Industrial and commercial South America

The Capital

Quito, capital of Ecuador, population 100,000, altitude 9348 feet, has a world wide reputation as the city on or under the equator. It is within a quarter of a degree. Interesting historically and on account of its unusual and beautiful location, it is backward in many ways. There are fine Government buildings and churches, hotels said to be fair, cultured people, many Indians, recently a tramway. Lately sewers and paving have been authorized. The climate is considered good with a temperature of from 40° to 70°; a half day’s journey will bring one to a sultry valley with tropical vegetation; hence every kind of fruit and vegetable is in the market.

Provinces

Esmeraldas, the most northern of the coastal Provinces of Ecuador, thus bordering on Colombia, has at the east Carchi, Imbabura, and Pichincha. Although its natural riches have hitherto received less attention than they deserve, it has excellent prospects for the future. The region is well watered and the vegetation rich. Near the boundary, the large bay, Ancon de Sardinas, with its estuaries is navigable for small steamers and launches. Now difficult of access for large vessels on account of shoals and sand banks it might with dredging afford them safe anchorage.

Farther south at the mouth of the Esmeraldas River, Esmeraldas, capital of the Province, population about 6000, is a port of call for some of the steamers from Panamá to Guayaquil. A sand bar at the mouth of the river compels them to anchor well outside. Besides coast settlements, there are villages at the junction of the affluents with the larger streams, and occasional haciendas along the banks. The Province extends far back into the Andean foothills.

Manabí on the south is more hilly than Esmeraldas, but has smaller rivers and less humidity and rain. Part of the long stretch of sea coast is rather dry. The lowland Province of Guayas at the south runs up also on the east with Pichincha farther north. The Bay of Caráquez, on which is a port of the same name, with dredging would become an excellent harbor. A fertile country lies at the back. Just north of Cape San Lorenzo is the Bay of Manta; the city at the south end, Manta, is the chief port of the Province.

Portoviejo, the capital, a city of some 10,000, is 15 miles up the Portoviejo River. At the foot of a hill 1500 feet high is Montecristi, a village, the name of which is familiar to those conversant with the Panamá hat industry; Jipijapa, of like reputation, is near. When a hat purchased at Paita was called by a dealer a Montecristi, it was a high but well merited compliment. Ivory nuts, rubber, and agriculture are other industries.

Guayas, the largest of all the Provinces, borders on the Pacific south of Manabí, as well as on the Gulf of Guayaquil. El Oro is at the south; Azuay, Cañar, and Los Rios are east. The Province includes the most western point of Ecuador, Santa Elena, with the bay at the north; Ballenita on this bay, port of the town Santa Elena, is the landing place of the West Coast cables. In this vicinity petroleum wells have been attempted on a small scale. More important industries at present are the agricultural, pastoral, and forestal. Panamá hats are made and fishing is important. Plantations of cacao, coffee, and sugar cane, and many varieties of fruit trees are found along the rivers, and some cattle are raised. The Island Puná is included in the Province. It is well wooded; timber and cattle raising are the chief industries of the 200 inhabitants.

Guayaquil, the capital of the Province, is the chief commercial city of the Republic.

Los Rios, north and east of Guayas, and west of Bolívar, partakes of the characteristics of the former; a lowland region with fertile cacao lands, many rivers, and several towns busy with interior commerce. Cattle breeding, and timber extraction are important.

El Oro, the most southern of the coastal provinces, thus bordering on Tumbes, Peru, with Loja also on the south and east, and Azuay northeast, extends into the sierra region, as here the range in Ecuador comes nearest to the Pacific; one peak is over 13,000 feet high. Along the shore are mangrove swamps and salt plains.

Machala, the capital, a little farther back, is near one of the famous cacao sections. Along the many streams and esteros back of the mangrove swamps are sabanas 1-3 miles wide, excellent for cattle; then come the cultivated lands, sandy soil overlaid by rich earth where cacao grows wild, and where other plants like bananas and coffee flourish. The lower slopes of the Cordillera up to 3300 feet are also favorable to tropical culture. Fisheries are important and in the Zaruma Hoya or Basin is gold mining.

Loja on the east, and extending farther south, has Peru on both south and west, the precise boundary line still uncertain; the Oriente is on the east. Traversed by the Cordillera Real, it has hot and cold regions, with pleasing towns and bleak spots. The capital, Loja, altitude 7300 feet, is quite a city with 14,000 population.

The Andean Provinces farther north are largely similar to each other in production and characteristics.

Azuay, where there are gold washings and hat making, has the ordinary agriculture and cattle raising of the highlands.

The important town of Cuenca, altitude 8465 feet, is the capital, with a population of 40,000, the third city in Ecuador. Seventy miles southeast of Guayaquil, it is south of the present railway system, carrying on its traffic with the outside world over mountain ranges by means of bridle paths only. It has a few factories for the making of sugar, woolen goods, pottery, hats, and cheese.

Cañar follows, between Guayas west and Oriente east. It includes the great knot of Azuay and its once famous quicksilver mines, now apparently exhausted. From these, the chief town, Azogues, near by, population 9000, took its name.

Chimborazo, as might be supposed, contains Ecuador’s greatest mountain of that name. The Province is followed at the north by Tungurahua, Leon, Pichincha, Imbabura, and Carchi, all quite similar, with their rows of mountains, their cattle, textile industries, growing of cereals, and in the valleys, sugar cane and cotton.

Tulcán in Carchi, and Ibarra in Imbabura are mountain towns, which have some commercial intercourse along the plateau with Pasto, Colombia; with this city they will some day have rail connection.

Bolívar, the smallest Province, is off the line, like Los Rios, being between that Province and Chimborazo. It has the mountainous character and resources of the latter.

Territories

The Galápagos Islands, though of little importance at present, may become valuable as a commercial focus or as a coaling station, since the group lies almost in the path of vessels from the Panama Canal to Australia. Thirteen in number, the Islands on or near the equator have an area of nearly 3000 miles. Except Chaves Island they are privately owned. The inhabitants are few: a small colony on Charles or Santa Maria Island, others on Chatham or San Cristóbal, and on Albemarle. On Chatham is a sugar plantation with a factory for refining sugar and distilling alcohol. Three million pounds of sugar are produced, and if there were a market 40,000 gallons of alcohol might be, instead of the 3500 at present. A coffee plantation of 320,000 trees yields about 300,000 pounds of coffee yearly. Water has been piped five miles and a Decauville railway built. Henequen plants have been set out to furnish material for the needed bags and twine. The cattle industry and fishing are of importance; codfish and lobsters are abundant.

The Islands are especially distinguished for the giant tortoises which are said to live 500 years and sometimes weigh 600 pounds. None such are on the main land. They yield excellent oil, have good flesh and eggs, but are diminishing in numbers and should receive protection. A proposition to lease the Islands to the United States Government in 1911 was rejected by Ecuador.

The Oriente embraces a large forest region, which contains the varieties of trees and other conditions such as are found in the forests of Peru and Colombia; but up to this time there has been little exploitation of its resources. Quite recently the possibilities of petroleum development have been investigated. A concession for exploration and for the drilling of wells in an area of nearly 10,000 square miles has been granted to the Leonard Exploration Company, American.