Ecuador

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Legal , Social and Cultural Environment of Ecuador

The Republic of Ecuador is a country in South America , which is known worldwide for its bananas and cocoa . It has a unique ancient history beautiful mountainous landscapes and amazing nature , as well as all necessary modern facilities for active rest , sports and recreation Despite long periods of political instability , Ecuador remains the only country in the continent which has never had a serious domestic military conflict . Finally , Ecuador , with

its qualified workforce , developed infrastructure and promising industrial outlooks , is a country of great opportunities for modern businessmen and investors

The population of Ecuador is expected to exceed 14 million people in summer 2008 (CIA , 2008 . Modern social and cultural environment of Ecuador has a great deal of ethnic , social and regional distinctive features . Ethnic composition of the country 's population is the following : 65 are mixed people of Spanish origin (mestizo , 25 are Amerindian indigenous population , 3 are black African American population and 7 are people belonging to other ethnic groups (mainly of European origin (CIA , 2008 . Also , active migration is a factor which impacts social development of Ecuador to a great extent

The Northern coastal regions of the country are called black provinces of Ecuador , which are inhabited by the population of African-American origin (the descendants of African slaves ) and considered to be among of the most crowded African cultural settings in South America . People living in these regions of Ecuador are mainly occupied in agriculture farming , trade and commerce , and the higher social classes of these regions consist of rich immigrants and plantation owners

The Northern Sierra is dominated by mestizos and cholos , mixed groups of Spanish and local origin . For long period of time Sierra was controlled by white Hispanic elite and , due to enormous discrimination against indigenous population , aborigines had very limited opportunities for developing own social traditions and cultures . Now , Sierra is a famous tourist destination , where local population is employed in services or trade and is well-adopted for international cultural patterns . The Southern Sierra is a mixture of rural and urban cultures , which is an artistic center of the nation

Finally , the eastern Amazonian regions , known also as El Oriento , are inhabited by unassimilated ethnic groups of indigenous Amerindian population , including Cayapas , Colorados and other cultures . Also several local tribes with primitive social culture (including Aucas Cofanes , the Jivaros , Secoyas and others ) occupy the lowlands of the Amazon Basin (Herrera , 2002 . This region was traditionally isolated from economic and cultural European influence and massive exploration of some distant areas of the Amazon Basin stared only in the late 1960s

The country 's cultural traditions and heritage are very rich . Numerous archaeological evidences prove that the representatives of early human settlements , such as Valdivian or the Vega cultures , had some sophisticated aesthetic taste , as well as created various advanced technologies of pottery , ceramic and textile works . The traces of social traditions and customs of early...