EducationA campaign to reduce the high illiteracy rate in Ecuador was started in 1944, and by the mid-1980s about 82 percent of the people aged 15 or more years were literate. Education in principle is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 14. Many rural areas, however, do not have schools.
Elementary and Secondary Schools
In the late 1980s in Ecuador, about 1,871,300 pupils were enrolled annually in approximately 16,150 primary schools; some 744,400 students attended about 2200 secondary schools.
Universities and Colleges
The main institutions of higher education in Ecuador include the Central University of Ecuador (1769) and the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (1946), in Quito; the University of Cuenca (1868); and the University of Guayaquil (1867). Total annual enrollment amounted to some 261,900 students in the late 1980s.
Economy
Agriculture has traditionally been the basis of the Ecuadorian economy. In 1965, however, an industrial development law was passed that brought about the establishment of factories manufacturing textiles, electric appliances, pharmaceuticals, and other products. In the 1970s substantial amounts of petroleum began to be produced and exported, with the completion of the trans-Andean pipeline providing a line between oilfields and the port of Esmeraldas. In the late 1980s the estimated annual national budget included $1.8 billion in revenues and $2.6 billion in expenditures.
Climate
Although Ecuador lies on the equator, the country has a wide range of climates because of the varying elevations. The Costa is generally hot and humid, with a mean annual temperature of about 26° C (about 78° F). On the Sierra the temperatures range between about 7° C and 21° C (about 45° and 70° F), depending on the elevation. The city of Quito, which is some 2850 m (some 9350 ft) above sea level, has a mean annual temperature of 12.8° C (55° F). The Oriente is warmer and more humid than the Costa; temperatures approach 37.8° C (100° F), and annual precipitation is about 2030 mm (about 80 in).
List of Universities in ECUADOR
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North America
North America
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