A system of preferences — which consists of market opening lists, special cooperation programs ( business rounds, preinvestment, financing, technological support ) and countervailing measures on behalf of the landlocked countries — has been granted to the countries deemed to be less developed ( Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay ), to favour their full participation in the integration process.

For example, Ecuador has closed its main border crossing with Colombia every night since August 2002, when evidence emerged that Colombian guerrillas and paramilitaries were asserting control over Ecuador's border communities.

During this time a variety of cultures and territories influenced what has become the Republic of Ecuador.

Ecuador is bounded on the north by the Pacific Ocean, and has 2, 337 km of coastline.

Ecuador has a total area is, including the Galápagos Islands.

Ecuador has negotiated bilateral treaties with other countries, besides belonging to the Andean Community of Nations, and an associate member of Mercosur.

The military of Ecuador has been involved in border disputes with Peru ( Ecuadorian – Peruvian War, Paquisha War, Cenepa War ), and has provided Military Observers and troops to the United Nations since 1948.

Ecuador has also been an elective member of the UN Security Council.

In Antarctica, Ecuador has maintained a peaceful research station for scientific study in the British-claimed territory and is a member nation of the Antarctica Treaty.

Ecuador has an embassy in Canberra.

On the oil front, the new government in Ecuador has reversed the earlier revenue-sharing arrangements with western oil companies and is now keen on striking new partnerships with state-owned ONGC Videsh of India.

The Embassy here has expanded its setup with the appointment of a Military Attache and prospects appear bright for more defence exports as Ecuador has agreed to be the servicing hub in South America for Indian defence equipment.

Ecuador has maintained trade relations with Iran.

Ecuador has an embassy in Moscow.

Ecuador shares U. S. concern over increasing narcotrafficking and international terrorism and has energetically condemned terrorist actions, whether directed against government officials or private citizens.

The government has maintained Ecuador virtually free of coca production since the mid-1980s and is working to combat money laundering and the transshipment of drugs and chemicals essential to the processing of cocaine.

The arrangement expired in 2009 ; current president Rafael Correa vowed not to renew it, and since then the Ecuador has not had any foreign military facilities in the country.

The Morona has been the scene of many rude explorations, with the hope of finding it serviceable as a commercial route between the inter-Andean tableland of Ecuador and the Amazon river.

Being a part of the male dress, it also has a part in the cultural expressions of the coastal rural regions of Ecuador, such as dances, horsetaming contests and skill exhibitions.

The treaty has been ratified by 27 parties — Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, the People's Republic of China, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay

As such, the FARC has been classified as a terrorist organization by the governments of Colombia, the United States, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, and the European Union ; whereas the governments of Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and Nicaragua do not classify the FARC as a terrorist organization.

The UNCCD has 194 country Parties: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, the People's Republic of China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d ' Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, European Union, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, the Republic of Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Ecuador offered political asylum to Julian Assange in November 2010.

In Ecuador, any establishment with the title " Motel " is related to extramarital encounters ; in Argentina and Peru these hotels for couples are called " Albergue Transitorio " (" Temporary Shelter ") and offered for anything from a few hours to overnight stay with a decor based on amenities such as dim lights, a jacuzzi and a king-size bed.

Brazil offered Gutiérrez asylum and arranged air transport out of Ecuador for the former president.

Countries and organizations that offered to send aid mentioned by the State Department included Afghanistan, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, the European Union, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, International Energy Agency, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, NATO, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Organization of American States, Oman, OPEC, Pakistan, Paraguay, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, the United Nations, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Venezuela and the World Health Organization.

At the foot of Mount Chimborazo, near the modern city of Riobamba ( Ecuador ) he met and defeated the forces of the great Inca warrior Rumiñahui with the aid of Cañari tribesmen who served as guides and allies to the conquering Spaniards.

Together, with the minor aid of Bolivia and Ecuador ( who had fought an inconclusive war with Peru from 1858 to 1860 ), they forced the Spanish to withdraw after clashes at Papudo, Abtao, and Callao.

The United States provided technical support and supplied military aid to the participants until at least 1978, with Ecuador and Peru joining later in more peripheral roles.

The controversy regarding the decrees came about when the weapons sold did not go to Panama, Bolivia, and Venezuela as had been accorded, but instead the weapons ended up in Croatia and Ecuador at times when both of these nations were involved in wars and prohibited from receiving international military aid.

At the foot of Mount Chimborazo, near the modern city of Riobamba ( Ecuador ) he met and defeated the forces of the great Inca warrior Rumiñahui with the aid of Cañari tribesmen who served as guides and allies to the conquering Spaniards.

