Forgotten World (123): Ecuador
Ecuador – a South American country of 14M – is a patchwork of indigenous communities, including people of colonial Spanish origins and the descendants of African slaves. Traditionally a farming country, Ecuador’s economy was transformed after the 1960s by the growth of industry and the discovery of oil. There was rapid growth and progress in health, education and housing.
However, not all Ecuadorans have benefited equally from oil revenues. The traditionally dominant Spanish-descended elite gained far more than indigenous peoples and those of mixed descent. Steps to stabilise the economy, such as austerity measures and privatisation, have generated widespread unrest, particularly among the indigenous poor.
Some 1,000 km (600 miles) off the coast, the volcanic Galapagos Islands are home to the animals and birds whose evolutionary adaptations shaped Charles Darwin’s theories.