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See also:ECUADOR (officially La Republica del Ecuador) , a See also:republic of See also:South See also:America, bounded N. and N.E. by See also:Colombia, S.E. and S. by See also:Peru, and W. by the Pacific Ocean . Its boundary lines with Colombia and Peru were in 1909 still unsettled, large areas of territory being claimed by all three republics . Under an agreement of the 15th of See also:December 1894, the disputes were to be decided by the See also:Spanish See also:sovereign as arbitrator, but nothing was accomplished . On the 5th of See also:November 1904, Colombia and See also:Ecuador agreed to submit their dispute to the See also:German See also:emperor, and a See also:convention of the 12th of See also:September 1905 between Colombia and Peru established a modus vivendi for the See also:settlement of their conflicting claims, in which Ecuador is likewise interested . The maps of Ecuador, which are very defective, usually describe its territory as See also:Bounds arias . extending eastward to the Brazilian frontier, but as Peru is in actual occupation of the region See also:east of Huiririma-chico, on the Napo See also:river, 31 degrees See also:west of that frontier, those maps cannot be considered correct . The Trans-Andine territory occupied by Ecuador is a See also:wedge-shaped See also:area between the See also:Coca and Napo, the provisional boundary See also:line with Colombia, and a line See also:running nearly west-south-west from Huiririma-chico (about See also:lat . 2° 50' S., See also:long . 73° 20' W.) to a point on the See also:Santiago river in about lat . 4° 12' S., long . 78° W., which forms the provisional boundary with Peru . The eastern See also:part of this territory is also claimed by Peru, which would have the effect, if allowed, of restricting Ecuador to a comparatively small area .covered by the See also:Andes and western See also:Cordillera and the narrow See also:plain on the Pacific See also:coast . From the Santiago river, a western affluent of the Maranon, the boundary line runs south-west and west across the Andes to the See also:head See also:waters of the Macara, down that stream to the Chira, or Achira,whose channel marks the frontier down to about 8o° 17' W., where a small stream (the Rio Alamo) enters from the See also:north . The line then runs almost due north to the south See also:shore of the Gulf of See also:Guayaquil, following the western See also:water parting of the See also:lower Tumbez valley . A small See also:district in the valley of the Chira is claimed by Peru . The See also:northern boundary line is described elsewhere (see COLOMBIA) . A small See also:section of this line terminating on the Pacific coast is also in dispute, Ecuador claiming the See also:main channel of the Mira as the dividing line, and Colombia claiming a small district south of that channel, the line running due west from the mouth of the most See also:southern outlet of the Mira opening into Panguapi See also:Bay, to a point of intersection with that river . See also:Physical See also:Geography.—The See also:surface of Ecuador may be divided into three distinct regions: the Cis-Andine lying between the Western Cordillera and the coast; the Inter-Andine, which includes the two ereat See also:mountain chains See also:crossing the republic with the elevated See also:plateau Eying between; and the Trans-Andine, lying east of the Andes in the See also:great See also:Amazon valley . The first part consists of an alluvial, See also:low-lying plain formed in great part by the detritus brought down by the mountain streams . It is irregular in See also:form and is broken by isolated elevations and spurs from the Cordillera . Large areas are still subject to See also:annual inundations in the See also:rainy See also:season, and the lower river courses are bordered with swamps . This is the most fertile and productive part of Ecuador, especially on the higher lands near the Cordillera . The Trans-Andine region is similar to the neighbouring territories of the upper Amazon See also:basin occupied by Colombia, See also:Brazil and Peru—a great See also:forest-covered plain descending gently toward the east, broken on its western margin by See also:short spurs from911 the Andes enclosing highly fertile valleys, and by low, isolated ranges between the larger river courses, and traversed by large See also:rivers flowing into the Napo and Maranon . This region