Capital: Quito Currency: Sucre Languages: Spanish Time: GMT -5 to -6 (currently 23:11) Dialing Code: +593 Top Level Domain .ec Drive on the: Right Last reviewed: 20-October-2006

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have issued a warning against all travel to certain parts of this country. For further information see the FCO web site

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

City of Quito Galápagos Islands Sangay National Park Historic Centre of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca

Lying on the west coast of South America and once part of the Inca heartland, the Republic of Ecuador was ruled by Spain from 1533 until independence in 1830.

Whilst tourism is growing, access to the Galapagos Islands is restricted to just 40,000 visitors per year.
The capital, Quito, was once the capital of the Inca Empire and it has had many of its Spanish Imperial buildings restored.