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Compare Western Sahara (2005) - Ecuador (2007)

Compare Western Sahara (2005) z Ecuador (2007)

 Western Sahara (2005)Ecuador (2007)
 Western SaharaEcuador
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 22 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe
Age structure 0-14 years: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA
0-14 years: 32.6% (male 2,282,319/female 2,196,685)


15-64 years: 62.3% (male 4,271,848/female 4,301,149)


65 years and over: 5.1% (male 330,302/female 373,377) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp
Airports 11 (2004 est.) 406 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.)
total: 104


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 26


under 914 m: 54 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
total: 302


914 to 1,523 m: 34


under 914 m: 268 (2007)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 283,560 sq km


land: 276,840 sq km


water: 6,720 sq km


note: includes Galapagos Islands
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly smaller than Nevada
Background Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period has been marred by political instability. Protests in Quito have contributed to the mid-term ouster of Ecuador's last three democratically elected Presidents.
Birth rate NA births/1,000 population 21.91 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: NA


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
revenues: $11.26 billion


expenditures: planned $9.928 billion (2006 est.)
Capital none name: Quito


geographic coordinates: 0 13 S, 78 30 W


time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands
Coastline 1,110 km 2,237 km
Constitution - 10 August 1998
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador


conventional short form: Ecuador


local long form: Republica del Ecuador


local short form: Ecuador
Death rate NA deaths/1,000 population 4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external NA $16.93 billion (2006 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Linda L. JEWELL


embassy: Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria, Quito


mailing address: APO AA 34039


telephone: [593] (2) 256-2890


FAX: [593] (2) 250-2052


consulate(s) general: Guayaquil
Diplomatic representation in the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Benigno GALLEGOS Chiriboga


chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200


FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Jersey City (New Jersey), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC
Disputes - international Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border, which thousands of Colombians also cross to escape the violence in their home country
Economic aid - recipient NA $209.5 million (2005)
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. Ecuador has substantial petroleum resources, which have accounted for 40% of the country's export earnings and one-third of central government budget revenues in recent years. Consequently, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. In the late 1990s, Ecuador suffered its worst economic crisis, with natural disasters and sharp declines in world petroleum prices driving Ecuador's economy into free fall in 1999. Real GDP contracted by more than 6%, with poverty worsening significantly. The banking system also collapsed, and Ecuador defaulted on its external debt later that year. The currency depreciated by some 70% in 1999, and, on the brink of hyperinflation, the MAHAUD government announced it would dollarize the economy. A coup, however, ousted MAHAUD from office in January 2000, and after a short-lived junta failed to garner military support, Vice President Gustavo NOBOA took over the presidency. In March 2000, Congress approved a series of structural reforms that also provided the framework for the adoption of the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, and growth returned to its pre-crisis levels in the years that followed. Under the administration of Lucio GUTIERREZ - January 2003 to April 2005 - Ecuador benefited from higher world petroleum prices. However, the government under Alfredo PALACIO reversed economic reforms that reduced Ecuador's vulnerability to petroleum price swings and financial crises, allowing the central government greater access to oil windfalls and disbursing surplus retirement funds.
Electricity - consumption 83.7 million kWh (2002) 8.855 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 16 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 1.723 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 90 million kWh (2002) 12.94 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands
Environment - international agreements party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Arab, Berber mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.6256 (2000) the US dollar is used; the sucre was eliminated in 2000
Executive branch none chief of state: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January 2007)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president


elections: the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 2006 with a runoff election on 26 November 2006 (next to be held in October 2010)


election results: Rafael CORREA Delgado elected president; percent of vote - Rafael CORREA Delgado 56.7%; Alvaro NOBOA 43.3%
Exports NA 420,600 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts US 53.6%, Peru 8.2%, Colombia 5.6%, Chile 4.4% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description - three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: 40% (1996 est.)
agriculture: 6.1%


industry: 35.3%


services: 58.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - NA -
GDP - real growth rate NA 4.1% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 2 00 S, 77 30 W
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world
Heliports - 1 (2007)
Highways total: 6,200 km


paved: 1,350 km


unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 2%


highest 10%: 32%


note: data for urban households only (October 2003)
Illicit drugs - significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru, with over half of the US-bound cocaine passing through Ecuadorian Pacific waters; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents
Imports NA NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs vehicles, medicinal products, telecommunications equipment, electricity
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts US 23.1%, Colombia 13.3%, Brazil 7.3%, Panama 4% (2006)
Independence - 24 May 1822 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate NA 5% (2006 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 22.1 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 26.5 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 17.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA 3.3% (2006 est.)
International organization participation none CAN, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land NA sq km 8,650 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (according to the Constitution, new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in December 2004, however, Congress successfully replaced the entire court via a simple-majority resolution)
Labor force 12,000 4.38 million (urban) (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% agriculture: 8%


industry: 24%


services: 68% (2001)
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
total: 2,010 km


border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2001)
arable land: 5.71%


permanent crops: 4.81%


other: 89.48% (2005)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)
Legal system - based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch - unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats; members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 15 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRIAN 28; PSP 24; PSC 13; ID 7; PRE 6; MUPP-NP 6; RED 5; UDC 5; other 6; note - defections by members of National Congress are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA years


male: NA years


female: NA years
total population: 76.62 years


male: 73.74 years


female: 79.63 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 91%


male: 92.3%


female: 89.7% (2001 census)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru
Map references Africa South America
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue territorial sea: 200 nm


continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500 meter isobath
Merchant marine - total: 33 ships (1000 GRT or over) 190,931 GRT/306,280 DWT


by type: chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 22, specialized tanker 1


foreign-owned: 2 (Philippines 1, US 1)


registered in other countries: 3 (China 1, Panama 2) (2007)
Military branches - Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry, Naval Aviation, Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE) (2007)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 2.8% (2006)
National holiday - Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Ecuadorian(s)


adjective: Ecuadorian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower
Net migration rate - -2.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - extra heavy crude oil 578 km; gas 71 km; oil 1,386 km; refined products 1,185 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders - Alianza PAIS Movement [Rafael Vicente CORREA Delgado]; Christian Democratic Union or UDC [Dr. Juan Manuel FUERTES]; Concentration of Popular Forces or CFP; Democratic Left or ID [Guillermo LANDAZURI]; Ethical and Democratic Network or RED [Leon ROLDOS]; National Action Institutional Renewal Party or PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA]; Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement - New Country or MUPP-NP [Gilberto TALAHUA]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Gustavo TERAN Acosta]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Leon FEBRES CORDERO]; Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Victor GRANDA]
Political pressure groups and leaders none Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Luis MACAS, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA CRUZ, president]
Population 273,008 (July 2005 est.) 13,755,680 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 38.5% (2005-06)
Population growth rate NA 1.554% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001)
Railways - total: 966 km


narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
Religions Muslim Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%
Sex ratio NA at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.039 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.993 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.885 male(s)/female


total population: 1.002 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded


domestic: fixed-line services provided by three state-owned enterprises; plans to transfer the state-owned operators to private ownership have repeatedly failed; fixed-line density stands at about 13 per 100 persons; mobile cellular use has surged and has a subscribership of nearly 65 per 100 persons


international: country code - 593; landing point for the PAN-AM submarine telecommunications cable that provides links to the west coast of South America, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and extending onward to Aruba and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 1.754 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 8.485 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations NA 7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2000)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Total fertility rate NA children born/woman 2.63 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 10.6% official rate; but underemployment of 47% (2006 est.)
Waterways - 1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2006)
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