has been only partially explored, and but little is known of the large areas lying between the navigable rivers . The Inter-Andine or plateau region lies in and between the two great mountain chains which See also:cross the greater part of the republic between and almost parallel Noun- with the 78th and 99th tens. meridians . The eastern See also:chain is known as the Andes of Ecuador, or the Cordillera See also:Oriental, and the western as the Cordillera Occidental (Western Cordillera) . Starting from the confused grouping on the southern frontier of the two great chains and some trans-See also:verse ranges, they run nearly north by east to the Colombian frontier where another " See also:knot " or junction occurs . The summits of the western range form a line of noteworthy regularity, but those of the eastern form a broken irregular line of varying distances from the first . The elevated plateau between the two great chains, which is about 300 M. long and 20 to 30 M. wide, is divided into three great shallow basins or plains by the transverse ridges or paramos of Tiupullo and See also:Azuay . These are known as the See also:Quito, See also:Ambato and See also:Cuenca basins . South of the latter is the irregular and deeply broken See also:Loja basin, which can hardly be considered a part of the great Ecuador plateau . The three great basins, which are broken and subdivided by mountainous spurs and ridges, descend gradually toward the south, the Quito plain having an See also:average See also:elevation of 9500 ft. above the See also:sea, Ambato 8500, and Cuenca 7800 . They are also characterized by the in-creasing aridity of the plateau from north to south, the Quito plain being fertile and well covered with vegetation, and the Ambato and Cuenca plains being barren and desolate except in some favoured localities . The volcanic See also:character of the region is likewise responsible for large areas of barren surfaces . Rising from this elevated plateau, along its eastern and western margins, are the Cordilleras with their See also:principal summits culminating far above the line of perpetual See also:snow, which in this region is about 15,750 ft. above the sea . These summits are remarkable, not only for their great height, but also for their apparent symmetrical arrangement in parallel lines, sometimes in pairs facing each other across this cyclopean passage . Nowhere in the See also:world can there be found another such assemblage of snow-clad peaks, several of which are active volcanoes . There are 22 of them grouped around these central plains almost within sight of each other . The western chain has the distinction of having the highest See also:summit, the eastern the greatest number of high summits and the highest average elevation . From the See also:time of See also:Humboldt's visit to this remarkable region down to the See also:present time there have been many diverse calculations of the height of these peaks, but with a considerable variation . It is estimated that there was a considerable decrease in the elevation of this part of the Andes during the past See also:century, Quito having sunk 26 ft. in 122 years, Pichincha 218 ft. in the same time, and the See also:farm of Antisana, where Humboldt resided for a time, 165 ft. in 64 years . At the same time See also:Cotopaxi and Sangay, the two active volcanoes, have actually increased in elevation since the measurement of La Condamine in 1742 . These changes in elevation, if correct, are due to seismic disturbances, a cause that may be partially responsible for the varying computations' of the heights of these well-known peaks . Among See also:modern investigatorsare W . Reissand A . Stubel (1871-1873), and See also:Edward See also:Whymper (188o), whose measurements of the principal summits were: Eastern Cordillera . Western Cordillera . Ft . Ft . Cayambe (W.) 19,186 Cotocachi (W.) 16,301 Sara-Urcu „ 15,502 Mojanda . (R . & S.) 14,088 Antisana 19,335 Pichincha (W.) 15,918 Sincholagua . (R . & S.) 16,365 Atacatzo . (R . & S.) 14,892 Ruminagui 15,607 El Cora zon Cotopaxi (W.) 19,613 (Chamalari) . (W.) 15,871 Tunguragua . (R . & S.) 16,690 Iliniza . . (R . & S.) 17,405 See also:Altar (Capac- Carahuairazo . (W.) 16,515 Urcu) . „ 17,730 Chimborazo . 20,498 Sangay . , . „ 17,464 A 76° D 74'- See also:English See also:Miles 0 20 ao 6o 8o too t20 See also:Capital of See also:Country O Capitals of Provinces See also:Railways ~.--._.