Ecuador is a microcosm of South America:  a country that has it all:  from snow-capped mountains, smoking volcanoes, lush tropical coastal plains and dense Amazon rainforest.  If it isn’t enough to tempt you, then 1000km of the coast lie the world famous Galapagos Islands.

Geography:

Location:

Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru
Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 77 30 W

Area:

total: 283,560 sq km
land: 276,840 sq km
water: 6,720 sq km
note: includes Galapagos Islands
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the state of Nevada in the United States.

Land boundaries:

total: 2,010 km
border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
Coastline: 2,237 km

Maritime claims:

continental shelf: claims continental shelf between mainland and Galapagos Islands
territorial sea: 200 NM

Climate: tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands
Terrain: coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m
Geography - note: Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in the world.