Outside World Overview

Ecuador's Overview:

Population:

15,007,343 (July 2011 est.)

Age Structure:

0-14 years: 30.1% (male 2,301,840/female 2,209,971)

15-64 years: 63.5% (male 4,699,548/female 4,831,521)

65 years and over: 6.4% (male 463,481/female 500,982) (2011 est.)

Median Age:

total: 25.7 years

male: 25 years

female: 26.3 years (2011 est.)

 Population Rate:

 1.443% (2011 est.)

 Birth Rate

19.96 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

Death Rate:

5 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

Government:

government name:

conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador

conventional short form: Ecuador

local long form: Republica del Ecuador

local short form: Ecuador

Government Type:

Republic

Flag Description:

three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; the flag retains the three main colors of the banner of Gran Columbia, the South American republic that broke up in 1830; the yellow color represents sunshine, grain, and mineral wealth, blue the sky, sea, and rivers, and red the blood of patriots spilled in the struggle for freedom and justice

note: similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms

Military:

Military Branches:

Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry, Naval Aviation, Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE) (2007)