` ~ .... C . Pasant See also:Bahia oeGngae See also:Moot Bay C.8 . Lorenzo Mon L . See also:Plata 1.4 u . Mangler all 4-area "s La Pastuta Ba Chats . Sabana t Mo Gulf Moen chi, Puna of ,, Guayaquil C. oaaorteas,(sta.Clarcr ia4~0't Pta . Mal See also:pal 2 3 4° 4 74° See also:Emery Wetter sc 1 0 9I2 The Imbabura See also:volcano, celebrated for its destructive eruptions of mud and water, stands midway between the two ranges at the northern end of the plateau, and belongs to the transverse See also:ridge of knot (nudo) which unites them . It is the most northern of the higher peaks of Ecuador, with the exception of Cotocachi, and possibly of Chiles on the Colombian frontier, and reaches the elevation of 15,033 ft . See also:Ibarra on the northern flanks of the volcano has suffered severely from its eruptions . The name is derived from imba, See also:fish, and See also:burn, See also:mother, and is said to have originated from the quantities of a fish called " prenadilla " (Pimelodus cyclopum) discharged from its See also:crater during one of its eruptions—a phenomenon which, after a searching investigation, was discredited by See also:Wagner . Cayambe, or Cayembi, the second highest See also:peak of the Ecuadorean Andes, has the noteworthy distinction of See also:standing very nearly on the See also:equator . Its See also:base covers a large area, and its square See also:top, rising far above the snow-line, is one of the See also:sights of Quito . Antisana is crowned with a See also:double See also:dome, and is described as an See also:extinct volcano, though Humboldt saw See also:smoke issuing from it in 1802 . On its western See also:side is the famous See also:hacienda (farm) of Antisana, 13,306 ft. above the sea, where Humboldt resided for several months in 1802 . Sara-Urcu stands south-east of Antisana in a densely forested region, drenched with See also:rain and only slightly explored . Sincholagua and Ruminagui are the next two peaks, going southward, and then the unrivalled See also:cone of Cotopaxi (q.v.)—the highest active volcano in the world—from whose summit smoke curls upward unceasingly . Llanganati or Cerro Hermoso is chiefly known through the tradition that the treasures of the Incas were buried in a See also:lake on its slopes . It consists of a See also:group of summits, the highest being credited with 17,843 ft .
Tunguragua, or Tungurahua, has a cone-shaped summit like that of Cotopaxi, with a slope of 38°
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It rises from a plain somewhat lower than the neighbouring central plateau and stands See also:free from the surrounding elevations, except on the south, which give it an exceptionally imposing See also:appearance
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Among its characteristic features is a See also:cataract fed by melting snows, which descends 1500 ft. in three leaps, and an enormous basaltic See also:lava-stream, which crosses the See also:face of the mountain in a north-easterly direction
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Its most notable eruption was in 1777
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It has been sometimes classed among the extinct volcanoes, but smoke has been seen issuing from it at different See also:dates, and a violent eruption occurred on See also:January 12, 1886
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The fertile cultivated valley of Banos, with its thermal springs, lies at the base of Tunguragua, which F
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Hassaurek describes as " the most beautiful of all the snow peaks in the country." The next in line is El Altar, which the natives See also:call Capac-Urcu (" See also:
Though of great See also:interest to scientific investigators because of this unceasing activity, and of its See also:peculiar position in the Andean See also:system, and because of the difficult and dangerous country by which it is surrounded, Sangay has been but rarely visited by See also:European travellers
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Its eruptions are not on a See also:grand See also:scale, but small outbursts of lava and explosions of See also:steam occur at frequent intervals, and at longer intervals more violent explosions in which the molten See also:rock is thrown 2000 ft. above its summit, and ashes are carried away as far as the streets of Guayaquil
