Ecuador is a country in South America, with about 18.3 million people (2025) and an area of 256,370 square kilometres. Its capital is Quito, and it shares land borders with 2 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of EcuadorEcuador in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Ecuador's 18, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 18
Three countries stacked on top of each other
Ecuador is a small country holding three worlds within 200 kilometers: the Pacific coastal lowlands (Costa), the Andean highlands (Sierra) with volcanoes above 6,000 meters, and the Amazon basin (Oriente) to the east. Each has its own climate, agriculture, culture, and economic logic. Add the Galápagos Islands, 1,000 kilometers offshore, and few countries hold more ecological diversity per square kilometer. Quito, the capital, sits at 2,850 meters in a narrow Andean valley; Guayaquil, the economic hub, sprawls at sea level on the coast.
More on Galápagos Islands
The archipelago that inspired Darwin's theory of evolution straddles the equator. Its wildlife is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and national park, though tourism pressure, invasive species, and illegal fishing remain constant threats.
17 more lenses on Ecuador in the app
STORY Ecuador gave up its own currency and never got it back
NOW Ecuador declared war on its own gangs
THREAD Ecuador sits between Colombia's violence and Peru's ambition
PLACE A capital in the thin Andean air
STORY The valleys that grew a team
NOW From minnow to fixture in the finals
THREAD Andean rivals and an Argentine coach
PLACE Coast, highland and Amazon in one nation
STORY A captain who carried a generation
NOW A young side and a familiar ceiling
THREAD A small nation in a giant's league
PLACE The summit that stands farthest from Earth's center
STORY The country that wrote rights for nature
NOW A river eating the country's largest power plant
THREAD The fleet that waits outside the Galápagos
PLACE The estuary that traded mangroves for shrimp
THREAD Borrowing a central bank from abroad
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
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Common questions
What is the capital of Ecuador?
The capital of Ecuador is Quito. Quito lies at about 0.2 degrees south and 78.5 degrees west. Ecuador is in South America. It is home to about 18.3 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Ecuador?
About 18.3 million people live in Ecuador, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 70th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 256,370 square kilometres, that is about 71 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Ecuador?
Ecuador shares land borders with 2 countries: Colombia and Peru. The map on this page outlines each of them around Ecuador. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake. Borders here follow Natural Earth at the 1:50 million scale, with Crimea shown as part of Ukraine and Western Sahara as a separate territory.
How big is Ecuador?
Ecuador covers 256,370 square kilometres, or about 98,985 square miles. That makes it the 76th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 18.3 million gives a density of 71 people per square kilometre.
Ecuador is a country in South America, with about 18.3 million people (2025) and an area of 256,370 square kilometres. Its capital is Quito, and it shares land borders with 2 countries.
Capital
Quito
Continent
South America
Population
18,289,896 2025, World Bank. 70th of 195.
Area
256,370 km² (98,985 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 76th largest of 195.
Population density
71 people per km²
Land neighbours
2: Colombia, Peru
Official name
Republic of Ecuador
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
Three countries stacked on top of each other
Ecuador is a small country holding three worlds within 200 kilometers: the Pacific coastal lowlands (Costa), the Andean highlands (Sierra) with volcanoes above 6,000 meters, and the Amazon basin (Oriente) to the east. Each has its own climate, agriculture, culture, and economic logic. Add the Galápagos Islands, 1,000 kilometers offshore, and few countries hold more ecological diversity per square kilometer. Quito, the capital, sits at 2,850 meters in a narrow Andean valley; Guayaquil, the economic hub, sprawls at sea level on the coast.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/ecuador/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Ecuador
NameDate
Draw the flag
Colour Ecuador on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
Population
Area
Languages
Currency
Neighbours
Landmarks
Rivers or mountains
Three things I learned
1
2
3
One question I still have
?
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/ecuador/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
