Ecuador is the second smallest country in South America after Uruguay. It covers 256,370 square kilometers of land. It is located on the northwestern coast of South America between Colombia to the north, Peru to the south and east, Pacific Ocean to the west. Ecuador owns the Galapagos Islands, located approximately 1000 kilometers off the coast. When you travel to Ecuador you will enjoy one of the most geographically diverse countries in the world with territories in both the Northern and the Southern hemispheres. Ecuador has four geographical regions and 22 provinces. The Coast (The Pacific Coastal lowlands) in the west, the Highlands (Andes mountains) in the center, the Amazon (Amazon jungle) in the east, and the Galapagos Islands off the coast. The Climate oscillates between wet and dry periods.

The Pacific Coast (western lowlands): It is located west of the Andean range, there are three main types of ecosystems: northern tropical rain forest, central and southwestern tropical savannas, and on the western and southern peninsular dry forest. There are Inlets of mangrove forest and the tidal areas (ecosystems) along the coast.

There are five coastal provinces, from north to south are Esmeraldas, Manabí, Los Ríos, Guayas, and El Oro.

The climate is very warm with temperatures between 25ºC. (76ºF) to 31ºC (90ºF). From December to May there is the rainy season and the climate is warm and very humid. From June to December there is the dry season and the climate is less humid and a little muggy.

Between January and May there is a warm current called El Niño, in which current there is an increase in rain. There are around 26,778 H.(142 sq. Mile) of remnant´s of original forest, 148,148 H. (579 sq. Mile) of cloud forest, and a 1´199,947 H. (4.633 sq. Mile) of fluvial forest.

The Highlands (Andean Highlands) (Sierra): The indigenous flora and fauna have adapted to intense ultraviolet radiation, low temperatures, strong winds, rain, hail, snow and high altitudes. The Andean Cordillera divides Ecuador in three groups from north to south: the Eastern Cordillera, the Inter-Andean region (with valleys and various basins), and the Western Cordillera. The Andes Mountain Range crosses the country from north to south.

The Highlands provinces are: Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, Chimborazo, Bolivar, Cañar, Azuay, Loja. Each one of the ten provinces have important peaks such as Chimborazo (6,310 m), Cotopaxi (5,897 m), Cayambe (5,790 m), the Antisana (5,758 m), and Illinizas (5,248 m), Altar (5,320 m), Tungurahua (5,023 m), and Cotacachi (4,944 m). The highest peaks are located in the Central and Northern Ecuador. The climate varies according to the altitude and time of the year. From October to May there is the rainy season with temperatures between 11 to 18ºC.

Two and a half million hectares of Ecuadorian land is covered with paramos (high altitude dry vegetation) gramineous plants, creeping spongey herbs, paramo grasses, Chuquirahua, giant frailejones (Espeletia), trees full of lichens. Paramo is the ideal habitat for caracaras, condors, vicuñas, deer, hummingbirds, etc.

The Amazon (Amazon jungle) The Amazon provinces from north to south are: Sucumbios, Napo, Pastaza, Orellana, Morona-Santiago and Zamora-Chinchipe.

The Amazon region has been divided into two sub-regions: The High Amazon and the Amazon Lowlands. In the High Amazon there are Napo, Galeras, Cutucú and Condor ranges. There is a volcano Sumaco in the north of the High Amazon.

This region has a warm, humid and rainy climate. The average of temperature varies from 23ºC (72ºF) to 26ºC.(80ºF). From December to February there is the drier season. There are approximately twelve million hectares of exuberant vegetation (humid tropical forests). Cinnamon, silk cotton, jacaranda, and several leguminous trees are common in this area. The ecosystem in this area is tropical rain forest, there is a huge and diverse amount of flora and fauna with variations in their habitats and micro habitats. In the upper Amazon (in the jungle) about 100 species of trees per acre have been recorded.

In the Amazon´s lakes, rivers, streams, etc, there are around 600 species of fish, more than 250 species of amphibians and reptiles; there are two species of caimans in the lagoons of the Napo and Aguarico rivers. Fauna is very rich in this area, there are armadillos, honey bears, sloths, Amazon bats, tapirs, monkeys, ocelots (or jaguar), large rodents, manatees, etc. In the Amazon there are approximately 1000 species of birds living in forest habitat, lagoons, and open areas.

Galapagos Islands (The Archipielago of Colón): It is located 650 miles from the mainland Ecuador (Pacific coast). Three to five million years ago the islands emerged from the Pacific as the result of underwater volcanic eruptions. It is a volcanic rock and lava formation. Galapagos is known for its unique wildlife, and it is a shelter for species of flora and fauna, which can not be found else where in the world .The total land area is 7882 square kilometers. There are 13 major islands, 8 smaller islands, and over 40 islets. The weather from June to December is cool, cloudy and dry season; from December to June its warm, sunny and rainy.

There are some active volcanoes that reach altitudes up to 1,600 meters. There are many species of birds, such as 13 species of Finches, penguins, albatrosses, petrels, cormorants, frigate birds, flamingos, ducks, hawks, osprey, falcons, etc. There are some species of reptiles such as iguana, the giant tortoise, some mammals such as dolphins, sea lions, etc.