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Turning to the Cordillera Occidental and taking the principal peaks in See also:order from south to north, the first to claim See also:attention is Chimborazo (from Chimpu-raza, " mountain of snow "), the highest summit of Ecuador, and once believed to be the culminating point of the Andes
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Humboldt, who unsuccessfully attempted its ascent 'in 1802, gives its elevation as 21,425 ft., Reiss and Stiibel as 20,703, and Whymper as 20,498
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It stands 76 m. north-east of Guayaquil, and, according to Spruce, rises majestically from the valley of the See also:Guayas, on the west, without a " See also:positive break from the summit down to the plain." This, however, is erroneous, for Whymper located a detached range running parallel with the Cordillera on the west, for a distance of 65 m. with the Chimbo valley between them
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The magnificence of its See also:mass is imposing from almost any point of view, but it can be most fully appreciated from its western or Pacific side, where its base is covered with forest up to the snow-line, above which its pure See also: Quirotoa, still farther north, is supposed to have suffered a similar See also:catastrophe . Its hollow summit, 13,510 ft. above sea-level, now contains a large lake . Iliniza, which stands west. by north of Cotopaxi, has two pyramidal peaks, and is one of the most interesting mountains of the Ecuadorean group . It stands at the western end of the Tiupullo ridge, and overlooks the Quito basin to the north-east . The See also:French academician Bouger, who was See also:chief of the scientific See also:commission sent to Ecuador in 1736 to measure a degree of the See also:meridian on the equator, made a trigonometrical measurement of Iliniza, and Wagner ascended to within 800 ft. of its summit in 1859 . The See also:geological structure of the mountain furnishes no See also:evidence of volcanic activity . Chamalari, which the Spaniards called El Corazon from its See also:heart-shaped appearance, is similarly destitute of a crater . It overlooks the Quito basin and has been ascended many times . Among the earlier explorers to reach its summit were Bouger and La Condamine, Humboldt and See also:Bonpland, and Jose Caldas, the Granadian naturalist . Atacatzo is an extinct volcano, with nothing noteworthy in its appearance and See also:history . Pichincha, its famous See also:neighbour, is apparently of later origin, according to Wagner, and of slightly lower elevation . Perhaps no Ecuadorean volcano is better known than Pichincha, the " boiling mountain," because of its destructive eruptions and its proximity to the See also:city of Quito .
Its summit comprises three See also:groups of rocky peaks, of which the most See also:westerly, Rucu-Pichincha (Old Pichincha), contains the crater, a See also:funnel-shaped basin 2460 ft. deep and about 1500 ft. wide at the bottom, whose walls in places rise perpendicularly and in others at an See also:angle of 20°
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The exterior of the cone has an angle of 30°
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Bouger and La Condamine were the first to reach its brink in 1742, after which Humboldt made the ascent in 1802, See also:Boussingault and See also: All the higher summits of Ecuador have true glaciers, the largest being found on Antisana, Cayambe and Chimborazo . Whymper located and named no less than eleven on Chimborazo, and counted twelve on Cayambe . There are two distinct hydrographic systems in Ecuador—the streams that flow south-eastward to the Maranon, or Amazon, and those which flow westward to the Pacific . The southern See also:Rives. part of the great central plateau is arid and has a very See also:light rainfall; it has no streams, therefore, except from melting snows, and the higher elevations which receive the impact of the easterly winds . Farther north the rainfall becomes heavier, the plateau-is covered with vegetation, and a considerable number of small rivers flow westward through the Cordillera to the Pacific . The Eastern Cordillera, or Andes, forms the water-parting between the two systems . The largest of the eastward-flowing rivers is the Napo, which rises in the eastern defiles of Cotopaxi and Sincholagua —the principal source being the Rio del See also:Valle, which traverses the Valle Vicioso . It at first flows south by east, and at the See also:village of