Maria Mercedes Salmon ![](media/image1.png){width="1.7798611111111111in"
height="1.1506944444444445in"}

Country Coordinator for Educational Advising

![](media/image2.png){width="1.8in"
height="0.9590277777777778in"}Fulbright Commission in Ecuador

Almagro N25-41 y Colon

593-2-222-2103 / 593-2-222-2104

<advisorq@fulbright.org.ec>

**COUNTRY FACT SHEET**

Ecuador is located on the northwestern coast of South America, bordering
Peru to the south and east, Colombia to the north, and the Pacific Ocean
to the west. It is one of the smallest countries in the Andean region
(283,560 square kilometers---about the size of Nevada), and among the
most densely populated countries in South America (122 per sq. mile). It
has almost 13 million inhabitants, and the population is more urban
(63%) than rural (37%). Also distinctive is the fact that 60% of
Ecuador's population is between 16-54 years of age.

**LANGUAGE**: Spanish is the official language of Ecuador, although
Quechua and its variations are spoken by the majority of the indigenous
population.

**GEOGRAPHY**: Ecuador has four distinct geographic regions, each with a
unique climate and environment. The coastal tropical area is warm and
humid, with temperatures averaging 85°f degrees. The climate in the
highlands (or Sierra) varies according to the altitude, ranging from
55°f at night to 78°f at noon. The Amazon region normally has a warm,
humid and rainy climate, with temperatures ranging from 72° to 80°f. The
Galapagos Islands enjoy warm and dry weather, with an average yearly
temperature of 85°f.

**ENVIRONMENT**: There are 13 ecosystems in the country. Despite its
small size, Ecuador has a vast and extremely diverse flora. Ecuador is
one of the world's most bio-diversified countries in both flora and
fauna. Its biological richness is reflected in a variety of organisms:
10% of the world's vascular plant species is located within an area that
covers just .02% of the earth's surface. Its diverse ecosystems have
interacted throughout geological history in a variety of habitats. There
are approximately 25,000 species of vascular plants, more than in all of
North America. Ecuador comprises up to 11% of the world's and 30% of
Latin America's orchid varieties. The Andes supports 1,050 species, and
in the Amazon Basin and along the coast 800 species have been collected
in Ecuador alone. As for its catalogued fauna, there are approximately
3,800 vertebrate species, 1,550 bird species, 320 species of mammals,
250 reptile species, 375 amphibian species, 800 fresh water species, and
450 marine species. There are more bird species per area than any other
country in Latin America; 18%of the world's total species are present
here, and 15% of the world's endemic species are found in the Sierra,
the Coast and the Amazon. Ecuador has the densest bird population in the
world.

This incredible variety in the ecosystem is accompanied by a
multi-ethnic society has produced, in turn, richness in cultures within
the country. Fulbright Scholars and Fulbright Students who chose Ecuador
for their research projects do so for fields as varied as Anthropology,
Political Science, Music, Plant Biology, Fisheries, Colonial Art, Marine
Biology, Tropical Biology, Economics, Literature and others.

**ECONOMICS**: Historically an agricultural country with an important
export sector (banana, coffee and cocoa), the country's revenues today
are derived from said exports as well as new, non-traditional products
such as shrimp and flowers, which have gained importance on petroleum,
the number one export. The country has undertaken modernization as one
of its goals, which has necessitated structure, legal administrative and
tax reforms. The privatization program, which

includes the Modernization of the State, includes reforms reducing the
size of the bureaucracy while strengthening the public sector.

Ecuador converted its monetary system to the U.S. dollar in 2000.
Projected inflation rate for the year 2007 is 2%, which is the lowest in
20 years. The current sales tax is 12%.

**EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM**: Primary schools consist of pre-kinder,
kindergarten and 6 years of primary education. Under the reform for
secondary education, the system will eventually be divided in "ciclos"
with a system similar to the US educational system of junior high school
and high school. New curricular trends have reduced the number of
subjects previously required from 17 to 8, to improve the quality of
education in Ecuador overall, empowering students by providing mandates
for participation, and putting an end to the rote-memorization of the
past.

Ecuador might be one of few countries that has two different school year
calendars: Coast (April to December) and Sierra (September to June). The
Ministry of Education (www.educacion.gov.ec) publishes useful and
detailed information on the educational system (k-12) in Ecuador and
provides links to other institutions that are related.

The university sector is undergoing a process of change as well,
beginning before the recent enactment by the Ecuadorian Congress of the
University Reform Law, signed by Ex-President Noboa. Salient changes
addressed by this new law is the establishment of a national higher
education accreditation system (based on accreditation principles
similar to those in the U.S), and National Admissions System required of
all students applying for colleges and polytechnics. Types of diplomas
and degrees to be awarded have also been set, and include the
"licenciatura," equivalent to a B.A/B.S degree, the "magister,"
equivalent to MA/MS degrees, and doctorate degrees. There is also a
mandate for college graduates to have command of a second language prior
to graduation, which will likely lead to an increase in the demand for
English instructors and English programs.

CONESUP is the organization that recognizes higher education
institutions in Ecuador. [www.conesup.net](http://www.conesup.net/). The
higher education system has 69 accredited universities and three
universities that are designed for graduate programs only, from which
two serve the Andean and/or Latin American countries, created by
treaties. There is a growth in MBA programs, executive training, and a
growing trend for locally developed distance education programs, which
are being set by several universities in Ecuador. The system also
includes 339 "Institutos Técnicos Superiores" which are the equivalent
to Technical/Community Colleges.

**U.S. BOUND STUDENTS**: In spite of the economic crises and recession
the country has faced during the last 7 years, the number of Ecuadorian
students seeking undergraduate, graduate and other type of academic
programs in the U.S. is picking up again. In comparison to last year's
drop (-7.2%), in 2005/2006 2,173 Ecuadorians traveled to the U.S. for an
educational and cultural experience - 62.3% undergraduate, 27.4%
graduate and 10.3% in other type of programs. Preferred fields continue
to be Business, Engineering, Environmental and Health Sciences. Exposure
to a diversity of U.S. universities in the past few years, has educated
Ecuadorian parents and potential students who in the past sought
well-known colleges only. Approximately, 70% of advisees were seeking
some kind of financial assistance.

In 2007, our Advising Center provided services to approximately 86,000
Ecuadorian students who needed information on scholarships (Fulbright
and others), visas, standardized admission exams, undergraduate and
graduate programs, mainly.

**EDUCATIONAL ADVISING SERVICES**: The Fulbright Commission in Ecuador
has an EducationUSA Advising Center in Quito which opens Monday through
Thursday from 8:30am-19:00 pm, Fridays 8:30 am-17:00pm. The Advising
Center has full service advising capabilities

for students and professionals seeking graduate, undergraduate, summer
high school programs, ESL programs, short courses, and executive
training. The following services are open to the general public free of
cost:

-   REFERENCE LIBRARY, *Monday thru Friday, 8:30 am to 7:00 pm*

-   GROUP ORIENTATIONS, *Wednesday, 5 pm*

-   ONE-ON-ONE ORIENTATIONS, *Monday thru Friday*, *By Appointment*

-   UNIVERSITY FAIRS and UNIVERSITY PRESENTATIONS

And for a small fee:

-   CERTIFICATION OF TRANSLATIONS, *Monday thru Friday*

-   CERTIFICATION OF ACCREDITATION, *Monday thru Friday*

-   TESTING FOR DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS

For detailed information on our advising services, please visit
<http://www.fulbright.org.ec/english/advising.htm>