Additionally, Mendoza was contacted by senior White House policy makers who threatened to end all bilateral aid and World Bank lending to Ecuador.

The U. S. attempted to persuade Ecuador that hosting the American forces at Manta is of benefit to the country, pointing to the $ 71 million the U. S. spent to upgrade the base to a modern airport and the aid donations that are flown into the base and distributed in the local communities.

SDIA supports projects related to heath, community development, emergency aid, and children's services. Recipients are located in Indonesia, Brazil, Sudan, Colombia, Norway, Congo, Cuba, Ecuador, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Argentina.

" It also expresses solidarity with the international alter-globalization movement, and offers to provide material aid to those in Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador, and elsewhere with whom they make common cause.

Missions in the Oriente were abandoned, and many of the best schools and the most efficient haciendas and obrajes lost the key that made them outstanding institutions in colonial Ecuador.

Ecuador shares a border with Peru, although marked by many conflicts, relations improved since the signing of a renewed Peace Treaty in 1998.

Ecuador is a founding member of the UN and a member of many of its specialized agencies ; it is also a member of the OAS.

In the early 1970s, Ecuador seized about 100 foreign-flag vessels ( many of them U. S .) and collected fees and fines of more than $ 6 million.

The north near the border with Ecuador is opposite much of Malaya, including the east coast and Penang, and the adjacent part of the Kra Peninsula in Thailand ; whereas many of the Riau Islands of Indonesia are antipodal to the northern Peruvian Amazon.

In many countries such as Ecuador, Haiti and Venezuela the shade is the principal benefit so far commonly attributed to the neem.

The pro-Albanian camp would start to function as an international group as well, led by Enver Hoxha and the APL, and was also able to amalgamate many of the communist groups in Latin America, including the Communist Party of Brazil and Marxist-Leninist Communist Party in Ecuador.

In many countries with a strong Christian tradition such as Australia, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, the countries of the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela, the day is observed as a public or federal holiday.

The radio is now being broadcasted in many countries such as Guam, Ecuador, and India.

Countries that have experienced a fertility decline of over 40 % from their pre-transition levels include: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, Jamaica, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Surinam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, South Africa, India, Saudi Arabia, and many Pacific islands.

The feast of the Assumption on August 15 is a public holiday in many countries, including Austria, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Ecuador, France, Germany ( Bavaria and Saarland only ), Greece, Lebanon, Lithuania, Italy, Malta, Mauritius, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland ( 8 cantons only ) and Vanuatu.

Expansion continued during the 1990s, when service was started to Buenos Aires, Argentina ; Santiago, Chile ; Bogotá, Colombia ; Havana, Cuba ; Guayaquil, Ecuador ; Lima, Peru ; Mexico City, Mexico ; Caracas, Venezuela ; and many other important Latin American cities.

In Ecuador, from June to September, there are many sites with large groups of whales.

Ecuador has many annual festivals, with nearly every village celebrating a Roman Catholic Saint.

In Ecuador, many of these products have been directly adopted from European or North American cuisine.

The promotion of mariachi as representative of Mexico has led to the formation of mariachi groups in many countries such as Aruba, Egypt, Cuba, Spain, Croatia, Sweden, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, with bands from these and more countries participating in Guadalajara ’ s International Mariachi and Charreria Conference.

The tucuxi exists along much the length of the Amazon River and many of its tributaries, and is found in Brazil, Peru, southeastern Colombia, and eastern Ecuador.

In later times, diorite was commonly used as cobblestone ; today many diorite cobblestone streets can be found in England, Guernsey and Scotland, and scattered throughout the world in such places as Ecuador and China.

His associations with his principals were unhappy ; the expedition was beset by many difficulties, and finally La Condamine split from the rest and made his way to Quito, Ecuador separately, becoming the first Westerner to encounter rubber in the process.

For many years, he and his armies fought to annex territories north of his empire in what is now Ecuador ( and a small region of Colombia ) to the northernmost province.

< td width =" 250 " height =" 65 " bgcolor ="# f9f9f9 "> The Cross of Burgundy flag of the Spanish colonial empire flew over Ecuador for many years .</ td >

Straw hats woven in Ecuador, like many other 19th and early 20th century South American goods, were shipped first to the Isthmus of Panama before sailing for their destinations in Asia, the rest of the Americas and Europe.

They are from different countries in Latin America with not one country being a dominant one, but many are from Ecuador, El Salvador, Argentina, and Colombia.