Napo is 1450 ft. above sea-level, at the mouth of the Coca 858 ft., at the mouth of the Aguarico 586 ft., 500 at the mouth of the Curaray, and 385 at its junction with the Maranon . Orton estimates its current at Napo in the See also:month of November as 6 m. an See also:hour; in the next 8o m. the river falls 350 ft. and produces a fine series of rapids; and from See also:Santa See also:Rosa downwards the See also:rate is not less than 4 M. an hour . Its breadth at Napo is only 120 ft., but at Coca it has widened to 1500 ft., and at its mouth to nearly i m . Like most of the large Amazon tributaries, its See also:discharge into the Maranon is through several distinct channels . The Napo is navigable for steam-boats for some distance above the mouth of the Coca, and thence for canoes as far as the Cando cataract, 3332 ft. above the sea . Its See also:total length is 920 M . The principal tributaries of the Napo are the Coca and Aguarico from the north, and the Curaray from the south . The Coca rises on the eastern slopes of the Andes near Cayambe and the Guamani range, and flows eastward near the equator to See also:San Rafael (about 76° 3o' W. long.), where it turns sharply southward to a junction with the Napo in-about lat . 1° S., long . 76° W . The Coca forms the provisional boundary line between Ecuador and Colombia from its source to the Napo . The Aguarico also rises on the eastern slopes of the Andes north of Cayambe and flows south-eastward to a junction with the Napo in about long . 75° W., its length being roughly estimated at 420 M . Little is known of its course, or of the country through which it flows, which is See also:provision-ally occupied by Colombia . The Curaray has its See also:sources in the defiles of the Cerros de Llanganati, and flows south-eastward to the Napo, its length being estimated at 490 M . Its lower course is sluggish, where its waters are made unpalatable by a reddish slime . The Napo and its tributaries are celebrated in the See also:early history of South America as the route by which Gonzalo See also:Pizarro and Orellana first reached the Amazon, and it was afterwards the principal route by which the early expeditions across the See also:continent at this point connected the Andean Plateau with the Amazon . The other rivers which flow through the See also:Oriente territory of Ecuador into the Maranon are the See also:Tigre, Pastaza, Morona and Santiago . The Tigre, of which little was known until a See also:recent date, is formed by the confluence of the Cunambo and Huiviyacu, whose sources are on the eastern slopes of the Andes near those of the Curaray . Its length below this confluence is 416 m., into which are received 109 tributaries, the largest of which are the Pucacuro and See also:Corrientes . The Tigre is navigable at all stages up to the Cunambo confluence, and promises to afford one of the most valuable river routes in Ecuador . It enters the Maranon very near the 74th meridian . The Pastaza, or Pastassa, unlike the rivers already described, has its source on the central plateau west of the principal chain of the Andes, within the See also:shadow of Cotopaxi, and breaks through the Cordillera to the north of Tunguragua . After flowing southward along the base of the high Andes for a short distance and receiving a number of torrents from the snowclad heights, it turns south-eastward across the plain and enters the Maranon about 70 M. above the mouth of the Huallaga . The stream is known as the Patate down to its junction with the Chambo, near Banos, and is not called Pastaza until the Agoyan falls are passed . It was navigated by See also:Don Pedro Maldonado as early as 1741, and is navigable for steamboats of 2 to 4 ft. draft up to the mouth of the Huasaga (about 124 m.) in times of high water, and for canoes nearly 20o m. farther . The Pastaza, however, is subject to irresistible floods caused by the sudden rising of the mountain torrents on its upper course, especially the See also:Toro, which sweep down with such fury that See also:navigation on the river is practically impossible . The shallowness of the lower stream, where the current is sluggish, is probably due to the great quantities of silt brought down by these floods . Many of the rivers of eastern Ecuador are subject to similar floods from the Andean slopes, which have cut away broad, deep channels, through the adjacent plains, leaving long, narrow ridges between their courses which the natives call cuchillas .
