ECUADOR is bordered to the North by Colombia, the South and east by Peru and the west by the Pacific. From the Colombian border to Peru is known as the Sierra or uplands of the Andes and within this there are two mountain ranges, the East and West Cordilleras. Between the pacific and the Andes is the costa. This area is a coastal plain, which produces cocoa, bananas, coffee and sugar.
The upper Amazon basin situated to the east and called the oriente, covers 36% of the country, but because of its many rivers being the only thing cutting through its tropical jungle it only supports 3% of the countries' population. Along with its abundant jungles, many of which are possible to visit, Ecuador also has a great number of spectacular volcanoes. Cotopaxi at 5,896 metres (19,344 ft) is the highest active volcano in the world. Others in the country include Pichincha, Chimborazo and Tungurahua, and these are just a few possible to climb.

The local Indians are best known for their beautiful handicrafts that they sell at markets throughout the country, probably the most popular one being Otovalo, which is a couple of hours north of Quito and not far from the Equator itself.
There are many other areas of interest throughout the country including the hot springs at Papallacta and Banos, and many old colonial villages containing some spectacular buildings and cathedrals. The north has some beautiful beaches, especially around Esmereldas, which is also one of the countries main ports.

It is also possible to visit the Galapagos Islands that are situated 800 km (500 miles) off the West coast. This spectacular group of islands are home to Penguins, enormous Tortoises, Blue-Footed Booby and many other species of animal and plant life which are unique to these islands.

The climate varies throughout the country because of the Andes: the higher country being generally warm throughout the year with coastal and jungle areas tropical with higher rainfall.