounds it
Its reference point sits at 2.0° south and 77.5° west, which puts it in the southern hemisphere, roughly 223 km from the equator, in what geographers would call the equatorial belt.
It is one of the countries that the equator crosses. Countries on the same parallel, far away in longitude, include DR Congo, Congo and Gabon.
2 countries share a land border with it: Colombia and Peru. The largest of them by area is Peru, while the most populous is Colombia. Together those neighbours hold about 87.1 million people.
It has both a coastline and land borders, which is the most common arrangement of all.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Population, density and language
Spread across 276,841 km², that works out at about 66 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. The median across all 250 entries here is about 90 per square kilometre.
The demonym is Ecuadorean, so residents are Ecuadoreans.
Officially it is monolingual: Spanish. Spanish is one of the widely shared official languages here, listed by 23 other entries including Argentina, Belize, Bolivia and Chile.
Inside the Americas it places 11th of 56 by population, and it accounts for 4.2% of everyone living in South America.
Money, internet and phone codes
It uses the United States dollar ($, USD). That is a shared currency: 19 other entries use it, including American Samoa, the Bahamas, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands and Cambodia.
Quito is the city to remember for this country.
The top-level domain is .ec. To phone it from abroad you dial +593. In ISO terms it is ec in two letters and ECU in three.
Ecuador is one of the 193 UN member states in this dataset. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Ecuador shares borders with 2 countries:
Fun facts about Ecuador
- Ranked by land area, Ecuador is 75th out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
- In land area it is almost exactly the same size as New Zealand.
- Within South America it is the 9th largest of 14.
- Its capital city is Quito.
- The equator runs across or very near it.
- Websites based there use the .ec domain.
- Spanish is official here and in 23 other entries worldwide.
- Population density works out at roughly 66 people per square kilometre.
Ecuador — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Ecuador?
- The capital of Ecuador is Quito.
- What is the population of Ecuador?
- Ecuador has a population of about 18.1 million, which makes it the 71st most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Guatemala sits just above it and the Netherlands just below.
- What currency does Ecuador use?
- Ecuador uses the United States dollar, written $ (currency code USD). It is shared with 19 other entries.
- Which countries border Ecuador?
- Ecuador borders 2 countries: Colombia and Peru. Peru is the largest of them by area.
- How big is Ecuador?
- Ecuador covers 276,841 km², ranking 75th of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as New Zealand.
- What language is spoken in Ecuador?
- The official language of Ecuador is Spanish. It is also official in 23 other entries on this list.
- Is Ecuador a country?
- Yes. Ecuador is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- Where is Ecuador located?
- Ecuador is in South America, part of the Americas. Its reference coordinates are 2.0° south and 77.5° west, roughly 223 km from the equator in equatorial latitudes.