The Morona is formed by the confluence of the Manhuasisa and Cangaima about 310 M. above its mouth, and is freely navigable for small steamboats to that point
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The two confluents just mentioned have their sources in the Andes, and flow for some distance across the plain before uniting to form the Morona
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Both are navigable for considerable distances
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The Morona follows a very tortuous course before entering ~ the Maranon, at long
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7o° W., and receives a large number of effluents, one of which serves as the outlet for Lake Rimachuma, in Peruvian territory
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Very little is definitely known of the affluents of the Morona, Pastaza and Tigre, as the territory through which they run has been but slightly explored
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The Santiago, which enters the Maranon near the Pongo de Manseriche, is formed by the confluence of the Paute, which rises in the See also:province of Azuay, and the See also:Zamora, which has its source among the mountains of Loja
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According to See also: . 211 These same rivers are navigable at high water for steamers of 19} ft. draft for an aggregate distance of 1330 m., including 68 m. of the Aguarico, and for steamers of 2 to 4 ft. draft for an additional 733 M . The last aggregate includes an See also:extension of 93 M. on the Pastaza, 99 on the Morona, 186 on the Napo, and the See also:balance on the Manhuasisa, Cangaima, Pucacuro, Corrientes, Cunambo and Huiviyacu . On the western versant of the Andes of Ecuador there are three river systems of considerable See also:size—the Mira, the Esmeraldas and the Guayas . The sources of the first—the Rioblanco, Pisco and Puntal—are to be found on the northern slopes of the transverse ridge which culminates in the Imbabura volcano . Its course is north and north-west to the Colombian frontier, thence westward and north-west to the Pacific, breaking through the Western Cordillera on its way . It forms the boundary line for some distance between Ecuador and Colombia, but near its mouth where the river turns northward Colombia has taken See also:possession of the left See also:bank and all the territory covered by its large See also:delta . Its principal tribu-taries on the left are the San Pedro, Paramba, Cachiyacu, Chachavi and Canumbi, and on the right the San Juan, Caiquer and Nulpe . The delta channels of the Mira are navigable, being tributary to the Colombian See also:port of Tumaco . The Esmeraldas drains all that part of the central plateau lying between the transverse ridge of Tiupullo on the south, and the Imbabura ridge on the north, together with the western slopes of the Cordillera between Iliniza and Cotocachi, and a considerable part of the lower plain . It is formed by the confluence of the Quininde and Toachi with the Guaillabamba between 40 and 50 M. above its mouth, and discharges into the Pacific in lat . 1° N., long . 79° 40' W., through a narrow and precipitous See also:gorge . The See also:volume and current of the river is sufficient to freshen the sea 2 M. from the coast . The Guaillabamba is the larger and more important tributary, and should be considered the main stream . It rises in the Chillo valley in the vicinity of Cayambe, and flows across the northern end of the central plateau, breaking through the Western Cordillera between Cotocachi and Pichincha . One of its plateau tributaries, Rio Pedregal, rises on the sloes of Cotopaxi and is celebrated for its three beautiful cascades, the highest of which is about 220 ft . The Toachi and Quininde have their sources on the western slopes of the Cordillera . The Guayas or Guayaquil river is in part an See also:estuary extending northward from the Gulf of Guayaquil, bordered by See also:mangrove swamps and mud See also:banks formed by the silt brought down from the neighbouring mountains . All the bordering country on both sides is of the same description, and for a long distance inland extensive areas of swampy country are submerged during the rainy season . Above the mouth of the Daule the river is known as the Bodegas, which in turn is formed by the confluence of the Babahoyo and the Vinces . The Guayas also receives a large tributary from the east called the Yaguachi . All these streams are navigable on their lower courses, See also:regular steamboat communication being maintained on the Guayas and Bodegas to a river port of the latter name, 8o m. above Guayaquil, and for 40 M. on the Daule . The navigable channels of all the rivers are computed at 200 M . The drainage basin of the Guayas, according to Theodor See also:Wolf, covers an area of 14,000 sq. m., and includes the greater part of