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Ecuador Geography and Climate
Ecuador is located on the northwestern coast of South
America, between Peru to the south and east and Colombia
to the north. Ecuador also owns the famous Galapagos
Islands, located approximately 1,000 kilometers off
the coast. Ecuador covers 256,370 square kilometers
of land and is the smallest country in South America
after Uruguay and the Guianas.
 Geography
Despite Ecuador's diminutive size - about equal to
the North American state of Colorado - it is one of
the most geographically diverse countries in the world.
Ecuador is comprised of four distinct geographical regions:
El Oriente (Amazon jungle) in the east, La Sierra (Andes
mountains) in the center, La Costa (the Pacific coastal
lowlands) in the west, and the majestic Galapagos Islands
off the coast.
Climate
On account of Ecuador's varied regions and because
of its location directly atop the equator, it is an
excellent travel destination year-round. Rather than
rotating through four seasons, most of Ecuador experiences
oscillating wet and dry periods.
The general weather trends for each region are as follows:
La Sierra (Andean Highlands, including Quito), though
on the equator, is generally cooler than most people
would expect. The climate in the Andes varies according
to the altitude and the time of the year. In Quito the
temperature ranges from 7 degrees C (55 F) at night,
to 26 C (78 F) at noon, averaging 15 C (64 F).
With a Spring-like climate all year, the Ecuadorian
Andes are a mountain paradise.
El Oriente (Amazon region) normally has a warm, humid
and rainy climate. The average temperature varies from
23 to 26 oC (72 to 80 F). The drier season is generally
November to February but varies by region.
La Costa's (Coastal lowlands) climate is usually very
warm with temperatures averaging 25 degrees C (76 F)
to 31 C (90 F) during the year. The rainy season (December
to May) is warm and very humid. The dry season is less
humid but still a little muggy.
The Galapagos islands enjoy warm and dry weather year-round,
with an average temperature of 28º C. (85 F).
Content provided by EcuadorExplorer.com
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