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| More than 55,000 sponsored children |
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Talk about having it all…visitors to Ecuador really do get the best of several worlds. Variety seems to be the norm: from its melting-pot population made up of European, indigenous, African and other ancestry – with the majority being mestizos, or indigenous and European – to its unique wildlife and richly diverse geographical regions, Ecuador is a colorful tapestry.
Prior to its independence, Ecuador held a place of importance in two political systems – the indigenous government of the Shyri and the Spanish Empire. Vestiges of both are abundantly evident today. Students of archaeology will find its pre-Columbian history fascinating, while the beauty of its Spanish colonial architecture is striking.
As evidenced by its name, Ecuador is unique because it is bisected by the equator. But by no means does the entire country fit the tropical paradigm; in fact, Ecuador is divided into three main topographical regions with markedly different climates (the temperate Coast, the icy Andean highlands and the Amazon jungle). The Galapagos Islands, known for their famous giant tortoises, make up a fourth region.
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The frigidity of its snow-capped Andean peaks is offset nicely by the warmth and friendliness of its people – a warmth that makes visitors want to go back time and again.
Despite its natural beauty, extreme poverty is still an ugly reality for many of Ecuador’s inhabitants. A struggling economy and political uncertainty make the position of the country’s least fortunate even more tenuous, but efforts such as Children International’s sponsorship program are seeing positive results and are planting hope in their hearts. |
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