the lower plain and the western slopes of the Cordillera Occidental as far north as Iliniza . The Babahoyo, which is the main stream, has its sources on the slopes of Chimborazo, the Daule on the Sandomo ridge in the See also:latitude of Pichincha, the Yaguachi on the south-eastern slopes of Chimborazo, whence it flows southward for a considerable distance before breaking through the Cordillera to the western plain . The Guayas is one of the most interesting and varied of the South See also:American river systems, and is of great economic importance to Ecuador . In addition to these three river systems, there are a large number of short streams on the coast flowing into the Pacific and Gulf of Guayaquil, only two of which have any See also:special importance in the present undeveloped state of the country . These are the Santiago, which drains several fertile valleys in northern Esmeraldas and western Carchi, and whose outlet is connected with some navigable See also:tide-water channels, including the Pailon basin and the Caraquez, or See also:Caracas, on which is located the village of Bahia de Caraquez (lat . 0° 34' S.), the nearest port to the city of Quito . There are a considerable number of small lakes in Ecuador, but no large ones . These are of two classes—those of the bowl-like valleys and extinct craters of the mountainous region, Lakes. and the See also:reservoir lakes of the See also:lowland plains caused by the annual overflow of the rivers . It is impossible to say how many of the latter there may be, for much of the territory where they are found is unexplored . They are usually shallow and malarial . Among the upland lakes, there are some of special interest because of their position and See also:historical association . The Yaguar-cocha (" lake of See also:blood "). in the province of Imbabura, near Ibarra, which is only 11 m. in circumference, is celebrated for the tradition that Huayna-Capac, one of the great conquerors of the Inca See also:dynasty, defeated an See also:army of rebellious Carranquis on its shores, and threw so many of their bleeding corpses into it as to turn its waters to the See also:colour of blood . On the south-east skirt of Cotocachi, 10,200 ft. above the sea, is the beautiful little Cuy-cocha, which originated, it is believed, through the falling in of the mountain's sides . There are two others of apparently the same origin on the north-west slopes of the Mojanda volcano, but they are less attractive because of their gloomy surroundings . In the deep valley between the mountains of Imbabura and Mojanda is the lake of San Pablo, 8848 ft. above the sea . It is one of the largest of its class, being about 5 m. in circumference, and is situated in an exceptionally fertile region . It drains through the Peguchi into the Rio Blanco, a tributary of the Mira . Other well-known lakes of the plateau region are Quirotoa, about 4600 ft. in diameter; Colta, east of See also:Riobamba, and Colay, south of the same place . Among the many thermal springs through-out the Andean districts, the best known are at Belermos and San Pedro del Tingo, north-east of Quito; at Cachillacta, in the district of Nanegal; at Timbugpoyo, near See also:Latacunga; at Banos (5906 ft. elevation), near the See also:foot of Tunguragua; and on the slopes of Ruminagui and Chimborazo . The coast of Ecuador extends from about lat . 1° 20' N. to the vicinity of the Boca Jambeli on the southern shore of the Gulf of Guayaquil, in lat . 3° 14' S., and has an outward See also:curve . Coast . Its more prominent headlands are Punta Galera, Cabo Pasado, Cabo de San Lorenzo and La Puntilla, or Santa Elena Point . The bays on this coast are commonly broad indentations, and the rivers discharging into them are generally obstructed by bars . The small ports along the coast, therefore, do not afford much See also:protection to See also:shipping . The most northern of these bays is the See also:Ancon de Sardinas, lying south of the Mira delta . The head of the bay is fringed with islands and reefs, behind which is the mouth of the Santiago river, Poza See also:Harbour, San Lorenzo Bay, Pailon basin and a network of navigable channels, all of which are difficult of See also:access . The small ports of La Tola and Pailon are located on these waters . The port of Esmeraldas, near the mouth of the Esmeraldas river, is located near the southern entrance to this bay . As the mouth of the river is obstructed by a See also:bar and its current is See also:swift, the anchorage is outside in an open roadstead, only slightly protected on the south . Farther south is the broad Bay of Manta, with a small port of the same name at its southern extremity . The most frequented port on this part of the coast is that of Bahia de Caraquez, at the mouth of the Caraquez, or Caracas river, which is also obstructed by a bar . There is a fertile, productive country back of this port, and it is the See also:objective point of a road from Quito . Immediately north of the Gulf of Guayaquil is the Bay of Santa Elena, with a small port of the same name, which has a good, well-sheltered anchorage and is the landing-place of the West Coast See also:cable . The Gulf of Guayaquil, which lies between the Ecuadorean and Peruvian coasts, is the largest gulf on the Pacific coast of South America between See also:Panama and Chiloe . Its mouth is 140 M. wide between La Puntilla on the north and Cabo Blanco on the south, and it penetrates the See also:land eastward, with a slight curve northward at its head, for a distance of about too m., terminating in the Guayas estuary or river, on which is located the port of Guayaquil . The upper end of the bay and its northern shores are fringed with swamps through which numerous estuaries penetrate for some distance inland . Immediately west of the Guayas river the Estero Salado, which comprises a great many shallow tide-water channels, or bayous, penetrates as far inland as Guayaquil, but is used only by canoes . The upper end of the gulf is filling up with the silt brought down from the Cordillera . It is divided midway by the large See also:island of Puna, at the eastern end of which is the anchorage for steamers too large to ascend the Guayas . The steamship channel passes between this island and the Peruvian coast, and is known as the Jambeli channel . The passage north of Puna Island is known as the Morro channel, but its entrance is obstructed by shoals and it is considered dangerous for shipping . A small port in the Jambeli channel, on the south-east shore of the gulf, is that of Puerto See also:Bolivar, or Puerto Huaila, the shipping port for the See also:town of Machala and the Zaruma See also:mining region . There are few islands off the coast of Ecuador, and only one of any considerable size—that of Puna in the Gulf of Guayaquil, which /s/ands. is 29 m. long from north-east to south-west and 8 to 14 m . wide . It lies in the north-east part of the gulf, and is separated from the Ecuadorean mainland by the Morro channel, and from the southern mainland by the wider and deeper Jambeli channel . There is a 'low, mountainous ridge, called the Zampo Palo, running through it, and its eastern shores have some moderately high bluffs; otherwise the island is low and swampy, and its shores, except the eastern end, are fringed with mud banks . The island is densely wooded (in marked contrast with the opposite Peruvian shore), and is considered unhealthy throughout the greater part . It has a See also:population of 200, chiefly centred in the village of Puna, at its north-east extremity, which is a shipping port and See also:health resort for the city of Guayaquil . Puna island is celebrated for its connexion with Pizarro's invasion of Peru in 1531 . It is said that it had a considerable population at that time, and that the natives resisted the invaders so vigorously that it cost six months to reduce them . Midway in the See also:outer part of the Gulf of Guayaquil is Amortajada or Santa See also:Clara island, whose resemblance to a shrouded See also:corpse suggested the name which it bears . It lies 12 M. south-west of Puna island and 8o m. from Guayaquil . It rises to a considerable elevation, and carries a light 256 ft. above sea-level . There are some low, swampy islands, or mud flats, covered with mangrove thickets, in the lower Guayas river, but they are uninhabited and of no importance . North of the Gulf of Guayaquil there are' only two small islands on the coast of more than See also:local interest . The first of these is Salango, in lat . 1° 25' S., which is 2 m. in circumference and rises to a 'height of 524 ft . It is richly wooded, and has a well-sheltered anchorage much frequented by whalers in See also:search of water and fresh pprovisions . The next is La Plata, in lat . 1 ° 16' S., which rises to a height of 790 ft., and has a deep anchorage on its eastern side where See also:Drake is said to have anchored in 1579 to See also:divide the spoils of the Spanish treasure See also:ship " Cacafuego." The Galapagos Islands (q.v.) belong to the republic of Ecuador, and form a part of the province of Guayas . See also:Geology?—The great See also:longitudinal depression which lies between the eastern and the western branches of the Andes is also the boundary between the See also:ancient rocks of the east and the Mesozoic 1 See J . Siemiradzki, Geologische Reisenotizen aus Ecuador," Neues Jahrb. f . See also:Min., Beil . See also:Band iv . (1886, pp . 195-227, pl . Vii.); Th . Wolf, Geografia y geologia del Ecuador, publicada See also:por orden del Supremo Gobierno de la Republica (See also:Leipzig, 1892) ; W . Reiss and A . Stiibel, Reisen in Sud-America: Das Hochgebirge der Republik Ecuador (See also:Berlin, 1892-1902).beds which form the greater part of the west of the country . The Eastern Cordillera is composed of See also:gneiss, See also: |